Need IMMIDIATE crash course on a "how to" for servers!!

[catattack]

Hello, it's been awhile since i've been here and i'm in a real need of resources, teachings and pretty much the whole "How-To" on setting up a seven computer server. Now i'm not incredibly sure if this is the correct forum to ask in, hopefully a moderator may direct me or even change this to a different forum if that is so.

I need to know how to set up a seven computer servers by around 4:30 monday. Now, I have no personal experience what so ever with servers and server matinence. So I will be studying exactly what to do to become smart enough to do so. This is an amazing opportunity for me because if I succeed here I will also be made most likely manager of a brand new computer store. I just moved to California here in the US to find a better start and if I screw up here, I let down my Aunt's good friend and this man by an incredible measure. This man usually only hires experienced paid professionals so I need to make sure I can be of use to him.

Keep in mind, i'm BRAND NEW to servers and everything involved with them. I know how to put computers together somewhat and how to set up windows on them. So please, please if you fine people here at Hexus.net could be my trainers//teachers for the next couple days, I would be incredibly greatful.

This person wants all computers to have.
-Celeron D 3.08ghz 64bit processors
-Windows XP
-Two terabytes of space in each of the seven (4x500GB drives)
-They will be used for DVR, NVR Survelliance (?)
-One of the main programs he will be using is Geovision

This could be my big break in making a better life for myself right now. Even hardware explenations would be incredibly useful, as in how to put in certain components, what ones go in first and how to do deal with some problems on the way. I've built quite a few computer's, but that was a couple years ago. The lady that got me hooked up with this person is extremelly worried because this guy NEVER does this with kids as of my status. She would be incredibly let down and it's very important to me and everyone else this affects to do well and get the job done as if it were done by a professional or ameture.


I come here because you fine people have never let me down with great help and information. So you guys were my first choice to ask. I love the work you guys do.



Thank you guys very, very much. Even the slightest information helps, if none is given, thank you even for allowing me to use this website.

[alsenior]

instead of having storage on each server build a big single server with quite a few large hard drives in a big raid array.and use windows file sharing to store stuff on the server. it will make backing up a load easier. either way look at my beginners guide to raid on my sig below. also go to a decent book store and look for the networking for dummies nine in one guide. this should give you a good grounding.

[SHare]

I think if you've lied to get this chance then your screwed. If they know you dont know much about servers and networking then a bit of groundwork will really aid you. Short of going to college or having genuine working experience between now and Monday I really don't think you'll manage it.

[aidanjt]

There's a lot more to servers than just slapping in a few disks and say howdy-doody. You need to be versed in TCP/IP, Server Operating Systems (Windows XP for e.g. doesn't make for a good fileserver OS), daemon (server software) installation and configuration and system wide maintainance.

[rox0r]

A question like 'how do I set up servers?' is something to be asked before you embark on a training course or a trainee position, not two days before you find out you blagged your way into something that's going to backfire on you if you can't produce the goods.

If the guy is asking for what I think he's asking for, CCTV servers (presumably since it's a geovision setup) then you'll be banging your head against a wall setting it up with no prior experience. It's not going to reflect very well on you if you get stuck at the first hurdle and have to ask, "Erm, can I just use the internet to ask some people on Hexus what to do next?"

Save yourself some face, tell the guy you're not quite up to scratch on what he's asking for rather than wading into a situation that's only going to end in tears.

[aidanjt]

Esepcially if one of the disks go and you wipe out 500GB survalance footage because you didn't bother/know to set up a RAID5 array.

[ikonia]

I'm not going to offer you any advice on principal, you've obviously told a pack of lies to get a job now your coming on here asking for a walk through guide on doing the job to get paid.

If your taking money for this - you should be in a postition to do a good job, not ask the basic.

Get lost !

[Splash]

"I'm a bit stuck with setting up RAID on my new PC"
"How do I go about getting the best performance out of my rig?"
"What subnet mask should I be using in this situation?"

All of the above are questions that would be greeted with a (usually!) helpful response.

"I've blagged a job doing something that I openly admit to not being confident of - someone help me out"

Is not. The gent who normally hires in experienced paid professionals should be doing just that.


