Can someone advise me on this network setup?

Can someone advise me on this network setup?
As storage is my main emphasis in this network (I plan to have 2 Terabytes of data total and I would like to have a backed up copy of this size as well). I have decided to go with the following configuration but just want to see about good recommendations. I haven’t bought any of my products yet but here is my idea of a small business network for 5 people with 2 printers, 1 scanner, 3 desktops, 2 laptops:
modem–> wireless router –> switch –> pc’s, printers, server, scanner, wireless access point

My products are as follows:
Router- Belkin N+ 0
reviews.cnet.com/routers/belkin-n…

Switch- 3com officeconnect gigabit ethernet switch w/POE 0

pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,229…

Server- PowerEdge T100 00
Quadcore Intel Xeon X3220, 2.4GHZ, 2x4M cache
4GB, DDR2, 800MHZ, 4×1 Dual Ranked DIMMS
Microsoft Small Business Server 2008, Standard Edition with Media
SAS6iR(SATA/SAS controller) RAID 1
2x160GB hardrives SATA 3Gbps
CD/DVD Drive
Onboard Single Gigabit Network Adapter
1yr warranty
1removable hard disk cartridge 80gbnative/160 compressed

Pc’s/Laptops- All meet 802.11 n standard

Buffalo Terastation Home Server NAS (2TB) 0

reviews.cnet.com/external-hard-dr…

WAP- 3COM AirConnect 9550

3com.com/products/en_US/detai…

My network is for a small doctor’s office and I am certain it will not grow beyond 5-7 people. I will also be using cat 5 wiring, Kaspersky Anti-virus, and I am thinking about using either Microsoft Ftp publishing (comes with Windows Server 08) for file transferring and maybe Filezilla or WinSCP for remote access

The odd thing is that my main software program (EClinical Works) specs a minimum of: Quadcore Xeon 1.4 Ghz, Windows Server 2003/2008, 4GB of memory, at least 16GB (OS) + 30GB (Data)
But the oddest thing is that they say the server with this EClinical software shouldn’t run an active directory, RAS, and/or terminal service.

Will I need two servers because the one with my software on it doesn’t want an active directory run on it? I’m also a little confused about how the file sharing will work with the Network Attached Storage device, does Windows Server have something in it to implement this? Also from a security standpoint what would I need to address in Windows if I have a NAS, will Windows file sharing be secure between the users/server/clients?

My point with the NAS was to save money and separate the data from the server processor (only OS+apps)…also the cheapest servers on Dell have about a 2.4GHZ processor and a 160GB hardrive for about 1600….would buying a nice desktop and putting Windows Server 2008 on it be a better option??

I looked on cnet.com and certainly found that the Buffalo Terastation Home Server NAS (2TB) is my best option…but its uses mirroring and spanning instead of RAID and its write performance is slow due to its RAID 5 configuration. Should I be concerned?

The biggest point is that I want my system to be low maintenance, easy to setup, and my switch to be un-managed (aka no IT expert needs to be around to configure the ports…etc)
I’ve heard that the remote device can be a security issue….but I’ve looked around and it seems difficult to find a server (such as from dell or HP) that has 2 Terabytes of redundant (RAID 1) hard drive space. Also how much onboard memory would I need to have on one server that would someday have 2 Terabytes of memory…wouldn’t that be really expensive? I also thought separating the data from the OS+apps would result in better performance and a server that is easier to manage and the server wouldn’t have to cache data storage. The NAS emulates a windows share (CIFS). Also I will contact the software company about the active directory thing because I don’t want to have to buy two servers that ridiculous.

Best answer:

I would consider getting a decent firewall. You can get a fairly cheap one that is decent from Fortinet.

Since you are a doctor’s office if would MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE HIPPA COMPLIANT if your are HIPPA. There are security requirements that you will not be able to meet by yourself. If that is the case you’ll need to hire a security consultant who is familiar with setting up a HIPPA compliant network.

Tags: advise, network, setup, someone, this

Under Forum