Intranet...where to begin?

[danomaniac]

Hello all.
I am the only programmer/network admin/db admin/help desk support/toaster fixer/you name it for a mid-sized manufacturing facility. I am running a Windows 2000 server with about 25 boxes (mixed NT and 2K) and a small 95 workgroup set up as a file server for the CNC's. Our MRP system (if you can call it that) is running on an Access database. I would like to set up an intranet but don't know where to begin. It looks like IIS is the thing, but I don't want to hose up our server, so I'm asking for reassurance. I assume I can use asp with IIS? Can I get data from any ODBC source?

I'm a decent enough VB/VBA programmer - good SQL etc, dabbled in HTML and Javascript, but never tried asp. I'll be teaching myself as I go, but I don't want to start down the wrong path. Any advice or pearls of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[rewebb]

Step 1. Decide what you want an intranet for. Get buy-in from the business users. Build a business case to justify the time/effort/expense.

Step 2. Review step 1. If the business users agree with the need for an intranet then you should be able to get some kind of budget.

Step 3. Write on a piece of paper "Intranets are nothing to do with technology and everything to do with useability." then write on another piece of paper "Content is king".

Step 4. Go visit useit.com.

Step 5. Devolve all content-management to business users. Make sure THEY run the intranet, not you.

Follow these steps and you might have a useful company intranet. Ignore them and you'll just have an IT plaything.

Oh, and yes - IIS version 3 onwards runs ASP. Yes, you can get data from any ODBC source. But what you DO with the data is another matter.

RW (building and running intranets since Queen Victoria's days...)

 

[JohnYingling]

I would look seriously at doing ASP.NET. You design your Web Forms with drag and drop in the IDE and write code in full-blown VB.Net. You can access Access with OleDB. Start with a DataAdapter. Look at

http://www.asp.net

for articles and tips. Get VB.Net professional or higher. I use Pro.

http://www.VBResizer.com

Forms/Controls Resizing/Tabbing Control

http://www.VBCompare.com

Compare Code (Text)

http://www.VBSortGen.com

Generate Sort Class in VB or VBScript

 

[danomaniac]

Thanks for the useful advice. I shall endeavor to lay the burden of content management on the user, not myself (Excellent point Rewebb) - Although that won't be an issue for quite a while. 1st hurdle...Budget. I've looked into .Net and it looks like it would make my life much simpler. However, if Big Daddy Warbucks won't let go of some cash, I'll have to use what I've got. If that's the case, I may be leaning on all of you a bit...okay, a LOT!

 

[rewebb]

Best of luck. A good intranet should be worth a fortune to a company. If you're in charge of it it can put you in a very useful position too

RW