Hell, even your time scales are shot - 7 production (I'm assuming this is for production work?) server builds in a day and a bit just isn't happening if you're building from scratch. By the sounds of it you don't even have the build planned beyond a basic hardware spec. What would you do if you found that the server had an incompatibility with the software in question in some way?

[DougMcDonald]

Ouch! Spikey responses!

Whilst people could tell you what you'd need to do (roughly) you will inevitably come accross your own unique situations which cannot be explained.

I would suggest doing some background reading, and attempting to choose which type of solution best serves the desired purpose and then maybe posting back with specific questions like 'I've done this, and that isn't working as expected, can anyone help' type thing.

The quantity of information you will require if doing this from scratch is way beyond what anyone could write by 4:30 tomorrow, let alone you absorbing and understanding it!

[catattack]

Hmm, I see. This is the first time i've been flamed on Hexus.net and shall be my last visit. I'm sorry, I thought the website was home to both highly intelligent and the very beginners, the new kid's and the olds. To be perfectly honest, i've never seen how servers work but with all the commercials now and day's telling us how small businesses can set up their own servers it seemed like a very miniscule thing to learn, just like most of my first computer knowledge obtained from here and mainly here. I didnt come on asking for help to obtain money, to try and WHIZ my way threw someone's expensive database at a chance for a goldmine at the end of the road. I was hoping that if this task could have been accomplished in two days of learning or less so that I may continue learning in the future and have not only knowledge for myself, but others as well.

Seeing how quickly a few of you were to assume who I am and what my objectives were, I do now notice a few of my original mentors have carried on... and so shall I. I've put plenty of computers together, i've made them run as smooth as a marble and kept them that way for years, servers in my mind, in this situation just seemed the same but seven times the task and with a new program I was going to have to spend some time with. If I was to come on to a website to waste my time pissing people off, I would have been at the local river taking a dip.



To all the old and current great educators I give you my thanks. Without you guy's I would not know how to upkeep and maintain a computer in it's entirety.

To those who judgments have came so swift, I forgive you. Maybe I did waste your time's. Though the criticism by some of which was deem'd constructive by me, thank you. The person who asked me to do this job is an investor and has completely no idea from what he looks like to what he says when it come's to computers and servers. Someone must have linked him with the product's and the basic "ask for this" type of information. He will understand by tomorrow early morning... I was not the man for the job.

It is now time for me to connect and hook up my aunts new 4 in 1 scanner/printer, which I now know how to do with my eye's closed and no instruction manual (thank you hexus instructors). Even though this task seem's completely juvenile and chidish, it's still a task a majority of our growing population cant handle. This wasnt the first out of country computer help forum I believed in, it was the only one I believed in.



Thank you for all the inspiring information,


Luke

[rox0r]

Look, do yourself a favour kid and take some advice. Go and look at getting some qualifications and training courses if this is seriously the field you want to be in. Being able to build a couple of PCs from advice off a forum does not constitute the necessary know-how to walk into a managerial IT position.

Of course you'll get harsh responses to a question such as the one you've posed; do you honestly think that most of us just walked into a high end IT job after a weekend of reading and a bit of advice? For most of us it's taken years of hard work, trial and error, courses, knock backs, redundancies and all the other jolly things it takes to call yourself 'experienced'. For you to come along and belittle the trade by asking to help you basically blag your way into a job, and let's not beat around the bush hear catattack that's exactly what you were out to do, is insulting.

The fact that you've said in your 'closing statement' that server maintenance looks like a 'minuscule thing to learn' is probably something that will get you flamed even further by those who've spent good portions of their life dedicated to it.

It'd be a shame for you to effectively throw your teddy out of the pram and walk away from Hexus feeling like you were done wrong when in fact all you got was a realistic, if a little harsh, response to an unrealistic question from a group of people more experienced than yourself. By your own statements you humbly submitted your question to the greater collective, just because you didn't get the answer you wanted or expected doesn't mean you should spit your dummy out. Learn from what has been said, take on board the responses and look seriously at whether this is a path you want to take.

If you decide that a career in IT is for you and you want advice on what steps to take, what courses to enroll on, how to manage IT interviews and over time how to get past the trickier parts of server maintenance and so on then you will get nothing but warm and friendly advice. But don't expect us to be anything but realistic if you ask how to get into an IT job that you can't actually do.

