Adding a server computer to your home network can be a huge benefit, but can also be very expensive, depending on the options that you choose. For the sake of this series of articles, a server computer is a computer that is dedicated to running the software that will control and define your home network. I am not suggesting that you purchase a server computer such as those found running in a network datacenter; those server computers are prohibitively expensive for home use in almost every case. Instead, I’m suggesting a computer that has the following attributes:

• Multi-core processor – Servers need to be able to do several things at once. Fortunately almost every computer processor made today for home computers has at least two processor cores. This includes chips like Intel’s Core 2 Duo, Core i5 and Core i7, and AMD’s Athlon II X2 and X4. These are available in most of the computers you might consider for the purpose of being your server.
• Large hard drives – Lots of storage for files. Servers typically have more than one hard drive, and often combine them for what’s referred to as “fault tolerance” to protect the data in case one hard drive fails. This becomes something of a personal choice in a home network, as it can add cost. You will be highly encouraged to perform daily backups of your data on the server anyway, so this is an area where you can skimp a little.
• Network interface – The NIC (network interface card) or network port is very important, since we are talking about a computer whose sole purpose is to interact with other computers across a network. Today’s home networks are either wired or wireless. That’s going to be a topic for another article I think, since there are many reasons why you would pick either option. Suffice it to say here that you need a way to connect your server computer to the home network.
• Memory – A server computer will need lots of memory to respond quickly. Now this is another area like storage where more is better, but you can get by with less for your home server IF you are willing to put up with slower response times from your server. Given the common configurations of computers, it’s quite reasonable to have a computer with at least four gigabytes (4GB) of random access memory (RAM) for your server.
• Server operating system – This will be the most expensive part of the system if you choose a Microsoft or Apple solution. Linux can be installed for free, however, it will require a much higher level of technical expertise to use. I’m going to start with the Microsoft options, since that’s where my personal expertise lies, but I will also attempt to provide some guidance at the end of the series for other options.

A suitable computer, such as the one I’ve linked to at Amazon, can be purchased for less than $700 without too much trouble. Look for computers that come with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, as that operating system can be used for many of the options I’m going to describe in this series of articles.

Notice that I haven’t talked about a monitor for your new server? That’s because you may not actually even need one for the server. Other than installing an operating system, or configuring the computer hardware through the BIOS (during the startup process), you won’t need to be sitting at the server using the keyboard. Managing your server can be done from another computer using a tool such as Remote Desktop in Windows. In theory, your server could be sitting on a shelf in a closet somewhere in your home. An inexpensive monitor is a good idea, but not required. You could also move one of your existing monitors to the server on a temoprary basis when you need to perform local administration and configuration.

Which operating system?

This is the crux of the problem I want to address in this article; which operating system do you want to use? My first reaction is to tell you to buy a copy of Windows Small Business Server 2008, but that gets very expensive for a home network and beyond the means of most people that I expect to be reading this blog. So, what are we to do? I think we need to look at some options and rate them by capability, cost, and use. I’m going to include Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit in the discussion, because it can actually perform most of the server tasks I want to recommend to you; not all of them, of course, but it will let you centralize your files for home schooling and share things like a printer.

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

This operating system is very likely already installed on the computer you purchased for your home server. It is an excellent operating system, and provides features like Home Groups, which let you easily share logon information between multiple computers to share files and printers. The benefits include:

• Lower cost. As stated, it’s probably included with the computer you’ve purchased for your server.
• Ease of use. It’s a familiar Windows operating system, loaded with features that make it an excellent choice for a desktop computer. As a server, it will let you share folders and printers on your network, and it can provide a Web server in order to install some tools that we will discuss in later parts of this series.

The drawbacks, and yes even though I am a huge fan of Windows 7, there are drawbacks:

• No centralized security. One of the biggest reasons to include a server in a network is to provide single-logon network security; the idea that you logon once with one user name and password, and then can access everything you need to get to on the network. Windows 7 cannot provide this for you, although it can come close with Home Groups.
• Not optimized to share. Windows 7 is built to be a client operating system, and not a server operating system. While it can share folders, files, and printers with other computers and users, it wasn’t designed to be good at this. It won’t be as fast as a server operating system would at the same tasks.

Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 is a full fledged server operating system. This is not the current version of Windows Server, but is one version back. Because of this, it might be possible to buy it used and save a lot of money. The benefits include:

• Optimized for file and printer sharing. Windows Server is good at sharing, and it can handle multiple requests for files and printer access without breaking a sweat.
• Centralized, single-logon security. Logon to your network with a user name and password and get to everything you have permissions to access.
• Permissions. You can assigned permissions to files, folder, and printers to limit access for people who really don’t need to be getting in to something important; like the test answers, for example.

The drawbacks include:

• Expensive. Unless you can find it used, Windows Server is going to cost more. If you do buy it used, make sure you are getting it from a reputable dealer, since there are many out there selling illegal copies with product keys that won’t work.

Other options

Yes, there are other ways to add a server to your home network that can provide the benefits without a huge cost. But from the home schooler’s perspective, any money is a lot of money. Free always sounds good, and there are free alternatives like Linux out there that can provide a big benefit to your network. But (you knew there would be a ‘but’ didn’t you?) there is often a huge learning curve to getting these other systems to do what you want. If you aren’t into the technology or willing to invest time and money learning it, this probably isn’t something you will want to do on your own.

I’m a huge fan of Windows operating systems, even though I use Linux and Mac OS X also to keep myself informed of what else is out there. I feel bad sometimes even bringing up the topic of spending money on technology with many home school families, because like you, we’re making a big sacrifice to home school. If you are fortunate enough to have the resources to implement a server for your home network, I highly recommend it.

The next part of this series will discuss another specific server implementation to consider, Windows Home Server.

When people talk about storing things “in the cloud” they’re really talking about storing files on servers somewhere out there in the Internet. The cloud refers to the Internet as a whole, without defining precisely where in the Internet a thing is. When you choose to store your files in the cloud, you select a particular service and upload your data. Your files may be on a server that is physically almost anywhere in the world, but all you need to care about is how easy and affordable it is to use your files in the cloud.

There are a lot of cloud services out there from most of the big-name players like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, among others. My service of choice, for a lot of reasons, is Microsoft’s SkyDrive. SkyDrive is part of the Windows Live line of free software and services, and you will need a Windows Live sign-in account (free, just need a valid E-mail address to get one). What SkyDrive gives you is 25 gigabytes of free storage that you can access from anywhere that you have an Internet connection. You can store virtually any kind of computer file there, such as pictures and documents. The data is safe from other people looking at it, and it is always backed up in case of hardware failures.

Working with files on SkyDrive, like most of the services, means creating the document on your computer, and then logging on through a Web page to access your storage. Once logged in, you can upload the file to the service to store it online. When you want to make changes, you can either download a copy to work with, or open the file directly from the cloud storage, edit it, and then save it just like a local folder.

Easy access to SkyDrive

I recently ran across a recommendation from a coworker for a tool to make cloud storage much easier to use from any computer with internet access. That tool is Gladinet Cloud Desktop 2.0. Gladinet Cloud Desktop creates a link to your cloud storage (and it works with every one that I know of and a few I hadn’t heard of) and makes it look like your cloud storage is another hard drive on your computer. This greatly simplifies the task of making a new file. If you want to create a new Word file for a project you’re working on, simply open Word and start typing. When you’re ready to save the file, simply give Word a path to your mapped drive through Gladinet (typically mapped as your Z: drive) and then click Save. No need to logon to the service through a Web page and then upload a file that you’ve already saved on your local computer.

Cloud Desktop comes in two flavors; there is a Professional version that costs $39.95 for personal home use, and the is a free Starter edition. The Starter edition is available for home personal use and has a more limited set of features. The biggest difference between the two versions is backup. The Professional version lets you perform backups of your computer files to a cloud storage service. So far, I have to say I’m quite impressed with the Cloud Desktop, although I’m only using the Starter edition, it does everything I’ve wanted it to do so far. I explained how it works to my wife Suzanne this morning, and she’s eager to have me install it on her computer and our son’s so they can use it to make sharing the home school files easier for both of them.

Bottom line, free storage in the cloud is a good thing for ease of access and data security (it won’t be lost if something happens to your computer). It’s also a good thing to use Gladinet Cloud Desktop to make the job of connecting to your cloud storage locations much simpler.

Our son is spoiled in this regard; since Dad is such a computer geek and can buy Microsoft software cheap, many of the roadblocks to having a computer are removed. He actually has a laptop and a desktop computer, the desktop being more for gaming and the laptop being for school work and Web research for school work. The decisions for a laptop or a netbook in our house is much more pertinent to my own computing needs than his.

