Hey all,
Sorry I don't recall the proper name for what I'm looking to do. If there is even a propper name. What I want to do is have a computer that has a harddrive that I will use for everyone on our network to back everything up. I was wondering what type of hardware I should use. I have plenty of spare computers but is it really necessary to waste a P4 on this? I mean I could use the P4 for another use. How would a P3 do with this job?Will this computer be performing a backup operation or will it essentially be just storage space accessable by ANYONE on the network? Can I assume this is a workgroup and not a domain? I'm thinking that I'm going to just keep it storage space for everyone to put their stuff on. And I'm going to be doing this via workgroup. If it's just going to store infrequently accessed data, the CPU shouldn't be STRESSED and the P3 will probably suffice. If it's going to be used more like a file server (data accessed frequently and by many users) you would be better off with the faster CPU.

It's hard to TELL you what else to use because I don't know your inventory. Important Question:
Is there a budget for this project or not?
If there is a budget I recommend setting up a RAID 5 array to help speed up the access and avoid data loss in the event of DRIVE failure. Also a gigabit ethernet CARD and a switch that has at least one gigabit port would be a welcome addition. Faster drive speeds and faster network speeds will benefit you more in the long run that a faster processor.