Re: Disaster Recovery Planning

Tech Tip: Click here to run a free scan for Windows Errors and optimize PC performance

yeah???? On a preinstalled XPPro SP2 I installed Office, AV, LOB apps (two
major apps, each requiring telephone activation which admittedly doesn't
take long), after removing Dell '3rd party rubbish', updated the system
using WSUS, configured a user (no roaming profiles at this site), in a shade
over two hours while performing other tasks (I point this out because at
times the system was sittting idle waiting for me to click something while I
was doing other things). Four hours seems too long to me.

"Alan" <alan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:egYr%23D9nGHA.4124@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


"SuperGumby [SBS MVP]" <not@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:enW5SI1nGHA.2244@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
'WinXP configuration is hopelessly ill matched to a corporate
environment'
Wrong. I strongly disagree. In what way is this so?

'"free" junk that gets loaded' by various OEM's can, to a large degree,
if not perfectly, be removed by either automated or manual processes.

'take up to half a day EACH computer' is wrong. (NOTE, that's a FULL
STOP). If you are wasting half a day putting client workstations on an
SBS (or other) network you need to look to yourself for procedural
problems.

'knowledge of the physical location of a machine is often derived from
the name' another bad move. NOW, I will state, this is IMHO. I name
workstations WS01, WS02, etc... I see no advantage and many disadvantages
to any other naming structure. What happens when that 'Accounts01'
machine gets move to Reception because it makes more sense to give the
chief accountant a new machine than Sally the secretary?

"TechoMad" <TechoMad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:E573CF29-C1A0-4B71-A9F0-C26A950CA374@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I strongly disagree that it "takes no time at all"; Buy any machine from
a
supplier and "out-of-the-box" the WinXP configuration is hopelessly ill
matched to a corporate environment (or any environment really). Removing
all
the "free" junk that gets loaded and making basic, necessary security
and
configuration adjustments to get it workable can take up to half a day
EACH
computer. Imaging may go some way to helping that, but who knows if
you'll
get hardware even vaguely close from one month to another? Group policy
helps, but just doesn't touch some items.
Mere naming is still a chore, having to create the entries etc;
knowledge of
the physical location of a machine is often derived from the name; so,
one
useless asset log tying names to location and purpose then! - another
'pointless' backup!

The more I look into this, the more I think it is "glossed over" so much
while the real work of getting a workable environment ready is far, far
different from a CEO's expectations, of pull the tape - restore - plug
in the
new PCs and ........ away we go!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha - like never! and who gets the blame? Certainly not
Microsoft for such parlous tools and an inadequate method.

So, what IS the recommended, safe, professional, caring and responsible
method for ensuring survival? Exactly what parts are the useful ones to
backup and what bits are pointless as they need 'rework' after the
event? To
me, so far, the only effective bit looks to be the data (as it ever was
in
the mainframe world). Hardware changes so much that "image" and "full"
backups are not much use, as server and client OS probably need
reinstall or
are started from scratch. Then perhaps, the scattered millions of
"customisations". Why not separate those into one folder tree for easy
identification, copy and control instead of them being scattered around
like
leaves in a forest? Then the applications, which so depend on
intertwinded
registry entries that re-install is the only option, then THEY have
customisations, which are hard to find...... What a mess!

It is worrying that most of the snags (many) only appear when it is too
late, or am I being unduly pessimistic?



I have just set up a new PC and timed it to get things to the point where
we are ready for the user and it took me just under four hours.

Now, I don't doubt that *some* of the things we do are not strictly
speaking required, but to me that is not really the point. The issue is
how to quickly restore 20 machines after a total disaster (say, fire
followed by flood from the fire brigade hoses) that takes out all the
client machines.

As mentioned elsewhere, ghost (or other software) images wouldn't help if
the new PCs are different to the old ones (almost certain), and installing
by hand does take a long time.

I am quite nervous about this now I have thought about it - perhaps there
is something to be said for blissful ignorance!

Upon further reflection, I am drawn towards a fully thin client
environment with everyone using RDP on a Terminal Server. That way the
only restoration of any significance would be the server(s), and off the
shelf machines with WinXP PRo SP2 *would* be sufficient (subject to a
quick join to the domain, and add a shortcut to the TS).

Thoughts?

Alan.

--

The views expressed are my own, and not those of my employer or anyone
else associated with me.

My current valid email address is:

1bupdvc02@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This is valid as is. It is not munged, or altered at all.

It will be valid for AT LEAST one month from the date of this post.

If you are trying to contact me after that time,
it MAY still be valid, but may also have been
deactivated due to spam. If so, and you want
to contact me by email, try searching for a
more recent post by me to find my current
email address.

The following is a (probably!) totally unique
and meaningless string of characters that you
can use to find posts by me in a search engine:

ewygchvboocno43vb674b6nq46tvb




.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: MVPs and Terminal Services
    ... but the Printer group is in the Windows Client ... Keep in mind that Windows Server 2003 is almost three years old, ... a TS environment is widely frowned upon). ... Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services)
  • Re: MVPs and Terminal Services
    ... Printer group is in the Windows Client org not in the Windows Server org ... Keep in mind that Windows Server 2003 is almost three years old, ... a TS environment is widely frowned upon). ... Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services)
  • Re: One login, several environments to use?
    ... >to have one account per user, instead of one account for each client. ... >each client must preserve their aliases and other environment funnythings. ... Each member of the team needed to be able to access each app, ...
    (comp.sys.hp.hpux)
  • Re: One login, several environments to use?
    ... >>to have one account per user, instead of one account for each client. ... >>each client must preserve their aliases and other environment funnythings. ... > 1 app at a time. ...
    (comp.sys.hp.hpux)