Active Directory

[jmccall]

I'm working with a very small company. Less than 5 users and less than 50 transactions per day. They are considering MAS90 because of functionality. They have a single Dell Windows 2000 server runnng Active Directory. The server is less than 4 months old, very adequate and upgradeable, a Dell 600SC P4, RAID5.
The dealer is strongly recomending a second server to seperate MAS90 and Active Directory Services.
Probable minimal expense for an additional server class machine with a backup client to the existing, UPS, OS and installation is over $2500.

Seems like an excessive expense considering there are rarely more than 4 concurrent users on the entire network. Any thoughts on running MAS90 on the same server with Active Directory Services?

 

[drdebit]

We have a PII (<400) NT4 server supporting a 7 user mas90 network. (Don't know daily transactions but annual gl runs to 700-900 pages.) It also contains a separate harddrive supporting a 2-3 user engineering network. I'm not involved in the technical parts of things, but the server is outside my door and I don't see people hovering-so I assume it works. Nighttime tape backup covers these two harddrives plus maindrive for server in another network.

We'd be in tall clover if we had your system.

 

[jmccall]

Thanks for the feedback, but the problem seems to be that we have Windows 2000 server with Active Directory Services.
I understand that if we reconfigured (downgraded) the server as an NT server we would not need another server. That may be the only practical solution. The incompatability is supposed to be between Windows 2000 server with Active Directory services and MAS90 on the same box. I'd still like to hear from anyone with a single W2k server with Active Directory Services and MAS90 on the same server.

 

[msimone]

jmccall -

We have W2K Server running AD on a separate box from our file & print server that runs MAS90. As I understand it, the issue isn't so much one of performance per se, but rather that only members of the domain admins group can access files on a server running Active Directory. This obviously presents some security issues. If you lurk/post on some MCSE-type forums, you may be able to find a workaround for this.

On a side note, you may want to look into getting a Dell refurbished server - they aren't as customizable, but they are about half the price of an equivalent new machine.

Good luck,

Mike Simone

 

[drdebit]

So Mike, what is the active directory business and its purpose in life?

If you convert a MAS90 server to win2k does it have to come along for the ride too?

 

[msimone]

drdebit -

Disclaimer: I'm no AD guru, so you shouldn't make any enterprise decisions on what I'm saying here.

Active directory is kinda-sorta like the Windows Registry, but for your whole network. It tracks evrything on the network, who has access to it and how much, etc., etc. All of the admin stuff you use your NT servers for, like DHCP, user management and so forth, will all be handled through the active directory. It's purpose in life is to get you to buy it

If I remember correctly, you can run a W2K server without running AD, and if you want to have a mix of NT and 2K servers you can't run AD. I don't know what effects upgrading the MAS90 server to 2K would have, since we bought new hardware. I will say that the moving to the new server was straightforward [1], since we could just copy the directories to the new server and go. This also gave us the advantage of being able to roll back to the old system if the changeover had problems.

1 - Once we integrated AR, PR, AP and GL into one database rather than three, all with separate COAs. That was not so straightforward.

Mike Simone

 

[drdebit]

Hi mike
Thanks for the answer-you don't have to worry-I'm not in the enterprise decision making process, but I'm going to be interested in further answers in this thread and watching events here.
We're going to be getting a new server and if I understood correctly it will be running MAS90 and other items too.
Quoting and installation coming from MAS90 var and i only heard mention of one machine. They apparently have technical procedures to address the issues that have been raised here.

Perhaps others will have additional comments for us.

(re: purpose in life-i should have known )

 

[Omnicef]

I have run MAS 90 on a 2k server with AD. It WILL work fine... the performance is degraded a little. It is much worse if you try to run crystal reports (but they will run) I am currently maintaining a system with 25 users in those same scenario. You could always split the project into two phases. Get MAS90 up and running on the same server and then introduce the new server after the budget can allow it.

Thnks in advance to all users out there who continually answer all of our questions. Although I try to answer some questions, I usually am asking.

 

[kgauvin]

I'll just throw in my two cents here since I've been working w/ mas200 on AD for a couple of years now. I have a 25 user office that hosted the app on a single system (dual p3 2Gig of mem) and crystal reports would take minutes to preform anything. So as the literature recommends, I moved it to a lone w2k box and promoted it to be a peer AD server running in native mode. Mixed mode should only be used when you must maintain pre-w2k systems. This mixed mode of operation on a box responisble for both the AD services and Mas200 services was not a pretty site. The latter arrangement has worked fine for over a year. My advice is; segregate it if possible, otherwise do not run it on an AD server emulating a PDC. Member servers running in native seem to be OK too.

 

[msimone]

kgauvin -

May I ask why you used the MAS200 server as an AD server as well? Was it because you only had the two machines and need the 'backup' AD server?

Mike Simone

 

[mitmont]

I provide support from the Networking side of MAS90. Best Software's stand is that it is not supported on the domain controller. If AD is installed it becomes a Domain controller. The functions of the Domain controller uses a higher amount of resources thereby taking away the performance of MAS90.

Now with that said, most locations that I support are running a single server domain with Win 2K Server in Domain controller mode. Beef the memory up, watch the space on the disks. With your original question of small 5 user minimal transactions a single server is capable with the caviate that the server should not be an old 300-500MB single processor etc.etc..

 

[Omnicef]

I agree with mitmont, since it is MAS90 (as opposed to MAS 200) the server really is only file serving. The processing is done on the client side. I fast disk setup (like scsi 15k rpm disk in raid 1 setup) and lots of ram would probably be acceptable.

Thnks in advance to all users out there who continually answer all of our questions. Although I try to answer some questions, I usually am asking.

 

[kalliontnw]

Iam currently in a small network with all win2k stations and the server too. We are using Act4.0 But we are lokking for a better contact/ client software. We want a central database so we can get around the need to sync everynight to see what everyone did the day before. Can anybody help with recommendations on a solution.

 

[mitmont]

For kalliontnw

Since you are replying on the board for MAS90 I'll assume that you are using MAS 90 as your accounting system. If you are currently using Act 4.0 and since Best Software owns the Act program as their CRM software you may want to investigate the Act 6.0 multi user version. Purchased with the Act link for MAS 90 this can be integrated with MAS. A big plus. Put on your server you could have the nightly backup save the database. Another positive is the upgrade will be less expensive and can easily bring your current data up to the ver 6.