Is FreeNAS what I need?

[Scott Bridges]

I have 17 desktop computers in my classroom. They each run a typing program called Master Keys. The software stores typing drills, student names/passwords, and typing progress on a network share. I would like to build a very basic server that simply provides a share with read/write access so that each desktop computer can be used simultaneously. The server doesn't need to serve the app, just provide a share. Windows XP seems slow for this task. I'm just getting my feet wet in Ubuntu. I managed to get Samba installed, but I really don't want to edit .conf files to get things done.

Will FreeNAS allow me to setup a basic share with guest access? My hardware is pathetic (think, P4 3.4Ghz, 4GB RAM, 80GB HD)

XP is not the answer. Maybe 7 Pro is? I have too many other responsibilities outside of my normal teaching. I need this solution to be simple.

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas.

Scott Bridges
Sonlight Academy
Port-de-Paix, Haiti

 

[cyberjock]

This isn't "simple" if you are looking for a 20 minute lesson and have a system running in an hour. You WILL have to learn things about FreeNAS/FreeBSD to do this right. If you don't want to spend the time(which it sounds like you don't) then you should stick to OSes you know. You're not going to find a "turnkey" filer OS that you can master in 20 minutes unless you pay someone to build and maintain it(or buy a store bought server).

I spent a solid month of 12 hour days learning FreeNAS.

 

[Michael Wulff Nielsen]

CJ is right. I think that what you want is a synology or qnap box. Cheap, simple to setup and easy to keep going.

 

[Nindustries]

Same as what the rest said; FreeNAS is over the top for you. Certainly with 'pathetic' hardware, it's better to look at other/simpler options.

 

[KTrain]

Agree with the above. FreeNAS is going to be a lot of extra work and just isn't the right fit for what you're doing.

With that being said, a share on this XP system would work fine. The OS itself isn't going to have problems with what you're doing (if I'm understanding your usage correctly). I'd bet that any issues you're running in to are caused by other limitations. If you can be more specific about how the application on the 17 desktops interacts with this share then I may be able to offer better information to you.