Should we get a Win2K3 Server?

[jazzdrive 0]

I would like some of your guys input.

 

The organization I work for employs about 12 people and is expected to employ 20 by the middle of next year. Currently, we are simply running with a DSL connection and a Wireless AP. All our computers have XP Pro. Our Exchange hosting is outsourced through Intermedia.

 

Soon, we are going to get a T1 line, and implement a VoIP system. I wanted some input on whether we should invest in a centralized domain server. We have a contract with Dell, so that would be our provider.

 

And if so, what would you all recommend as good specs for a decent, redundant server running Server 2003?

 

Also, if we get a Server 2003 machine, can it also be used as a RADIUS server for 802.1x authentication? Or does it have an equivalent service included?

 

Also...is it feasible to run Exchange on it as well. Would that be too much of a load for one server? And if so, is it simple to transfer from our outsourced service?

 

Wow, that's a lot of questions. I just kept going and going. Sorry, I'm just an entry-level guy here.

 

 

Thanks a lot.

 

Any advice is very much appreciated.

[AndyFair 0]

I would say for a company that size, investing in 2k3 server would definitely be the way to go.

 

Depending on how quickly you expect the company to grow, you might want to look at Small Business Server 2003 as a lower cost alternative to 2k3 Server + Exchange Server - but there is a user limit for this version (I think it's something like 75). See this link for more info. The advantage of SBS is that it comes with Exchange as part of the package, and is full of wizards to help the "less technical" (no insult intended) manager.

 

RADIUS is part of IAS in Server 2003 (see this link), but I'm not sure about the SBS version. [EDIT] Just checked - IAS is included with SBS, so you should be OK.[/EDIT]

 

Given a large enough machine (in terms of disk space), it's more than feasible to run Exchange on the same machine - RADIUS and file/print serving doesn't really stress a machine that much.

 

If you're getting a T1 link, I would also consider investing in a hardware firewall, don't let the server do the job for you.

 

If you've got any other questions, let us know and we'll try to help!

 

Rgds

AndyF

[jazzdrive 0]

Thanks for your reply.

 

I have been looking at SBS, but I was afraid I'd get annoyed by all the wizards and there wouldn't be a way to turn them off.

 

We have a hardware firewall/router running with our connection right now, so that shouldn't be much of a problem.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

*Edit* Oh, and currently we have Blackberry's synced up with our Exchange accounts. I've done some research, but can't seem to find out how easy it would be to do this ourselves as well if we decided to host it ourselves.

 

Heh, yet another question to add to the pile.

[adamvjackson 0]

Yep, SBS 2003 would be a great fit. Although, as AndyFair mentioned, if you plan to use this as a RADIUS server, you'll want a good firewall.

 

Don't forget that you'll need to buy some CALs, too. You can get them as per-device (computer/laptop/PDA, etc.) or per-user.

 

75 is the maximum number of concurrent authenticated users. Note that if you run a web server (IIS) on this server, assuming you use the anonymous account, this wouldn't impact the user limitation of SBS 2003.

 

Best of all is the price for SBS. Last time I looked (shortly after the launch) it was about $600 OEM. Add to that some CALs, and server hardware (the Dell 2650 is GREAT) and you'll be spending about $3k or so, but you should be set for quite some time, until you outgrow that system.

 

Don't forget to plan good backup strategies, either, you may want to look at a Dell PowerVault LTO tape drive (I have the 100/200GB drive here).

 

Hope this helps, let us know.

[adamvjackson 0]

A few other comments, as you replied while I was typing my last message...

 

While you can configure SBS using mostly wizards, the other tools should still be available either via command-line or as MMC templates.

 

If you have doubts about SBS 2003, here's the best solution: order a trial copy from Microsoft here.

 

It's good for 120 (or maybe 180...?) days and only costs about $15.00.

 

Also, SBS 2003 includes an Outlook 2003 license with each CAL, so that's an added value.

 

[edit] Just noticed that the order link is dead. I think I have a few extra unopened eval copies at home, if you're really interested I'll drop one in the mail to you. Note that it's the Microsoft Partner kit, with some tools for selling as well. [/edit]

[jazzdrive 0]

Thanks for the replys. I appreciate it.

 

Whether I get the Small Business version is dependant on whether we want to host our own Exchange mail. However, I don't know how much it would cost to implelment Blackberry support ourselves, which is the real kicker.

 

I know I should probably get a backup tape drive. One processor is probably enough. Do you all think I should get a RAID configuration of any kind, or is that overkill?

[AndyFair 0]

Adding Blackberry support to Exchange costs an extra $1000 (from Blackberry's own site), plus $250 per license if you have more than 5 Blackberry users. I couldn't say anything about how easy this is to install and manage, nor whether it runs on SBS.

 

Overall, I would say that it's easier to bring Exchange in-house now, when the company is small, rather than a couple of years down the line, when the number of users has grown - less work from your viewpoint

 

At the moment, RAID might be considered a bit of overkill at this stage - but I would say it's more like future-proofing your system! One processor might be enough now, but you might want to consider a dual-capable machine so that you can upgrade later on. Dell also offer a free second processor on some machines.

 

As far as a tape drive goes, "should probably" doesn't cut it - it should be "definitely must"! If only because it will save your head if something fails later on. One caveat with backups though - make sure you test them regularly. I've heard far too many tales of people who assumed the backups were working fine because the software never returned errors, only to find that the tapes couldn't be read in another tape drive. In situations where companies lose data because of bad backup management, the first person whose head will roll will be the person who is responsible for those backups...

 

 

What you really need to do is look at where the company is now, and where the company is planning to be in 5 years, and spec your kit accordingly - either over spec now and build in future proofing and redundancy, or spec to your current requirements now and make sure that you can easily add extra capacity or machines as and when the need arises.

 

Rgds

AndyF