Hello,

I need a server that will run Windows XP, MS Office and other software and that a few people could work on from different locations using remote control software. Its very important that this server be available all the time. I mean, if its down for 5 minuets every now and then thats ok, but if theres a problem i need for it to be fixed immediately - that why i presume a MANAGED server is what im after?

i have no experience setting up this kind of thing, so i will appreciate any advice offered.

cheers

Just get a regular computer with Windows XP, setup User groups on it with necessary permissions and use www.logmein.com. Problem solved and now server needed. :)

Thanks for the prompt reply :)

Suppose i set it up in my office and Windows crushes... If im out of the office no one will be able to reboot the PC, so until Someone goes to the office to do the reboot, The other people wont be able to use it. Thats why i need the "managed" part, so that if the pc/server crushes someone would pick up the phone and have support take care of it instantly.

There is no way to do a remote reboot using the Log me In products right?

Is there a way to reboot a pc with service such as log me in?

Yes, it's same as RDP.

That's not what he means....say if it needs a hard reboot. Then he's screwed.......you can use a managed hosting provider like www.choopa.com www.liquidweb.com or www.rackspace.com or you can get a remote reboot power strip from apc, or do a goodle search on web reboot power outlets. Then you could log into the power strip and reboot the macine yourself if you needed to.

We use a combination of kvm and the apc remote reboot strips so we don't ever need anyone in our datacenters.

I'd think they would have someone around that computer as it would be in an office? ;) Perhaps not though.

24x7....probably not

24x7....probably not
The are people from both Europe and the US who will use this machine. So no matter where it is, because the business hours are different there will always be someone who needs to use it when there is nobody who could take care of it in case theres need for a reboot.

24x7....probably not

Ok why not have a pc at your home and at your office both, so in case one goes down others can access your home machine? That ensures atleast 18x7 uptime.

But on one machine i dont think more than 1 user can work at a time especially word processing.

Ok why not have a pc at your home and at your office both

problem is that there is a dedicated software for this business that has no network features, so the database is on a single machine and everybody who needs to use that software has to work on that machine.

i just gave the word processing as an example to make it clear that i want a server even though its not for web sites, and people will be using it like an ordinary office PC. It will mostly be used for working with that dedicated software.

I get the feeling you don't just want a basic PC with remote control software, what you want is one machine that lots of people can log into at once and use the same software, am I right?

To do this you would need a Windows server with terminal services setup, this is generally a more expensive route and only becomes cost effective for companies that have 50-100 users logged in at any one time. We have small business clients that were looking for a simular solution to you, and we have set up machines in remote administration mode (which doesn't require a terminal services license). This will allow 3 concurrent logins from different users which might be sufficient for your needs, and is very cost effective.

You should be aware that any remote desktop application is going to have to be well secured and on a fantastic network, so take that into account when looking for suppliers, a Microsoft Certified solutions provider is a good place to start.

Dan

Simple. If you need multiple people logging in at the same time, you'll need a Terminal Server which is easily setup on a Windows 2003 Server. If you just want 1 person logging in, but at different times, then the Remote Desktop Protocol in Windows XP will suffice. I did a setup like this about a month ago. PM me if you still need more info.

Are these people going to be logging in at the same time?

You really need to go get a dedicated server with Windows 2003 Server and purchase a couple of terminal services license so everyone can work at the same time.

Buy dedicated server with windows 2003
Install Terminal Services and Terminal Services License Manager
Install the appropriate amount of Client licenses (if no more than 2 people are working on the machine at a time you can leave the machine in remote administration mode and skip buying the TS Cals)
Install your software Office / ERP / Accounting
Tell you remote workers to run mstsc and type in the ip address to connect

Note
Windows 2003 Standard edition will be fine, Web edition will not, Enterprise is overkill.
Using RDP with windows xp for multiple people can lead to problems and only 1 person can connect at a time.

I know this might not be what you are after, but Google now do Docs & Spreadsheets which offer excellent collaboration features.

http://docs.google.com