How To Setup an Online File Server

[Gordon_x64]

Hello all, I need your help in what direction I should start researching to set up a file server that exposes it files with a static URL. There are some requirements that I am not sure will be easy to set up, but if you guys could lend me any information or lead I would greatly appreciate it.

This file server needs to be secure, and only allow access to it physically, so that no one can change settings through the internet. I suspect that this would be just a setting that you turn on or off.
The URLs that are associated with the files must be static and unique, meaning that if the file is moved around the server, anyone with the old URL can still see it. This is why Dropbox will not work for me.

I'm not sure what kind of software and hardware I would need for this, maybe Windows Server or a Linux based system, and I'm prepared to learn whichever system poses the best solution.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[Alabalcho]

You have to answer to yourself a couple of questions:
- What volume / traffic you do expect? What are file sizes?
- How you are going to upload files?
- Are you going to host this server yourself, or at co-location facility? Have you considered using hosted VPS (Virtual Private Server)?

And jsut a side note: There is no software which will let you move files around a file system, and URL not to change. You need some planning how you are going to organize your files.

 

[Gordon_x64]

You have to answer to yourself a couple of questions:
- What volume / traffic you do expect? What are file sizes?
- How you are going to upload files?
- Are you going to host this server yourself, or at co-location facility? Have you considered using hosted VPS (Virtual Private Server)?

And jsut a side note: There is no software which will let you move files around a file system, and URL not to change. You need some planning how you are going to organize your files.

Traffic won't be really heavy, maybe around 1000-1500 requests for files a day for files that at most will be 5MB or so.

Files will be uploaded through computers on the same LAN as the server. We have a team dedicated for this, right now they are using Dropbox but it isn't working like we hoped. I imagined a folder hierarchy they could drop the file into, get the URL, and post it somewhere.

I plan to assemble and host the computer at our office, on location so that I can monitor it.

I did a small test with a hyperlink, and the file that it was linked to was preserved when I moved it. That made me think that windows would have some sort of the same functionality, where I could have a front end 'link' to a back end file. Each file would be assigned an ID, and the front end link would reference a table of IDs to find the file location, then return the file. If that would require some coding I think I might be able to manage it, but I'd prefer an out of the box solution if one exists

 

[Alabalcho]

You can go with simple web server (with or without permission to list directories), or something like Pydio, formerly AjaXplorer.

Your idea of "front end" and "back end" can be implemented with some form of a CMS (content-management system), but I don't know much about that subject.