New Server Configuration

[DCAMP]

Ok, I'm setting up a 2K3 server for the first time, it's going to be used for a small company that will be using a SQL database, and also to store Ghost images for loading onto PC's.

It was recommended to me that I use two NIC cards on the server, and have one used for SQL and the other for imaging computers. How do I do this? Would it simply be that each NIC is on a different subnet, and have the Ghost client computers use the subnet for one NIC, while the production computers use the subnet the other NIC is on for SQL purposes.

Sorry for asking all of these questions, I think I have a fairly good idea of how to do all of this, I just never have, so I'm just kind of double-checking my thinking.

 

[aftertaf]

both nics can be on the same subnet, you can give each ip address a different name with aliases in dhcp, and reference them that way

Aftertaf (david)
MCSA 2003

 

[NickFerrar]

I think in this case though you'd want them on different subnets - not much point having a second NIC for ghosting if it's not to keep that traffic off the general LAN. Personally though unless you're doing a lot of imaging I wouldn't bother with two NICs.

 

[aftertaf]

fair point Nick, does depend on the network usage for ghosting PCs and reinstalling them.
and also if SQL is used intensely by a lot of users... may not be worth the extra trouble & overhead otherwise

Aftertaf (david)
MCSA 2003

 

[DCAMP]

Ahh ok. Well I don't know that the traffic from the SQL will be all that much at first. but as far as the ghosting goes, we'll probably be imaging up to 40 machines or so per day.

 

[NickFerrar]

That's a lot of ghosting heh, I'd actually consider a dedicated server for it. If your SQL is doing disk-intensive stuff then ghosting off the same server (unless you're using multiple channels or RAID cards) could cripple it.

 

[DCAMP]

Yeah, we're probably going to use multiple raid channels for the two different functions. Well that number for ghosting was probably a bit inflated, but it could get to be that much at some point.