HELP: Server / Network Question

[Ritalin Kid]

Quick question..

We're trying to put together a DHCP / Bandwidth managment server for a network with about 750 users. The server is running Linux and our main question is what is the general rule of thumb we should follow in terms of the server's specs (i.e. MHz, MB of RAM, etc.) per user??

[DVNT1]

Greatly depends on the application(s) run on/from the server to the users.

[Siliconjunkie]

and how much bandwidth you have. A proper network device that does traffic shaping would be better suited to doing this from a network perspective.

Or you could use squid (www.squid-cache.org) with delay-pools to limit how much web/ftp bandwidth each user could use at one time. Almost any modern machine (1ghz+) would be able to handle up to a couple mb of traffic.

[Jestar_]

depending on what the server's requirements are to the workstation(s) and or user(s). if there is alot of traffic being requested to the workstations, I would recommend RAID for your HDDs and other Media on any server, ... your server would survive with 512Mb of ram, but if the server caches alot, then you might want to use 768Mb ram just to be sure depending on the importants of the server. MHz wouldnt matter, but the higher the better in any situation... Hard Disk space again depends on what the servers requirements are to the workstation(s) and user(s)

[Jestar_]

Originally posted by Siliconjunkie
and how much bandwidth you have. A proper network device that does traffic shaping would be better suited to doing this from a network perspective.

Or you could use squid (www.squid-cache.org) with delay-pools to limit how much web/ftp bandwidth each user could use at one time.

That is a good idea too. I personally have never used squid before, but I have seen a few online webservers quite a while ago that used squid.

From what I have heard about it, it is supposed to be fairly reliable.

[Ritalin Kid]

Well right now we are working on a networking situation for an Apartment complex with about 750 internet users..

Now keep in mind this was not our doing but the original techs brought in 5 T1 lines and then ran fiber to all the buildings from the main office. Originally they wanted to create 750 individual VLANS but the switch they bought couldn;t handle that many VLANS. They setup a 1 GHZ Dell desktop model PC with 256 megs of RAM to run Linux with the whole purpose of running RockSteady Bandwidth manager and DHCP services.

RIght now we're been fixing alot of their problems but the service will come up for about an hour and then die. Honestly I think the crappy server can't handle the load but I wanted to see what you guys think? Maybe we could use Squid-cache instead of RockSteady

[Jestar_]

sorry for taking so long, i just had to look up RockSteady to see what it was and how it worked i'm still completing my CISCO networking certificates...

Squid-Cache, has been used for a while, and from what I have read has been out longer than RockSteady. I dont know much about setting them up, but obviously you do.

I would suggest using squid, hence it has been out longer and would have a team of more experienced developers, 1GHz for a server of 750 users and/or workstations, is not sufficient in my oppinion. But whatever fits your budget.

256mb ram, is ok i spose, but if i were the admin/techi i would whack another 256mb in there, like what is another 100$ for a company that has that many pc's

but yeah, if your the techi, you gotta make the decissions. so start making em, got ne more specific questions, i'll be happy to help over email.

s.james@optusnet.com.au

[DVNT1]

It at least used to be that ISP over-subscription was based on a bandwidth ratio that typically ranged from 4:1 to 20:1 (depending on the service being provided). Therefore the bandwidth you mentioned sounds low in comparision for a "high speed" Internet connection, but may still be okay for a Tier3 ISP.

As for the Rocksteady app, you would have to contact them to review server requirements because their site does not seem to list technical details nor have a public support area.

[Siliconjunkie]

Well, what does the load on the box look like? Run 'top' and see what the load averages are and what is using up resources.

Squid is really a different product than what you are using, but may be worth trying, you would have to set it up as a transparent proxy so users are forced to go thru it. You may also realize some bandwidth savings from caching.