Ok, I need to collect some ideas and figured that since there are a lot of IT people on here, someone might have some ideas for a project I am working on.

What I Want: Well, actually, what "they" (my employer) want. A small Intranet (think less than 50 users, but with growth potential of 4 times that) that will support file sharing. For instance, they want to be able to have a user create a Word or Excel document that can be uploaded to the server and shared, and accessed via the Internal website in real time.

What I have to use: IIS running on Windows 2000 Server. MS SQL Server 2000, Coldfusion MX.

Any ideas? I've never worked with dynamic web content, letalone on an intranet. We have our external website running on the config I listed above, so it needs to be on the same server for resource reasons.

Hmmm... well I don't know how much help this is, but I would build a client and server application in visual c++(doing it right) or vb(doing it fast).  You could have the server app handle making file stream connections and the like between all the clients.  You could use the SQL server to handle users and searches and what not.  The problem with this is each person would need the client software installed on their machine.  For only 50 clients thats not *that* bad. 

I'm not a real good IT guy, I know very little about all that fancy web stuff, so that's why I would do that.  Build a good set of apps in c++ and it will handle thousands of users and run more smoothly then a lot of the newer .NET web apps.   

I assume that no php is available?

get some sort of ASP CMS script and use it for the intranet (configure router ports to not allow WAN access to the script).
http://www.hotscripts.com/ASP/Scripts_and_Components/Groupware_Tools/index.html
but if php is available, then you have many more options
http://webcollab.sourceforge.net/
http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Scripts_and_Programs/Groupware_Tools/index.html

I don't think you're looking to upload to the webserver. I think you're looking more to write a script that will show the contents of a server share and its files in MSIE, or the like. Unless there's a specific reason you're looking to put files on the webserver to share internally.


Uploading documents to the intranet webserver so others can access them in the office is not really that efficient.

I'm assuming you have other servers that control the office functions.

How complicated does it have to be?  They want specific user/admin rights, version control, tagging, etc, etc, etc?

There's TONS of things you can set up with a SQL server...  You can grant access to the db through lots of progs too, MS Access (), PHP, blah blah blah...

If they don't need anything complicated just setup a machine as a simple file share... lol...  \\paddy\giveadogabone\ and you're done.    Then all the "rules" can be communicated from ReadMe.txt 

Quote from: LimaXray on April 21, 2006, 08:26:21 PM
but I would build a client and server application in visual c++(doing it right) or vb(doing it fast). 

Yeah, if I took this approach I would almost have to do it in VB since I don't know any C++. I took a class in college in each, but retained and "got" more VB. I managed to get through C++ but I am not sure how. I know virtually nothing. haha. 

Quote from: subc on April 21, 2006, 09:15:58 PM
I assume that no php is available?

I'll look into PHP and see if I can get it available.

Quote from: mike_mike on April 21, 2006, 09:55:02 PM
I don't think you're looking to upload to the webserver. I think you're looking more to write a script that will show the contents of a server share and its files in MSIE, or the like. Unless there's a specific reason you're looking to put files on the webserver to share internally. Uploading documents to the intranet webserver so others can access them in the office is not really that efficient. I'm assuming you have other servers that control the office functions.

Yeah, we have about 8 servers in our office that do various things. But you are right, I want to be able to display the contents of a server share, but I also need the users to be able to upload information to the share for others to see it. We have a total of 4 facilities, each of the other 3 "satellites" come through us in regards to networking. They are all a couple hundred miles away, so they want to be able to collaborate on projects. So a guy in "X Town" can write a document about Emergency Management so that a woman in "Y Town" can read it.

Quote from: RVertigo on April 22, 2006, 02:00:10 AM
How complicated does it have to be?  They want specific user/admin rights, version control, tagging, etc, etc, etc?

It doesn't have to be that complicated, but they will want security but nothing fancy. Basically just a way to share and edit documents without emailing them back and forth like they do now  Haha.

I was even thinking of running some forum software and using SQL as the backend. They could post a document as a post/article and others could read and comment on it. Is that a stupid idea?

How are all of these people accessing the intranet currently?

- is there a pre-existing link between the branch offices? (if they can already see the server shares - then what you're trying to do is just a 'front-end' interface to a few shares on a server.

- depending on the answer to the first question, is there a reason they want to go with some sort of web application? This is not really the standard way of sharing files among users in a networked environment. Typically administrators will use server shares mapped as 'drives' on users' machines in order to share files.

Quote from: mike_mike on April 22, 2006, 09:09:28 AM
How are all of these people accessing the intranet currently?

Our only web-based intranet is an online Maintenance Request system. Each client PC has a shortcut on their desktop that points to our internal webserver but running on a different port, and is a separate website in IIS. It is supported by a a SQL Server. Our public website is also available as an internal IP, and that is our only "web content" thus far.

Quote from: mike_mike on April 22, 2006, 09:09:28 AM
- is there a pre-existing link between the branch offices? (if they can already see the server shares - then what you're trying to do is just a 'front-end' interface to a few shares on a server.

Yes, there is a pre-existing link and yes a "front end" interface to a share on the server would be excellent. That is the part I am struggling with. I can easily create a share and map users to it, but what they want is a web-based interface over top of it. As it is now, if I just create a share and map users to it they will just see a bunch of unorganized documents in a folder.

Quote from: mike_mike on April 22, 2006, 09:09:28 AM
- depending on the answer to the first question, is there a reason they want to go with some sort of web application? This is not really the standard way of sharing files among users in a networked environment. Typically administrators will use server shares mapped as 'drives' on users' machines in order to share files.

Honestly, I am not sure why they want to go web based. Like I said above, we do use mapped drives, but it is unorganized. I can create a Word document and stick it in there, and everyone can see it through Windows Explorer. Ok. But I guess what I am asking is, how could  I create a "front end" to allow them to be able to access/manipulate/ the files in this share? I am not even sure where to start! 

I'd prefer something easy to implement and administer with minimal coding, but atr this point I am open to any ideas 

Snap server that everybody can use?

Quote from: Phaedrus on April 22, 2006, 01:32:50 PM

I'd prefer something easy to implement and administer with minimal coding, but atr this point I am open to any ideas 

Sharepoint

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/sharepoint/demo/default.mspx

Thanks guys. I'll do some research on Sharepoint as well, and see if that is the ticket. I'll post up what I find out