Windows Duality 1

[iolair]

Just checking to make sure I've got things right. On a Windows server, you can have either local users, or domain users? (Workgroup or AD)

In Active Directory, you can have a user policy and/or a computer policy? And those policies can be at the global level, domain level, and OU level? And you can have two conflicting settings, and the last one applied is the one that wins?

You can run two name services? (WINS and DNS)

Does anyone know why Microsoft did this? Backward compatibility? Will Windows Servers get more complex to administer, or will they someday get easier to admin?

Thanks.



Iolair MacWalter
Director of IT

 

[Zelandakh]

All is correct except:
Conflicting - most restrictive wins.

Why did Microsoft do what? Allow you to implement WINS and DNS on the same box? Same reason they also let you have DHCP on the same box.

Ford put air conditioning AND fans in their cars.

Servers do more now than they ever did but they also have greater facility to fix themselves or notify us of problems. Administration will remain a requirement but I think uptime will be far less of a problem.

 

[TheLad]

Yes we can't have them servers staying up for too long can we

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"Insert funny comment in here!"
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[iolair]

Thanks for the answers. How many services should I typically run on a Windows Server? I've got 56 users.

I use AD, DNS, DHCP, File, Print, Anti-Virus, and Backup now. I have three servers. Is that enough? Can it all be done on one larger server?

Iolair MacWalter
Director of IT

 

[technome]

Can it all be done on one larger server?"

With 56 users AD, DNS, DHCP will have a minuscule load on a server. File services, minuscule in itself as a service, I/O from the users using, not very taxing generally with the number of users you have. Anti virus, minimal if setup properly, with file and folder exclusions. Since backups are done off hours generally, the backup program running resident will have minimal effect. Print services, depends, but again you do not have hundreds of users.

To give you an idea what I run on a server...
At a number of clients I have equivalents of a Dell 2900III, 3.0 Dual or quad processors, 4-20 Gig ram, hardware raid, most with SAS drive raids, couple with SATA drives... general raid 1 for the OS and raid 5 for data (=>4 drives).

These server are AD FSMOs... they run, give or take a few services/roles/programs..
DNS,DHCP,WINS,File Services,SQL 2000 or 2005, Great Plains Dynamics and or another SQL based program, BackupExec, Symantec CE, TS Admin mode, Diskeeper or PerfectDisk, Diskeeper's Undelete, Raid management software,Adobe reader, MS Word/Excel (sometimes) and few anti malware programs resident. For most of the printing, I try to setup printing directly to the printers, without using the server,if possible. All these servers fly, no performance or reliability issues on networks generally under 75 users.
Mind you for performance reasons, to me this is about the limit as far as loading a server. Each of these server could handle more of a load, but I want speed and reliability. The more resident programs you add to a single server the more chance of issues. Yes, you can run the above on lesser servers, most of my clients have been upgrade in the last couple years. Basically the same setups ran fine on single core 2.6 to 3.0 Ghz processor servers.

"Does anyone know why Microsoft did this? Backward compatibility?"
referring to WINS, yes, to run old programs you may need WINS, you may not.

"Will Windows Servers get more complex to administer, or will they someday get easier to admin?"
For a small network, once you get use to it, AD is not all that difficult. For now, as advice, if you do not understand a role/function/GPO change, go REALLY slow in making changes and document your changes.
Do you really think a bureaucracy such as Microsoft will really make it easier? Like you I also have dreams, as I am still waiting for them to fix issues with Windows server since "Windows for WorkGroups" appeared..there is nothing wrong with dreams.


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

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

 

[technome]

Forgot, since you have other servers, you might as well, divide the load a bit, such as placing the anti virus network install on one of those. Keep programs such as old data bases/little used programs on the old servers.


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

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

 

[Zelandakh]

If you have 3 servers then you've done well. You could do everything on 1 - I have done so in several places. Since you have 3, ensure that 2 of them are domain controllers just in case.

 

[pagy]

Just some reading for configuring AV on domain controllers;

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822158

Paul
MCSE 2003
MCSA 2003
MCITP Enterprise Administrator

If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?
Scott Adams

 

[technome]

Thanks Paul, but I was giving him some homework to do...BS, actually I was to lazy to lookup the link.


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

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

 

[iolair]

Thanks! A bunch! This helps me enormously. Thanks!!!!

Iolair MacWalter
Director of IT

 

[technome]

IOlair..
Excellent book by Mark Minasi for AD and network admin
"Mastering Windows Server 2003" Sybex. Not only is this guy extremely knowledgable, he can write so humans can understand. Book is also thick enough to stop spears and bullets incase your attacked by network users.

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

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

 

[iolair]

technome - thanks. Just bought the "book". It is huge. I can see how it would stop spears and bullets. Looks like some good reading.

Iolair MacWalter
Director of IT

 

[technome]

Unlike MS Press, the is no nonsense/propaganda/fluff in his books. Mark, and his writing crew are reality based.
Remember to run DcDiag.exe and NetDiag.exe with the /v switch after you setup the DCs. Reboot the DCs and wait 24 hours before taking all errors which come up as gospel.
Good luck, remember to tread carefully making changes.



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

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