Question About Server Files

Hello everyone,

I had a few questions in regards to using a server with multiple computers accessing the same data folder. I am attempting to help my dad set up network in his office for the first time and wanted to make sure I had everything straight in my head before buying everything. I am planning on having a dedicated server with the "master" data folder feeding 3-5 other computers in my office so everyone is using the same set(s) of data. More specifically everyone in the office will be using the program QuickBooks.

I have posted a similar post on the QuickBook forums however no reply has been made.

1) If say 3 people are working from the same data folder off the server and one makes a change to the data, how fast/when will the original data in the server be updated so everyone else on the network can see those changes?

2) Does it make logical sense to use a fully dedicated server if you just want everyone in a small office using the same set of data that proactivly updates for everyone?

Question number one is the only thing not connecting in my head. I just need to make sure that at the end of the day the "master" data folder gets updated with all of the new data put into the program through the day and am just confused as to when a server actually updates a folder being shared by multiple users.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

1.) Instantly. However, it's a bit iffy to let illiterates or non-sysops have any sort of write access to actual server files. Thankfully, the common solution to this is a repository program, such as SVN or git.
2.) Yes, why not? However, depending on workload (determined by users), you may not need a very powerful computer, especially if everything is local.

Thanks for the help man, I will have to read the section of the QuickBooks PDF again but I think it comes with server software so people are not given write files to the actual server. I think the software that comes with checks for changes and updates the actual file.

Active Directory by default is all about letting people access their files in a network (even in a big one) independent from the workstation they use.

However for actual production, something like SVN that Tegumi recommended is a lot better, as Active Directory doesn't natively handle *tracking* changes, only *access* and *access management*.

SVN is a *versioning* tool that allows one to work on a project and "commit changes" that can *rolled back*, *merged* (when more then one change was made at the same time) as well as automatically handle *version numbering*, so you can tell when something changed and makes it easier to track down when a problem was introduced. It's typically used for programming, since nowadays writing software is a team effort.

I don't know what are the best tools for office work - creating documents, spreadsheets, etc. - though a MS certified person will doubtless enlighten me as this seems like an obvious feature of networked Office Suits.

EDIT: apparently it's possible to marry MS Office to the Subversion system
http://newgeeks.blogspot.com/2006/08/word-document-management-using-svn.html
https://code.google.com/p/msofficesvn/

Ah! Microsoft's product for this is called "Microsoft Sharepoint"
https://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/introduction-to-versioning-HA010021576.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharepoint



...and it's free.