Quote Originally Posted by JyushinX
The setup will be

Modem -> Router -> Server -> Switch -> Workstations
Thanks.
Ummm.... I would do:

Modem ==> Router ==> Switch ==> Server & Workstations

First off, kill UPnP (Universal Plug & Play). UPnP allows an application on one of your user's workstations to open an incoming port on your router without intervention from anyone (see: http://www.grc.com/unpnp/unpnp.htm ).

Second of all, considering the setup you're going to have, putting the server between the Internet connection and the workstations adds unneeded complication to the network and increases the workload on your server. And, it sounds like you're server is already going to be processing huge chunks of data. Why ask it to process ALL of the network traffic and deal with 100+ MB files?

Third, ditch the idea of getting a gigabit switch. Linksys makes one; it is expensive and I wasn't terribly impressed. Instead, look at Gigabit switches. They are coming down in price and may be worth paying a little more. You can always plug the server and all your workstations into the Gigabit switch, and then patch the switch over to your router. Then, everyone on the network will be Gigabit.