Topic: Network setup with SME7

[treydock]

Ok , I've been working on SME7 and am making progress...

I recently came into computers.  I have

- 1.2ghz x 2 , 1gbram
- 1.2ghz , 512mbram
- 1ghz x 2 , 1gbram , 650gb hdd

Now I want to use SME for sure as my router, firewall, and email server (love the webmail it comes with)

As for domain controller, still up in the air as for whether to use Win or SME.

I am also going to like to have a file server with multiple types of sharing...network shares, ftp shares, website data , and backups of webservers and important data on network.  Which is best...SME ?  Windows Server OSes?  Ibays are nice but I have to make sure it's easy to access , put permissions and so on , on the different file shares.

Web server I am using IIS, ASP.NET and SQL 2005, so have to have at least 1 windows box.

Here's my idea, critique, any advice welcome

1.2ghz x 2 = webserver, possible domain controller
1.2ghz = email server (forwards emails to store on file server), router, maybe domain ctrl, posslbe file server
1ghz w/ 650gb= fileserver..., just not sure which OS can have such a wide arrange of file share types.

Thanks
TREY

[jonroberts]

Trey,

Now I know that answering a question like this is always likely to open a can of worms - everyone may have a different opinion etc.  However, for what its worth, here's my view.

Unless one server is to be used far more heavily than the others, then I would say make the most powerful PC you have the Windows box as Windows tends to be hungrier for resources than SME.

I assume your webserver is to be Internet facing, but will it be running a firewall?  From what you say, you'll want to use one of the SME boxes in server/gateway mode as the Internet facing server, in which case you will need to either run port forwarding to the IIS box, or use ProxyPass.  

ProxyPass has the advantage that you could run HTML / PHP etc sites on the SME box & just forward requests for your ASP.NET sites on to IIS, but may be more complex to configure.  I've done it manually in the Apache conf files in the past, but I think there's a contrib that will do this too (but I've never used it).

Someone else may give better advice about which server to make Domain controller.  Either way, you'll need to create users on the SME server and on the domain controller (if different), so if you're going to make the SME the file server, then I'd make that the domain controller too - I also think there may be security issues if you make your Internet facing IIS server a domain contoller too.

For that reason, I'd use the least powerful PC as the Firewall / Router, Proxy Server & possibly e-mail server.  The other PC can be the file server, domain controller and maybe e-mail server (depending on load).

Anyway, just my initial thoughts .....  (on with the bullet-proof jacket & wait for the responses ...   )

[treydock]

That sounds like a well planned idea.  I like it.

I was thinking something like , least powerful , proxy/firewall/mailserver

Windows IIS server also print server and router...

Then the machine w/ HUGE harddrive space the file server , possibly domain controller...


Now you mentioned ProxyPass and IP Forwarding.......Since I just really want to use IIS only can I turn off apache and just IP forward to my windows IIS...

at the moment I'm having trouble having my domain service seeing my IIS folders :-/

[jonroberts]

Now you mentioned ProxyPass and IP Forwarding.......Since I just really want to use IIS only can I turn off apache and just IP forward to my windows IIS.../

Can't really help with your IIS problem, but the rest sounds OK.  I would leave Apache running and Port forward Port 80 from External Network to Internall IIS server.  Cos' if you disable apache, you won't be able to run Server-Manger or Webmail.