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Choosing Server Hardware for Your Intranet

As discussed in previous chapters, intranets are built on a client/server principal, which means to utilize an intranet you must have clients and servers in place. Chances are you probably already have client machines you can use, and perhaps even servers. Chapter 4 "Client/Server Basics and Theory," covered the differences between the two, so the first part of this chapter is devoted to the most important part of your intranet-the server machine. Depending on the size and purpose of the intranet, the server hardware can consist of anything from a 386 desktop computer to one or several Sun Sparc Ultra computers. Figure 5.2 shows some examples of server hardware you can use. It just depends on what you want your intranet to accomplish.

Figure 5.2: You have a variety of options when it comes to choosing servers for your intranet.

If your intranet goal is as simple as running a Web server to host 30 to 40 users and post HTML pages, you probably don't need much more than a 386 or 486 processor. You certainly should have a decent amount of RAM on the machine-at least 16 to 24MB. You'll also want a good-sized hard drive that is at least twice the size of all the files you plan to add in the next year. You will also need a large disk cache and an httpd. httpd stands for hypertext transfer protocol daemon, the program that runs on your server and responds to Web requests. httpd is just another name for a Web server.

The next level of server might include a medium-sized intranet for 50 to 75 users that hosts a Web server, a mail server, possibly a gateway into a database, and/or audio-conferencing. In this scenario, you'll want at least a 486 processor, but probably a Pentium, PowerPC, or Macintosh clone, such as a Power Computing machine. This intranet would require at least a 2-gigabyte hard drive and a minimum of 24MB of RAM.

These first two scenarios can incorporate the computers currently sitting on someone's desk. Depending on the operating system in use, it may not even be necessary to buy a new computer for a server. If the goal of either of these intranet scenarios is to perform regular mail and Web service and to communicate internally with a local area network (LAN), the intranet may require just one computer.

If you find yourself in one of these scenarios, I recommend one of two server solutions. You could designate the least-used computer as the server; then this computer would be load-balanced. With most operating systems, including Windows 95, Windows NT, and MacOS, Web and mail servers can run in the background without noticeable impact. With Windows 3.1 or Windows for WorkGroups it might slow down a bit but still probably won't be that much slower. It's similar to hooking your computers to a LAN and accessing information from another computer on the LAN; users don't really notice, unless there is a lot of activity. The other server solution is to find the person who uses his or her computer the most, such as the resident geek or the systems administrator, and run the Web server on his or her machine. In this case, you can be reasonably assured that the server will run most of the time. And, it's even possible that person will upgrade the software and make sure that server issues are dealt with immediately. It's also likely this person has the best and fastest computer. If that's the case, the effects of running the Web server likely will be felt the least. Certainly, if the organization wants to host several Web servers, such as for different departments, this can be done on different machines. The vice president of finance might have a Web server on her machine, while the vice president of manufacturing also has one on his machine. As you can see, servers come in many shapes and sizes. You may realize you can have a fully stocked server on existing desktops, or you may have to do some shopping.

The next level of an intranet might be a large corporation or trade association. An intranet in either of these scenarios typically will have several hundred users. It likely will run mail and Web servers, have a database gateway, and run advanced communications software, like message boards and scheduling. It might even have audio- and video-conferencing. A server capable of hosting this number of applications will vary widely in cost and performance.

How fancy your purchase is and how much money you put down on such a server really depends on how much use you will get out of your intranet. For example, if most users use it occasionally or a few users use it a lot, a fast Pentium processor with 24 to 40MB of RAM might serve all the intranet's needs. With any more use than this, you should move to either a dual-processor Pentium or a minicomputer, such as a Sun Sparc 5 or DEC alpha. Even a small minicomputer, like a Sun Sparc 5, will be much faster than any Pentium-based machine. Of course, it's also possible to split responsibilities between two servers: One could run the Web and mail servers, while the other could run a database. Splitting resources like this could make it possible to use two Pentium machines rather than a more expensive minicomputer.

The next level is an enormous intranet, typically a machine used continually by several thousand users working in different geographic locations. These intranets run large and busy Web servers, handling mail for several thousand people and serving database queries, as well as possibly serving audio- and video-conferencing. At this level, you'll want to start with a Sparc 20, a Silicon Graphics, or an equivalent machine.

If you find yourself on the fence between one of these levels, ask yourself some questions, such as the following:

• How many users will my intranet serve?
• How often will they use it?
• What functions do they currently need?
• What functions will they need in six months? One year?

There are some things you may want to buy today that will be cheaper tomorrow. Any machine you can't afford today may be in your price range a few months from now. If you want to get your feet wet and expand as you go, you might begin with a cheap server or use your current machine as the host. Proceeding cautiously is one thing, but be careful not to create an intranet that is so sluggish that users don't use it. Try to strike that sometimes difficult and delicate balance.

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