Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- From: "SuperGumby [SBS MVP]" <not@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 10:42:21 +1100
call me SG, or Mick,
Yes, if MOM (not to be confused with MS MOM) operates simply by accessing
files in a share it seems you have very little need for a 2nd server. Load
should be considered, both network and HDD IO. SBS itself is HDD IO bound,
you have Exchange, a couple of SQL/MSDE instances, and file server
operations, on a DC (DC also use HDD). Meanwhile everyone is asking for
things across the network. Using a 2nd server to offset some of this is not
such a silly idea.
SBS has a fully documented backup and restore mechanism, SBS Backup to tape.
I admit to more than a little BIAS here. I have not, in the past, been
comfortable with anything but tape. This is changing.
There's a new player on the block too. Windows Home Server. WHS would allow
you to backup SBS, additional server(s), and workstations to a total of 10
units. It's sortta a cutdown version of MS Data Protection Manager, when
used in this manner. I'm looking at $5k tape solutions vs $1k WHS and
wondering, and my $5k tape only does the one server.
Disk imaging style backup solutions are also attractive, Shadow Protect,
Acronis True Image, even that one from Symantec (hack, ptooi. Sorry,
mentioning that name always makes me choke) work. I have a _major_ problem
with these, NOT ONE OF THEM has persuaded MS to 'support' their partition
modification or restore methods. Theoretically, if the install modifies
partitions (like Acronis' Secure Zone) the file system is immediately put
into a condition 'not supported by MS'. Even without the modification a
system restored by these mechanisms is 'not supported by MS'. The fact that
they work is good, but irrelevent to this argument.
A point in favour of imaging solutions is their increasingly better ability
to 'restore to different hardware'. Should the server go south and these
tools allow me to easily restore services I'm not so sure I'm worried about
my file system being 'not supported by MS'. I might bring the system up in
whatever unsupported configuration, I can and then address this at a later
time.
"Jason" <not@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:d1a3f41bf39d8ca4b55a66fc260@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello SuperGumby [SBS MVP],
I know exactly what you mean about downtime. The last few
I remember were caused by an impatient sysadmin who decided
to risk doing after hours work during production time. ;)
As I mentioned to Russ, our LOB app is Mail Order Manager,
which is extremely simple and boils down to disk I/O from being shared
and doesn't even run a process on the server. It probably would
run fine on SBS, in which case the secondary DC begins to lose its
value, right? Or do you recommend them as a rule?
Obviously with SBS you need to have a *really* good backup solution. I'm
ready to ditch tape as a primary solution and switch to an imaging
solution like ShadowProtect Server edition. What backup strategy
do you use for SBS?
Jason
SBS doesn't 'go down'. Sometimes a fool (like me) 'takes SBS down'.
Yes, really, for full access to anything while SBS is offline you need
a 2nd DC, and it must be a GC. Some will suggest that in an SBS
environment a 2nd DC complicates your recovery should SBS be, ummm,
really stuffed.
The main problem for most people should SBS go down is that it is
central to their network. A secondary consideration is that _IMHO_ if
SBS is down the last thing I want is anyone else's PC or other servers
active on the network, such activity is _likely_ to slow down my
efforts to get SBS back up. Should SBS be down my reaction is 'turn
off your PC's, take an early lunch, carry a mobile, I'll call you when
you can come back, or find some paperwork to do'.(and the more you
look over my shoulder and keep asking 'is it up yet?' the longer it's
going to take :-)
However, your LOB app on a 2nd server can work. Check with the LOB app
supplier about operation as a DC. In a 'worst case' you could separate
SBS while you work on her. As long as you 'repair' the system to the
point where you separated her even changes to AD objects will sync
when she comes back online, it is only more complex if you need to
roll her back to some previous point in time.
"Jason" <not@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:d1a3f41bf2ef8ca4b414b96951f@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We currently run a classic Windows network (two DCs, Exchange, file
server) that is fairly robust. We want to migrate to SBS 2003 R2 but
worry about putting all eggs in one basket. For that reason we intend
to put our critical line of business app on a separate member server
(basically a file server). My concern, however, is what happens to
member servers when/if the SBS server goes down? Will our users still
be able to access the member server and for how long? Should we also
setup a secondary DC? Will that help in such a scenario? I'm totally
new to SBS so I want to be sure even having a second member server
makes sense, since I don't know how SBS behaves in these kinds of
scenarios.
Also, if anyone can highly recommend an SBS 2003 book I would really
appreciate it. Thanks!
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- From: Jason
- Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- References:
- Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- From: SuperGumby [SBS MVP]
- Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- From: Jason
- Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- Prev by Date: Re: migrating SBS 2003 R2 to Windows 2003 R2
- Next by Date: ISA 2004 upgrade
- Previous by thread: Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- Next by thread: Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
Loading
