Small business network with server

[Dimmy007]

I have:
1 desktop
3 laptops
1 server
1 laser printer with network adapter
1 fax/copy/printer with network adapter
1 fax/copy/printer without network adapter
1 Audio request (music server) with network adapter
1 Camera dvr with network adapter
1 netgear wireless router
1 linksys 5 port switch


The way I have it setup right now is the fax/copy/printer without the network adapter is connected to the desktop. Everything else is wired into the netgear and port switch. The laptops are wireless.

I am adding the server to this system. My goal is to be able to share files and all three printers. What is the best way to setup, configure so I can acomplish this. Everything is wired so its mostly the part of going into each computer and configuring thier settings so that everybody can use the printers and share the files off the server.

Also what needs to be done to access the network offsite at my house to grab the files I need. <----This I have no idea about or were to even begin.

Should I connect the printer without the network adapter to the server?

I am running XP on everything. I have had a netowrk in the past I want to start from the beginning. I have had problems were one of the laptops could not be access from the desktop and vice versa. So any suggestions would be very helpfull.
Thank you in advance

[davis]

You should probably Look at a Domain Server. You could Setup static Shares on all of the Computers in your office, but the problem is if you make a new link you have to setup the share on every PC; VS having a domain whereas your login dictates what share your computers have. Central administration usually makes things easier.

What type of business is this for? Be sure to lock down your wireless laptops with WPA2-PSK and a very long key; Disable SSID broadcasting and enable MAC filtering.

As for printers, it's been my experience that printers without network ports built in are fairly old and not usually worth keeping around, especially if it's an MFD. If you need to have it, try to see if it can be upgraded with a network card or attached to a Jet Direct (or other type) without hindering capability.

Without knowing what type of business this is for, it's hard to make specific recommendations so take the above as general. For remote access you'll need to setup a VPN connection to the server but this can be slow depending on how much bandwidth your office has.

Hope that helps to get you started.