Windows Server 2008 R2 w/ SQL Server 2008

[sandreason]

I am involved in a startup and we need to make a decision about servers. One of my colleauges is pro Windows 2008 but I really don't know a lot about it. My server experience is limited to Unix.

Can anyone tell me what challenges will the Intel Xeon 7500 series together with Windows Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2008 R2 help address over Unix?

 

[kmcferrin]

The way that I look at it, Unix and Windows are both screwdrivers. One is phillips head, the other is a flat head. They do essentially the same thing in a slightly different way. When I have customers trying to make a platform decision I tell them that they're looking at the wrong thing. You do not determine a platform for your company's computing needs and then select applications for it. You decide what kind of functionality you need, then find the applications that best fit your need, and then you run the platform that they are supported on.

Depending on what you need to run there are advantages and disadvantages to every platform. Not being a Unix guru I couldn't tell you about everything. What I can tell you is that generally it is much less expensive to run Windows on commodity server hardware than it is to run one of the commercial Unix flavors. And that's just hardware and software licensing costs. Unix engineers and administrators are also a little harder to come by, and because they are viewed as being more niche they also tend to be better compensated than an engineer or admin on the Windows side. So your staffing costs would potentially be higher. Finally, because those skillsets are less common, finding qualified staffers to manage Unix-based infrastructures can be more difficult.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCTS:Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Server Administrator
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator
Certified Quest vWorkspace Administrator

 

[Stevehewitt]

+1 with kmcferrin

If your talking FOSS Linux then the costs are pretty similar (although generally I still think that Windows is cheaper to run long term), however a HP-UX or AS/400 box will cost a lot more.

As said above, you have your business goals, then from that work out what apps will help drive to those goals the best. What platform do they support?

Take into account support costs (with vendor), community / free support, avaliablity of apps / tools for the platform, support lifecycle, cost of purchase, hardware costs specific to the platform, in-house knowledge and expertise etc.

If all is equal then cross your fingers, close your eyes and pick one.

Steve.

"They have the internet on computers now!" - Homer Simpson

 

[kmcferrin]

I forgot to mention...most companies eventually end up running Windows + Linux + Unix or some combination of the three precisely because they find that the apps that best suit their needs don't all run on the same platform. That certainly complicates things a bit, but it is by no means insurmountable.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCTS:Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Server Administrator
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator
Certified Quest vWorkspace Administrator