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  • #2294070

    Windows 2003 small buisness server

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    by avcc ·

    Hi,
    Im looking into buying windows small buisness server 2003. I know that SBS comes with server 2k3 and exchange 2k3, but can they be seperated so they can run on two different servers, buecause i dont have real fast servers and i dont think it could handle both.

    Thanks

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    • #2692193

      Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

      by sgt_shultz ·

      In reply to Windows 2003 small buisness server

      good call, if you ask me. SBS looks a lot cheaper to buy up front but such a pita to support compared to stand-alone versions. remember you are using sbs and not the standalone versions when you trouble-shoot stuff. and double the minimum system specs imho
      you only need exchange and AD server? i have no experience with sbs2003 but if anything like sbsnt and sbs2000, avoid like plague. if i had to use my old hardware, especially.
      how many users?

      • #2692794

        Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        by sgt_shultz ·

        In reply to Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        oh, sure, sbs is great as long as you don’t mind a cajion services running, as long as all your vendors can use whatver version of sql server ya got…i would not buy sbs because i ‘might’ need the capability in the future. i would buy the packages i needed now individually. better for your career also imho.
        ‘user error’. ouch. if that was zing, guess surprised haven’t had one before now (smile). so maybe i could say he agrees separate packages more robust?? i say do lots of homework in technet and support at http://www.microsoft.com. read the support articles. read between the lines.
        you will end up with a bunch o stuff besides sbs in future, imho. accounting database engine maybe. backup software maybe. i just wouldn’t promise management i can do everything on one server. sbs is for wimps, dl

    • #2692187

      Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

      by avcc ·

      In reply to Windows 2003 small buisness server

      we have about 40 users right now, so the 75 that sbs supports will be enough for future growth.

    • #2692184

      Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

      by avcc ·

      In reply to Windows 2003 small buisness server

      Yes, i realy only need the server 2003 and exchange 2003 aspect of sbs, but i might use the other features it has, i just want to know if i can share the work load between server 2k3 and exchange 2k3 using sbs on to different servers, with only one copy of sbs

    • #2692850

      Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

      by cg it ·

      In reply to Windows 2003 small buisness server

      humm don’t know why good ole Shultz doesn’t like SBS2000. I’ve run it and not had any problems with it. I have run into people who have and most of the reasons behind the problem is User Error. SBS2003, like SBS2000 is designed to run on one box. real fast servers is a subjective determination. My old SBS2000 ran on a AMD XP1800 [1.53 ghz] processor with 768 MB DDR memory with a mirrored 20GB HDDs. Had Exchange, ISA server and 45 users. Did NOT run programs using terminal services. This setup ran and ran and ran with about 98% uptime. Only reason we went to SBS2003 is for the Sharepoint services, OWA and the internal web site [along with we outgrew the 50 computer limitation. we are at 58 now]. AND we run it on the same box we ran the SBS2000. Just did an upgrade. Unless your running like a pentium 500 mhz processor with half a gig or less memory stick with what you got.

      • #2692844

        Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        by cg it ·

        In reply to Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        I’ve never tried installing SBS 2000 exchange on a seperate box that from my DC with AD. Haven’t checked to see if theres anything on Microsofts site about it. I have installed SQL on a seperate box and didn’t have problems so I’ll assume you can do it with exchange.

      • #2692843

        Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        by cg it ·

        In reply to Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        I see it as the second box with exchange would be secondary DC on the network with exchange installed on that with your primary DC [holding the primary copy of AD and the Global Catalog] having DNS DHCP RRAS Terminal Services, Certificate Authority installed. humm might check that out on our test network.

      • #2692720

        Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        by cg it ·

        In reply to Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        wasn’t a ZIG against you Sgt! it was against the supposedly IT gurus who would call me up asking for help cuz they knew I ran it. 99% of the time their problem was they didn’t know Exchange or ISA server and mostly Active Directory and ended up mucking up the whole works. SBS isn’t Enterprise level network software where you have a bunch of different pysically seperate sites, 100s of users in each one and clusters of servers [DCs Mail, Database]. Its for a company with 75 computers max that wishes to host their own mail service, have a database server and not a big IT department to run it all [usually just one guy]. For $1500 USD you get W2003 server, Exchange 2003 and ISA server 2000. It can run all on one box if done right, works just like an Enterprise Level network BUT can’t establish trusts with other domains. Not a bad deal at all. I run the DC with Exchange and ISA on one box, a file server, a SQL server a secondary DC and a seperate public web server. Have 58 workstations and it runs like the Pink Bunny! Only problems I have if users losing files [forgetting where they put em or accidently deleting em]. And food, coffee, ketchup on the keyboards and the occasional unauthorized game software, damn screensavers, and weird wallpaper. I run Norton Corporate Antivirus 8.0 with Exchange and I really like that cuz I don’t have to do anything once it’s setup.

      • #2692711

        Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        by cg it ·

        In reply to Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        IMHO those that have called me up for help usually don’t test crap out like scripts on a test network which they then stick on their production network and then find it’s mucked it up. They have management that allows idiot programmers to come up with off the wall programs that don’t work on a Windows Platform and try to use em [which really mucks up the network] and generally play around tweeking this or playing with that so they aren’t bored.

      • #2692708

        Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        by cg it ·

        In reply to Reply To: Windows 2003 small buisness server

        lastly is the damn users themselves and not having sufficent security policies in place so users don’t muck up their computers or the network. Bored users are bad. Whats worse is the user[s] who play “get even” with those they don’t like. As the proverb goes… “Nothing screws things up faster than people” .

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