Member Avatar for Pastormyles

Hi all,
So here is the deal, I am the pastor of a church with an attached school of 60+ students. Recently I have been volunteered to set up a server for the church and school (Pastors get volunteered for everything) I am looking at a mostly workstation based network of approx 20 computers, and then another 15+ personal computers that people will be using. So I will have to be doing user id logins... So here I am with only home networks on XP experience and wondering what OS I should be going with for the schools New server. Have had some experience with Novells, but have been told MS server 2003 is very simple for the administrator to use. At the same time I have network guru's saying Lynx, but I have never even touched a lynx OS and have no idea how simple it would be to pick up.... Someone please help give me some guidance on this (and please no one tell me that I should be hiring someone because I realize this, but school/church board say "it ain't gonna happen""$$$"... I know I can do this I just need a direction to get started in... )

Thanks,
Pastor Myles

(PS I should state I don't need to deal with email systems... yet *sigh*)

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jbennet

Dani AI

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A few practical points to turn the discussion from “which OS?” into a working plan for a small church/school.

For decision-making, weigh three things: budget (up‑front and ongoing), who will administer the server, and which services you need (authentication, file shares, printing, Internet gateway/DHCP/DNS). and are right to flag both vendor‑led and open options; pick the path that matches the skillset you can support long term rather than chasing the “simplest” name today. Microsoft has a documented, GUI‑driven stack and formal licensing to plan for (Windows Server documentation); Samba 4 on an LTS Linux (Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, etc.) can provide an Active Directory‑compatible domain without Microsoft CALs (Samba AD DC guide).

A practical rollout sequence that fits tight budgets:

  • Inventory devices, Internet uplink, and printers; decide whether guest Wi‑Fi should be isolated.
  • Build a test VM (or two) and prove authentication + file shares before touching production.
  • Use a small hypervisor host so you can run the domain controller, file server, and firewall/router as separate VMs (saves hardware and simplifies backups).
  • Implement a firewall appliance (pfSense/OPNsense) at the perimeter for NAT, DHCP, VLANs and captive guest Wi‑Fi (pfSense docs).
  • Put backups in place (system image + daily file backup offsite), document procedures, and enforce simple password and patch policies.

Cautions: plan for licensing and CALs if you go Microsoft; if you go Linux/Samba, budget time for learning and keep a support contact or volunteer handy. For : start with a single test VM, document every step, and train one volunteer to be your fallback—this minimal investment prevents most “it broke” crises.

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Member Avatar for zeroth

Hi Pastor,

First, you need to come up with some information, such as how many computers are deployed already, how they are connected, how you are planning to have the visitors connect...i.e., wireless?

If you're going to administer this network, you need some training...I'd say that if you've set up a home network, you could get what you need off the web.

BUT, I would advertise for someone to volunteer help - I can't imagine not having an IT guy that would help you out while you deployed the network. Where are you located? If you got lucky, at the very least you'd have someone local to call if you get in trouble. And they would be able to give you hands-on instruction.

The equipment you use to network the system together is important as different vendors supply management software that can make your life a lot easier. zeroth

Finally, linux O/S is an open architecture and a lot more simple than learning Novell or Windows Server (nightmares both). If you learned them, you will adore linux...

Member Avatar for jbennet

Windows server 2003 or 2008 + XP Pro

Thats very easy to administer using something called active directory.

However, licences are quite expensive.

You can either use Microsofts Active Directory, or you can install Novell software on top of it.

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