First of all, a couple definitions might be helpful. A laptop computer, or a notebook computer, is a portable computer that contains a screen, keyboard, pointing device, and other components that make up a modern computer. It typically does contain an optical drive, either a DVD-ROM or a DVD burner (which can make DVD discs by burning data and programs onto a blank disc). A netbook, on the other hand, is almost identical in properties with two primary distinctions: netbooks are small devices with screens ranging from 8.9 to 12 inches, and they do not have optical drives built in.

From a computer geek perspective, both laptops and netbooks are about portability; they let you take your computer virtually anywhere you want to go. My wife likes the portability (like browsing the Web while sitting on the bed with her feet covered and warm) but I think her favorite thing about laptops and netbooks is this: they can be put away when you’re done with the computer. She really likes this aspect. And given that we are among the hordes of homeowners thinking about downsizing in the face of crashing property values, I’m beginning the think this is a high priority as well.

Up to this last week I would have voted solidly for the laptop since it contains everything you need for your computing needs in a single portable package, and their prices have been coming down steadily. You can find a nice laptop in the $500 to $700 range without breaking a sweat while shopping. But my darling wife recently surprised the Dickens out of me by giving me a netbook as an early Christmas gift (she asked one too many questions about the features of the netbook she picked out and I figured it out, besides she knew I could use it at work right away). So here i am typing this post on a new netbook and pondering the advice I would give a home school family about buying a computer for their kids.

I’ve discovered that my thinking has shifted. I think that now I would more often recommend a netbook. My reasoning goes like this: cost is lower, size is well suited to younger hands, and you can control what gets installed on it a bit more.

Cost

Netbooks range in price from $200 to $800, with the high end being for business people who care more about status, in my opinion. The netbook my wife picked out is in the $350 neighborhood, mostly because I benefit from more built-in features like Bluetooth and faster WiFi. This netbook has a 10.1” screen that has an absolutely beautiful image. It’s taking me a while to get used to using it, since it is so much smaller than my 17” laptop, but the transition has been easier than I expected. I’ve added a link to this netbook on Amazon.com at the end of this post so you can get an idea of what I’m talking about. But you should visit a store that sells them, and take your student with you so they can try it out. The pictures on Web sites make them look just like a laptop, they really are almost exactly the same thing, but you won’t get an idea of the size difference from the pictures.

I have seen many people at work using netbooks for taking notes in meetings and for travel. Because they are so inexpensive compared to traditional laptops they are often offered as an addition to a laptop that you are buying online (I’m thinking about Dell and HP here). It’s possible that you could buy yourself a nice new laptop and get a netbook for your child for around $100.

Size

Laptops usually include a standard sized keyboard built-in, though if you are an experienced touch typist you will need to spend some time finding one that feels right to you. Netbooks, on the other hand, are much smaller computers and thus have smaller keyboards. A netbook keyboard in a standard 10.1’ format is about 90% of the standard full size keyboard in a full size laptop. This often drives touch typist nuts, and is honestly one of the things that makes transitioning to a netbook difficult for so many people.

Keyboard layouts on netbooks is an area that you should look at carefully. This is a big reason to try before you buy. Most stores that sell computers will also sell netbooks. Try using one, and type something into a Notepad. See how it feels to you, and even more important, how it feels to your student. Because younger kids have smaller hands than we parents do, they will very likely find the netbook to be more comfortable than a full size laptop (an added bonus that they like the cheaper option, treasure this since it happens so rarely).

Control

I like this point a lot. I can prevent my son from installing programs (usually games) on a netbook because there is no DVD drive in the computer. Of course, this means that when you do want to install something that came on a CD or DVD you will need an external drive. Or, depending on your level of comfort, you can share the DVD drive across a network from another computer to perform the installation.

External drives range anywhere from $30 to $180 depending on features and brand name. Most of the “slim” drives that are being made to specifically target the netbook market range from $60 to $80 and complement the netbook design by being very small and sleek themselves. What you are really looking for here is the type of connection and whether it supports what you intend to do with it. For a netbook, you really want an external drive that supports a USB 2.0 connection. Most netbook drives will use two USB connections on your netbook, one for data and another for power, so you will want to make sure there are two USB ports close together on your netbook for this type. Some external drives have their own power cords, which is good because they only require one USB port, but bad because it gives you one more thing to keep track of.

