Windows XP Home Networking: Turn a Desktop Computer into a Server
Published: June 24, 2002
By Jerry Honeycutt, Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist
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You can have all the benefits of a server without all the expense. When most people think of servers, they think of the big iron that businesses use to support thousands of users. You don't need expensive, monolithic servers to support four or five users, so you can get away with an inexpensive server computer. It's totally within reach and adds a lot to your experience with Windows XP.
In my last column, I described why technology enthusiasts want a server at home. First, most people learn by doing. What better way to know what server geeks are yapping about than to learn the technology yourself. Second, a server provides a focal point for all of your computing activities for work or play.
Servers in My Office
I have three servers in my office, which is overindulgent for a small home office, but all except one are very inexpensive ex-desktop computers.
I described my primary server in Build a Home Server. Its big role in my office is to authenticate users and computers and provide Active Directory features to my office computers. That includes roaming user profiles and Group Policy settings. This is over the top for most of you, but I maintain it to eat my own dog food.
My next server is a file server. I took one of my older desktop computers, upgraded its memory and disks, and installed Windows 2000 Server. I could have just as easily put Windows XP Professional on this server, since all I do is share files on the network. Considering the low volume, it serves up files quickly, providing a central place to store my work. The big advantages are that backing up files is easier and I have access to my files from any computer on the network.
The last server is a gateway server. I once used a hardware firewall on my Internet connection but didn't like the results (some applications and some games didn't work well through it). I replaced the hardware firewall with an inexpensive computer running Windows 2000 Server and Internet Security and Acceleration Server running on it. Both were easy to configure, and I had my gateway up and running in just a few hours.
Benefits of Networking Windows XP
After so many years with a network in my home, I can't imagine not having it. If you could watch over my shoulders while I'm using Windows XP, you'd realize how dependent I really am on the network. I've redirected the My Documents folder to a network share, so I can access my files from all the different computers I use during the day. I also store document templates, artwork, and files that other users need to access on a network share. Figure 1 shows the shares on my primary server, a domain controller.
Figure 1
Windows XP has one feature that I really lean on: Remote Desktop. It's almost ridiculous how much I use this convenience when working on a writing project. I'm writing a book for Microsoft Press about the Windows XP registry. This type of work requires using different computers for writing, research, and testing. I write using my laptop computer. On that computer, I open Remote Desktop connections to two lab computers so that I can test my ideas before turning them in to written facts. Flipping back and forth between sessions by pressing Alt+Tab beats the heck out of chair surfing around the office. And, copying information from one computer to another is easy, since I can copy and paste information from one session to another. Now I work in the comfort of my recliner as productively as I do in the office.
On a more entertaining note, I store digital media on my file server. That mostly includes music, but also includes a modest number of videos. I'm an enthusiastic photographer and have been converting my 35-mm slide collection to digital images using a slide scanner, and those are also on my file server. I have access to this multimedia wonderland from any computer on the network. Yet, that's not good enough, because I'm toying the idea of building a computer for my home theater that would allow me to pipe all of these sights and sounds through my big screen TV and surround sound speakers.
Building Your Server
When you want to add a server to your home network, you can get started with any of the configurations I've described in earlier columns. Take the old desktop computer described in Recycling an Older Computer and give it new life as a file server. Or put together the computer described in Windows XP in the Kitchen and use it as a headless firewall. I wouldn't spend a lot of money on this box, though. Keep it inexpensive and you'll appreciate it more.
 | I like a minimum of 512 MB in my file servers and I install 1 GB when the BIOS supports it. Memory is cheap these days, so do it right. |  | |
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To make a suitable server for your home or small office, you have to make a few modifications. The first is memory. Although 256 MB is more than enough memory for Windows XP on a desktop computer, you want to load your server with enough memory to make network file access as fast as possible. I like a minimum of 512 MB in my file servers and I install 1 GB when the BIOS supports it. Memory is cheap these days, so do it right.
The second modification is disk storage. You can put one big disk in your server, but I recommend otherwise, particularly on a file server. Instead, I'd install multiple, inexpensive disks. The first disk is small and just for the operating system. A 13-GB disk is inexpensive and more than big enough. Then, add disks in 30-GB increments instead of one huge 80-GB disk. Two heads are better than one, right? Same goes for disks. Accessing files on multiple disks is faster than accessing the same files on one disk. The other advantage of using small, inexpensive disks is that they're less expensive to replace if they fail.
The last modification is some sort of backup method. You can get a decent tape drive for a few hundred bucks. If you create and follow a reasonable backup strategy by rotating tapes every week, tapes can get a bit pricy and the process requires too much labor. You might consider an online backup service, such as Backup Solutions. This service backs up your important files to its Internet-based service, and those files are secure. The Internet has numerous such services and they're reasonably priced. Beats tape swapping.
Forget the Monitor
You can save money by not buying a monitor for your new server. You don't need it. The first option is to get an inexpensive keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) switch that allows you to share one monitor, keyboard, and mouse between multiple computers. Most computer stores sell these.
Your second option is to install Terminal Services on the server and then connect to it using the Remote Desktop Client. I use both of these methods with my servers. I have a single monitor that I share between all of them, and I also connect to them using Remote Desktop. Don't let configuring Terminal Services on Windows 2000 Server intimidate you, by the way, as nothing could be simpler. You install it using Add or Remove Programs, select the check box for administrative mode, and you're done.
Install the Server OS
After you've built your computer, decide which operating system you want to run on it. There's a few ways you can go, keeping in mind that you can cut some corners because the server is only supporting a few users.
The least expensive route is installing Windows XP on it. You can use it for a file server or a gateway. No, you won't have all the features of a full-fledged server, but it's far less expensive and easier to get up and running if you have no experience using Windows 2000 Server. You're already familiar with how to share folders. You're already familiar with configuring Internet Connection Sharing (see Wire Your Home) and Internet Connection Firewall (see Windows XP Prefers Broadband).
Assuming that you want to go whole hog, use Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003. I can't recommend paying retail for Windows 2000 Server to use at home, though. If you have access to either product through your MSDN subscription or as a beta tester, that's a good way to learn more about Microsoft's server products.
Here are some resources and roadmaps for learning how to install and configure Windows 2000 Server:
My Last Computer
This column is my last installment in the build-a-PC series. I've had a blast building PCs, installing Windows XP on them, and sharing the results with you. If there's a message in what I've been writing, it's that building computers is easy, and you're going to enjoy the results more than buying a name-brand computer. You control every component in the computer, so you can have it just the way you want it, and usually for less money.
In my next column, I'll introduce you to the Windows XP registry. If you have comments or questions, send them to jerry@honeycutt.com.
Expert Zone Columnist Jerry Honeycutt is a writer, speaker, and technologist who has written over 25 books, including Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide (Microsoft Press, 2002). He frequently writes about customizing and deploying Windows XP.
