pc technician who's boss won't explain things to him ..

wireless is the 802.11 standard .. we use Wireless Ethernet Bridges (WET 11)that run at 2.4Ghz .. we're running CAT5 from the 10/100 switch up to the Access Point which is located 140ft up a tower. From the AP it goes to 4 antennas which then "shoot" the signal out .. it is then picked up by the WET 11 ..

also, on a side note .. the server i'm currently using wasn't built specifically to be a server, it was a desktop PC that i've converted to run like a server .. plus, the specs on the PC are pretty crappy IMO ..

i'll try to get that diagram up tonight or tomorrow though .. gotta work on some webpages, format and install win98 on 2 computers that Fred Flinstone probably used and get the specs on the type of server I want (price and why) .. the nice thing though, as far as buying a new (or building a new) computer goes, i've got a pretty big budget .. any suggestions on the ultimate server?? processors, HD, RAM, motherboard? Mind you, I'm limited to a windows based operating system .. haven't had the time really to learn linux (wish i had made time now though)

again, i appreciate the help and i'll get that diagram up as soon as i can ..

If you are using an old computer where it is crappy, as you say, I wouldn't be using that as a router. What OS are you running on it.

Also, if you have a good budget, why not go to a real router - especially if you are planning on a large volume of data coming across?

Not sure on the best computer. There is lots out there. Are you going to build it yourself or buy off the shelf.

As far as the OS, I would use Windows 2000 server or Window 2003 server.

I had often wondered what those icons meant so i spent a little time and found the following page which helped explain.

Enjoy!

Db

www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/h...adrmgmt/dhcpcons.asp

it'll be bought off the shelf .. regardless of whether or not we use a router .. we still need a new PC for this site .. i was looking into purchasing a server machine, but, i've never actually dealt with one .. i'm assuming there's no difference between a PC and a server machine as far as the operation of the OS goes ..

OS will be 2000 for sure, possibly 2003 ..

as for a LAN side router, would that not require a completely different setup (albeit, a much simpler one to be sure) .. and to be honest .. you've got to remember my background .. do i have the time to learn how to configure a good cisco router ?? i wouldn't purchase a 100$ router for the work load we'll be assuming shortly .. or do you think a simple router from the local computer store would suffice??? i'll have to read into the workload/processing power of routers (ie, there ability to manage vast quantities of traffic)

dudbolt, omg, thank you a billion times over .. i had been looking and looking for that information (granted, not as much as i would have liked, time constraints! .. ugh!)

so much to do, so little time

Pretty much any computer can run as a server. How it is configured will tell how well it performs (how much memory, how many CPUs, speed of CPUs, RAID etc.).

Without knowing your workload, it would be hard to tell whether a cheaper router would do your job. If you are working as an ISP, I would look toward something more. A cheap router may handle the traffic, the question is how well it will handle it.

i hate to admit this because there are 1000s of network engineers out there that would love to be in my position (and me being a complete noob has to be EXTREMELY annoying to them because i have all this access/power and don't really know where to put it) .. but, as far as purchasing power goes .. money isn't much of an issue .. i'm talk'n upwards of 10 or 20k for a system wouldn't phase the owner .. let alone purchasing firewall/router equipment, same principle applies .. he understands the philosophy, you get what you pay for ..

it's annoying for me .. because i don't want to screw it up and buy things that are incompatible or that are expensive yet useless ..

heh, i'd give just about anything for some of ya'll to come over here for a year, and work this job and let me "tutor" underneath you ..

anyways, i'll get to that diagram as soon as i possibly can .. we're hooking up a 3rd tower today to hook up another neighborhood of customers .. we're currently sitting at 62 customers up and running .. each pulling 1.2MG+ down from bandwidth.com .. so, i'm pleased about the performance issue so far

again, thank you all for everything .. i don't know where i'd be without you all :oops: