Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- From: Jason <not@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 20:38:13 +0000 (UTC)
I expect we will have eight 15k RPM disks in the new server which will allow
me to stick MOM on its own mirror, but I would rather stick it
on a RAID 5 with the other network files which really aren't
accessed intensively (and keep Exchange and the OS on their own
mirrors).
We currently use BackupExec which I feel is another overkill tool
for our site but we will certainly keep our tape drive as I want maximum redundancy.
I haven't heard of WHS but will check it out. So far ShadowProtect
combined with tape and USB drive backups seems to be sufficient,
plus we also use online backup for our most critical data. I think ShadowProtect's hardware-independent restore option is great
for those worst-case scenarios but I doubt that will ever be
needed.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm sure I will chime in again once I get
SBS installed.
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!
.
- References:
- Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- From: SuperGumby [SBS MVP]
- Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- Prev by Date: Re: ISA 2004 and AOL 9 won't work right...
- Next by Date: Re: How to configure Exchange to deliver through authenticated SMTP connection?
- Previous by thread: Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- Next by thread: Re: SBS 2003 downtime scenarios
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