[catattack]

Ok, i'm not trying to turn this into a situation but mainly what I was referring to when I said I was getting flamed was a couple of pointless and completely unhelpful comments, one being "get lost". That really does substitute for great advice hmm?

As for this whole IT thing your choking on?? I'm not completely sure where your going with it but what I was trying to state (which clearly I stated it well) was I wanted to broaden my horizons; Expand my possibilities as you would say. Other than mentally strung tasks i'm an avid outdoorsmen, I mountain bike, skateboard and swim as much as possible. I also love playing Piano and drums, singing and giving motovational speeches (please dont get it mixed up). I'm sorry if you got the idea I wanted to be a crazed IT person because of an honest question which had to be asked SOMEWAY or another. The man offered me a job in a new computer store he was going to open up if I worked on his servers.

I think the world has grown very old and confused, but it doesnt need to drag us down with it. Come back to your root's man. There's still a child in all of us.

[aidanjt]

That's still a little harsh, you can give out constructive criticism without belittling someone. You can gleam the knowledge required from personal experience with some trial and error, without formal qualifications (I did), but I definately agree that the job of IT management isn't something you pick up overnight, on the job, it's irresponsible and could result in the company losing a lot of money and data, networking is a whole field in and of itself.

[Splash]

@catattack - I wasn't trying to flame you, I was trying to save you much embarrasment in the not too distant future. If you want a career in IT I strongly recommend you look to doing some serious study and be prepared to enter the industry at the grass root. Setting yourself the expectation of being able to set up these servers and then go on to manage an IT store after a weekend is not realistic in my opinion. I've been in the industry for some 7-8 years and am now hitting the point where I'm in a position to build and manage servers for external clients. That should give you some idea as to the complexities involved.

Like Aidanjt, I have no formal qualifications/certifications, but it takes time, mistakes and lots of patience to be able to do what you are proposing in a professional manner. Hopefully this clarifies my original post which was intended to advise, not flame. Reading it back I appreciate that the late factor kicked in, for which I apologise.

[ikonia]

i've never seen how servers work but with all the commercials now and day's telling us how small businesses can set up their own servers

Then in that case you don't need us to tell you how to do it.

just like most of my first computer knowledge obtained from here and mainly here. I didnt come on asking for help to obtain money,

are you sure

This is an amazing opportunity for me because if I succeed here I will also be made most likely manager of a brand new computer store

and

This man usually only hires experienced paid professionals so I need to make sure I can be of use to him.

So you've lied about your skills to get a job in a computer store, and you want to show you can do something you can't do to impress a man with useful business to give to you.

Sounds to me like "I want help to do this to make money"

eeing how quickly a few of you were to assume who I am and what my objectives were

Well - you did write them down in plain English for us to read the first post of this thread, that sort of gave us a clue.

He will understand by tomorrow early morning... I was not the man for the job.

how right you are, and if I knew who he was I would send him this forum link to show him what a fibbing little chap you are trying to blag your way into his wallet.

It is now time for me to connect and hook up my aunts new 4 in 1 scanner/printer, which I now know how to do with my eye's closed and no instruction manual

Sounds to me like your really well prepared to run a 7 server large IO network. you don't need our help.

completely unhelpful comments, one being "get lost". That really does substitute for great advice

You didn't ask for advice, you asked for us to tell you how to do it so that you could make money and get a job.

read above comments, then get lost.

[TiG]

Catattack,

Late to the party i know but....

the problem with this forum is we have some very gifted and hard working individuals. And its assumed that if you are posting here that you really should be asking questions that are close to your level.

There are some huge holes in your knowledge from what you can see and while we all started somewhere, we didn't jump into roles we had no chance of filling.

Some quick pointers if you are still listening.

Firstly...

This person wants all computers to have.
-Celeron D 3.08ghz 64bit processors (erm these are desktop pc's, Celeron D?, 64bit, they are all contradictions, for server based systems, i'd be looking at Dell/HP etc etc)
-Windows XP (NO way, not on a server, only Windows 2000Server or 2003)
-Two terabytes of space in each of the seven (4x500GB drives) (Again no concept of Raid here, again something you need to know and understand if you are going to learn how to deal with servers.

TiG