As for whether the external drive will support what you want to do, I’m not going into deep detail on the myriad formats that these drives can read and/or write. What you need to care about first is read or read and write. Ask yourself “will I ever need to burn a disc myself?” If you are sure that you won’t, you can buy a read-only drive (such as a DVD-ROM) for less money that a DVD-RW (read-write or rewritable) drive. Most netbook owners will have at least one time that they will need to burn discs: when you want to create recovery discs for your netbook to use if you ever have to fully reinstall everything. manufacturers today expect you to burn these discs yourself instead of adding the few dollar cost of producing them for you.

Summary

I’ve probably given you a lot of fence-sitting advice. Hopefully, you will find something here that will help you make a decision that will work best for your family’s needs.

My bottom line for this post is this: your home schoolers will benefit from having their own computer, if that fits with your plans and ability. A netbook can be a great alternative to a desktop or a laptop computer, and will save you money while still providing what your student needs from a computer.

Here are some links to products that will serve as examples of what I’ve talked about here:

The problem with OneNote is describing to someone exactly what it is and what you use it for. I had learned about this program while working on a technical writing contract at Microsoft a few years ago and gave it a try. I fell in love with this oddball program almost immediately. Now for the hard part, to describe to you what it does.

If you home school, or even have kids in public school, you are no doubt familiar with the idea of having separate notebooks for each subject. And within each notebook, you can have divider tabs to easily define sections of information or different projects. Inside of those sections, you might have pictures, notes, quizes, or other materials. OneNote is just like that, except that everything is stored in a single place.

OneNote gathers multiple types of content into one place.

You start by creating a notebook, giving it a name to describe it, and then picking a template. Microsoft includes a number of templates for various uses, but I always seem to start with a blank template. on each page within OneNote, you can simply click a spot to insert content: any kind of content can be stored here. You can of course add text like working in Word, but you can also add pictures and video and audio and anything else you need for a school project. If it can be opened in Windows, chances are it can be added to OneNote.

When I introduced OneNote to Suzanne, it took a little while to demonstrate the things it could do. Gradually, she became more excited about its possibilities and took over from there creating a project for Cory to use. Cory took the program in stride for the most part, although honestly he is seldom excited about anything related to more school work.

We have been using OneNote at home for more than a year now with pretty fair success. Storing the file on a server so that your work is safely backed up is a bit complicated, but we’ve even worked that out. I’ll describe that process in another post soon. You can learn more about Microsoft OneNote, and even download a trial version at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/FX100487701033.aspx. Now this program will cost you around a hundred dollars at full price, but there are places to buy it with a discount if you have teacher status. I know that is a lot of money for most home schoolers, but consider that if you find it useful, you will likely use it for multiple years and maybe with more than one student. This is especially true if you share one computer in your house. You can purchase OneNote as part of Office 2007 Home and Student ($99) or as a standalone Home and Student version (perfect for home school) for around $50.

Two years ago, my wife Suzanne and I made the choice to home school our son Cory because the public school system was unable to focus enough attention on him to meet his needs. End result, a smart kid was falling father and farther behind. Suzanne does the day to day teaching and Cory has been thriving. I’ve been sitting on the sideline observing and helping out wherever I can.

I am a technical writer by profession and a complete computer geek. I spend my days writing about operating systems and networking and then come home to relax by playing computer games and work on my own Web sites. I’m very interested in ways that software can be used to make processes more efficient. So there I was, watching Suzanne and Cory dealing with print outs, multiple notebooks, lost assignments, and lots of headaches on both sides, and I started thinking why don’t you just use a Web site to organize all this stuff? My wife, bless her, said if you can put together something that meets our needs and make it easy to use, we’ll be happy to try it out.

Warning: Tech-speak ahead.

I was already using Microsoft’s Windows Small Business Server at home to anchor our home network. We have multiple computers in the house and I got really fed up with “Honey, I can’t print.” We needed a serious network. OK, it also feeds my need for geek toys, and it directly relates to the software I work with for my jobs. I started looking for easy and cheap solutions for our home school needs. The first solution used SharePoint Server, which is included with Small Business Server, to create a place to save document and create schedules. This solution worked great for the first year. Until the great server failure…

Well, long painful story made short, running a centralized server solution at home has some serious issues that puts it beyond the reach of most home schoolers. For the following year I looked for more easily available solutions that make use of fancy things like cloud storage. I’m sharing some of the information I’ve come up with in this blog and will review and recommend some software to help you out with your own home school adventures.