Re: Moving from peer2peer to server based network - need help
- From: "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]" <lanwench@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:24:32 -0400
mastertony@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Hi all,
I work for a small company where about 7 to 10 PCs are exchanging
files between each other on a p2p layout.
As the IT guy there, I am constantly being asked to provide solutions
to the users where only on a server based network this would be
possible to deploy such as shared contacts, calendar, CRM, etc...
there are other obvious reasons why the move is required.
So I've made a decision to go with dell and chose a well spec'd
Poweredge 2900 for the job. It will come with SBS2k3 standard with 4
GB RAM, good processor, 2x 146GB Hard drives on RAID 1 etc...
Software or hardware RAID, and what kind of drives? I use SCSI or SAS - no
IDE or SATA. I would see if you can include a global hotspare, too.
4GB RAM is probably overkill.
Our current backup solution is simply portable hard drives (120gb
each), 3 on rotation... etc... this works OK for us. When I asked dell
for a server solution I was quoted the above server with a tape backup
unit which took the quote up quite a bit and for other reasons we
would prefer not use tapes to backup.
As long as you're storing backups offsite, that's fine. I do suggest you use
the 'wrapper' SBS puts around NTBackup....
I was thinking in using DAS (direct access storage) or NAS (network
accessible storage) for backup purpose. I have been looking into DAS -
the enclosure costs about £150 then I would buy the SATA drives for it
and set either JBOD, RAID 0 or RAID 1
So my question to you guys is: What is best to use - DAS or NAS - on a
server based network that would be used for backup and possible direct
access by the users connected to the server?
I'm just curious - if you already have your removable hard drives, and like
'em, why not keep 'em? Or use tape (I prefer tape, but I'm old-fashioned).
Backups across the network are usually sucky.
I would invest more in disk drives for the server itself rather than go this
route - it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
I guess what I want to be able to do is to use this DAS or NAS
solution (whichever is suggested as best for my needs) for direct
access and/or my daily server backup.
My off-site backup would then be done by connecting my portable hard
drives onto this DAS or NAS and sync the data - this is done weekly!
Do nightly full backups to your backup medium of choice....I can't see any
reason not to. It shouldn't take that long. Do *everything* - system state,
online Exchange databases, and your users' data files - using
NTBackup/SBSBackup. It really keeps things simpler.
Please let me know if my idea is not feasibly and if I should rethink
my storage/backup plans for the server based network move.
Many thanks in advance for your views!
Tony
Hope the above helps even though I haven't specifically answered your
NAS/DAS questions - but for SBS stuff, you might post in
m.p.windows.server.sbs. It does a lot of things its own way, and I suspect
you'll get a lot of help in there. Also, if you haven't worked much with AD
& Exchange before (or, even if you have, if you haven't worked with the SBS
incarnations of same), make sure you follow *all* the myriad setup wizards
to a T, for both the server install *and* the client configs - or you'll end
up with a real mess. I speak from experience. :)
.
- References:
- Moving from peer2peer to server based network - need help
- From: mastertony
- Moving from peer2peer to server based network - need help
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