Win 2003 Server Reboot

[EtienneG]

Hello All,

We have a client that runs Accpac ERP on a Win 2003 Server on a SQL database. For almost a year now, when loggin in to the server, it has been asking for a restart, probably because of some automatic update download.

We have noticed a considerable degradation in speed on the server over the past few months. We have asked the company to reboot the server but their IT guy has somehow convinced them that a reboot is not necessary because:
a) Servers do not need to reboot simply because they say so
b) This can not possibly be a contributing factor in the speed issue and
c) will involve 'considerable effort and expense'

I will appreciate your comment and insight on the above.

 

[dberg35]

I reboot my servers once a month, the reason is if some upadtes need it, to release anything being held in memory or cache but most of all I believe it should be done. If it were a linux box or Novel then no but Windows should be rebooted.

 

[technome]

Servers do not need to reboot simply because they say so"

Not often, but depending on the server setup some patches have created instability if the server is not rebooted, though your server slow down is likely cause by other reasons.

"will involve 'considerable effort and expense'"
Depends on how much effort the tech exerts walking over to the server, or how much effort he expands at his keyboard, on his PC, to RDP to you server..perhaps he weighs 750 pounds, can't walk, and/or can barely move his fingers to type a user name and password to login and restart your server. Guess it could be expensive if this is the case, likely he is just a super lazy F.


........................................
Chernobyl disaster..a must see pictorial

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/default.htm

 

[SteveRoadWarrior]

I thought I'd heard it all. Wow.

Citrix (terminal server) admins reboot their servers so regularly that Citrix includes a function to allow it to happen on schedule, with sufficient warning to users. It is considered standard practice because of the wide variety of poorly written applications they're forced to run.

Out of curiosity, when is the last time they ran a Disaster Recovery drill? If the system is too costly to reboot, then they'll be out of business by the time it gets rebuilt.

 

[cmeagan656]

On any server or desktop I reboot after installation of or updates to the o/s or software whether the server asks for the reboot or not. I do it because that way, if I have problems later on, I have a starting point to troubleshoot from.

You definitely should reboot if the server is asking for a reboot.

I've done a complete system hard boot (modem, firewall, DC, exchange server, file/print server, and file server) in under 20 minutes. A single server shouldn't take any more than 10 minutes for a reboot. Even if it means downtime for the staff you're looking at 15 minutes max. I schedule any software installation, updates, or server reboots for when most staff normally take their lunch. I've been doing it this way for over 6 years and haven't once had a complaint from management or staff.

Cheers.