Is it possible to transform a "normal" PC into a server?

Question

I have Pentium 2GHZ PC with 1GB RAM.

I would like to use it as in intermediary between my laptop and the internet.

Is this possible? Would it be acting as a server?

Quick point. Could it perform firewall operations as well as being a server?

Answer 1

ok you might need a upgrade to core 2duo and try looking up for server bords on the net. amd bords come cheap so search for those server bords

Answer 2

The best way is to get an old PC which has 2 network cards (or 1 network card and a modem). One to the internal network and one to the external. Load it up with Zone Alarm (firewall) and Avast (anti-virus), Tor and Privoxy (Proxy server redirection). Any old OS that runs the above will do nicely. NT4 or Win2k on a minimal install. A 1 gig drive and 128Mb RAM. Once it's set up unplug the monitor and keyboard and leave it alone. It wil buffer you from anything the world can throw at it. The computer acts as a 'gateway' as well as proxy and firewall. Almost fireproof. Oh nearly forgot. VNC for remote administration. That should cover it. Save your good PCs for playing games, listening to music and surfing. All the above except for the OS is free and even the PC won't cost much.

Answer 3

yes you could make your computer in to a server no problem, but you will need software for it to do so,

yes you can set up a firewall on it you can do anything with a server,
you could make it into a virtual machine
you can install
anti virus software
anti pop ups
malware,
spy ware.

for server software microsoft charge for it and you would need to have a server license from MS

Do some research into Linux open source server software it is Free and you will get support and there are free tutorials on the net

By the way Linux is the back bone of the internet , every big company uses Linux, it is faster, more secure, safe, and FREE,,

Every big computer Manufacturer use linux for their business systems do a web search for

ibm+linux
intel+linux
dell+linux
hp+linux
nasa+linux

it will be an eye opener for you
check out the websites below

Answer 4

"Server" skill multiple issues to diverse people. For some, that is purely a centralized record sharing pc - for others that is an corporation area, e mail and cyber web firewall. The configurations are fairly much countless. for many small corporation purposes, you would be extremely secure utilising a favorite laptop pc for server use - there are quite a few flavors of Linux obtainable for loose or close to loose (if bundled with specific apps). there is often the living house windows Server family contributors - which for small companies I each and every so often propose something like living house windows Server Small corporation version, which interior of reason hassle-free to manage for an widely used consumer. opposite to what Linux advocates might say, the widely used laptop consumer isn't an extremely sturdy candidate for handling a Linux server.

Answer 5

Yep.

All a server is is the central storage and processing point in a network - whether the network is thousands of computers or just the server and the client.

You can just install a firewall on the pc for the firewall ops.

Answer 6

Yes you can....if connected to a network...just share the drive and other computers can access it (file server)....if you want to use it as a webserver....Microsoft comes with services for this. It is called IIS (Internet Information Services). You can install it from add/remove programs then click on windows components tab on the left...hope that helps....

Answer 7

Yes it could. You would need two network cards; one to the internet and a second one to your laptop. You go into network settings under control panel and set the card to the internet under the advanced tab to allow other users to connect through this connection. This would definately give your laptop another layer of protection.

Answer 8

Yes just buy an external router... You could set up a network in XP - or Vista in order to share the HHD with other computers.

Answer 9

I wouldn't think so. If that was possible, there wouldn't be any need for specific operating systems for the job such as Windows Server 2000, 2003, Longhorn, or 2008

Answer 10

Yes, by Apache.