Intranet

[weboo]

A page can be hosted as flat html on network drives for sure, but if you want a database/dynamic components/or frontpage extensions for example, then it needs to be hosted on a webserver.

Choose your client(Frontpage is free with office anyway) and then choose the server(again, IIS is free on XP or Windows server). (I like apache too everyone)

If your mates office has a server, then install it and run it here......then it will be at least backed up; and if its how it sounds...powered up first in the morning as people walk in the office..so always available.

When designing the intranet, get your requirements before you start - otherwise your structure could be wrong....do they want contacts, news, document repository, customer info, phonebook etc etc etc

Good luck

[Ardesco]

If you are looking at dynamic pages then you are also looking at something like PHP/ASP/ASP.NET.

Basically make sure you know what the client wants before you agree to anything. What the client thinks is easy to put into place may be a complete nightmare because he doesn't understand the underlying code required to make it work.

[DanTheMan]

How hard would a linux based server be for him to set up?

[Cliphead]

How hard would a linux based server be for him to set up?

Download Centos / BlueQuartz iso, burn it to disc, boot from it on spare PC, add IP etc, give it a name. 5 mins later you have a working web server all the trimmings (PHP, MySQL etc). Nice web interface to set it up your site(s), couldn't be easier.

http://www.nuonce.net/bluequartz.php

[errorista]

How hard would a linux based server be for him to set up?

Its not just a matter of running a webserver. Its about delivering a usable intranet. . . configuring changes and features and integrating with a database may also be required depending on what the end user wants.

Doing this will probably take more than a weekend. To build a 'fire and forget' system requires planning. This would appear to be in short supply considering the circumstances described above.

[Cowboy Bob]

Download Centos / BlueQuartz iso, burn it to disc, boot from it on spare PC, add IP etc, give it a name. 5 mins later you have a working web server all the trimmings (PHP, MySQL etc). Nice web interface to set it up your site(s), couldn't be easier.

http://www.nuonce.net/bluequartz.php

Thanks for the link. I've been using CentOS, but didn't realise there was a version with the RaQ frontend. I may have to play with that myself...

[Ardesco]

How hard would a linux based server be for him to set up?

Good set of tutorials for the newbie linux admin here:

http://www.howtoforge.com

will take you through the basic linux install and how to set up apache php and mysql too.

[Cadbury]

If they have a windows 2003 server just install Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0 (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sh...503841033.aspx) You can be pretty much up and running straight away and it can be branded as need. Oh and it's free

[PerlOfWisdom]

If they don't have linux skills, you can set up Apache, mysql, perl/php etc on a windows box. Doesn't have to be windows server operating system.

[Ardesco]

If you want to fire and forget you are better off using some of the newbie admin guides to set up a LAMP box. Linux requires very little interaction to continue to serve pages, whereas windows will auto update itself a couple of times, change random things for no apparent reason and stuff will stop working now and then requireing a reboot.

At least that is my experiance with windows as a non-IIS web server.