New server required

[Guest Craig]

My company is using small business server 2003 but I feel they are outgrowing

both the software and hardware. The server is running out of disk space on

both C drive and the data drive but has dynamic disks on a raid1 so I am not

sure how to copy the operating system onto a bigger capacity disk. They are

also up to mailbox limits on quite a few users . They have also just bought 2

other companies and would like to connect them as branch offices (or maybe

use terminal services). I am recommending they get a new server (windows

server 2003 and install exchange 2007). I would prefer to get the new server

ready and then copy any required data from the old before switching it off.

The old server has got into a bit of a mess with user accounts and

configurations so I would prefer to start again. My questions are:

Can I export any required mailboxes from the old and import to the new

server? Does windows server 2003 have remote web workplace like sbs2003?

I believe that server 2003 has terminal services and i think that would be a

good way to serve the remote branches but I also believe that it is not good

practice to have terminal services on a domain controller, is this correct?

[Guest Mathieu CHATEAU]

Re: New server required

 

Hello,

 

many different subjects to cover here !

 

1/Exchange 2007 requires Windows 2003 64 Bits, take care. Exchange 2007 love

a lot of RAM.You wouldn't put exchange on a DC.

 

2/Isn't the mailbox limit a quota ?

 

3/You shouldn't use soft raid on production server (keep in mind for the new

one):

-it's easy to break by admin

-performance are really poor

 

At least, use motherboard built in raid, even if no cache (need a driver to

work correctly). So changing a hard drive doesn't mean playing with windows

disk management.

DC doesn't need much performance, but need stability. For this case (SBS),

as exchange 2003 is installed and used on it; disk subsystem would be a huge

bottleneck.

 

4/ RWW is not available on anything else than sbs

 

5/you would have to migrate out of SBS version buying an upgrade pack

How to upgrade Small Business Server Domain Environment to regular Windows

2003 Domain

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555073/en-us

or

http://www.sbsmigration.com/

 

For the others branches, you would first deeply analyse their environnement

and how they works

 

--

Cordialement,

Mathieu CHATEAU

http://lordoftheping.blogspot.com

 

 

"Craig" <Craig @discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:B009DD69-FF5B-4F94-85F0-6D60CB80722A@microsoft.com...

> My company is using small business server 2003 but I feel they are

> outgrowing

> both the software and hardware. The server is running out of disk space on

> both C drive and the data drive but has dynamic disks on a raid1 so I am

> not

> sure how to copy the operating system onto a bigger capacity disk. They

> are

> also up to mailbox limits on quite a few users . They have also just

> bought 2

> other companies and would like to connect them as branch offices (or maybe

> use terminal services). I am recommending they get a new server (windows

> server 2003 and install exchange 2007). I would prefer to get the new

> server

> ready and then copy any required data from the old before switching it

> off.

> The old server has got into a bit of a mess with user accounts and

> configurations so I would prefer to start again. My questions are:

> Can I export any required mailboxes from the old and import to the new

> server? Does windows server 2003 have remote web workplace like sbs2003?

> I believe that server 2003 has terminal services and i think that would be

> a

> good way to serve the remote branches but I also believe that it is not

> good

> practice to have terminal services on a domain controller, is this

> correct?