Xactimate 25 install on SBS 2003 R2 Premium

[lanrat]

Hi,

If this subject is in the wrong forum could somebody please point me to the correct one

I am trying to determine if anyone has any experience with installing/running Xactimate 24 or 25 on a SBS 2003 R2 Premium box (which comes with SQL 2005 Workgroup Edition). As a SBS *and* SQL newbie I desperately need to ensure they are compatible and get some advice on the setup and gotchas.

Thanks

 

[TechSoEasyMVP]

I don't have any direct experience with Xactimate, but plenty with SBS, and after looking at the Xactware site I don't see why they wouldn't be compatible. You can easily test it though by doing a test installation, and if you haven't set up an SBS before, you really need to do that a few times before deploying one in a working environment anyhow. (see

http://sbsurl.com/3x

for details about this).

One area of concern would be the system's resources. You don't mention how many users you will have, but I generally would put a Line of Business application on a separate machine if you have more than 25 workstations on the LAN. Otherwise, you should definitely get a server that's capable, which means getting a server that has at least a dual core Xeon processor, 4GB of RAM, and fast hard drives with plenty of storage.

You also want to be sure that your Anti-Virus program is made specifically for SBS, such as Trend Micro's Client/Server/Messaging Security for SMB and that the SQL databases are excluded from standard scanning.



Jeffrey B. Kane [MVP - Small Business Server]
TechSoEasy

http://www.techsoeasy.com

Blog:

http://techsoeasy.spaces.live.com

 

[lanrat]

Hey Jeffry,

Thanks for the input. I have had the SBS box (Dell PE840, Dual core Xeon & 2Gb RAM)in service for the past 9 months or so acting purely as the domain controller/exchange server (although SQL is installed) for 10 users. AV is actually Trend Micro's Client/Server/Messaging Security for SMB. :^) Only 3 of the users will be accessing the SQL Server part of the install for the foreseeable future.

I have been using a separate desktop machine as the Xactimate server using a MDSE SQL 200 install (as per their std install practice) but need to upgrade to the next ver up and plan to migrate to the SBS box at the same time to make use of its more suitable configuration and processing power. Thanks again!

 

[TechSoEasyMVP]

For those amount of users it sounds fine. You may want to add the extra 2GB of RAM to the server, especially since RAM is so cheap these days.

Just be sure to fully back up the server before installing it. The best way to do that would be to use an imaging backup such as Acronis True Image Echo for Windows Server, because that way you can restore in just a matter of minutes should something not go well with your migration of Xactimate.



Jeffrey B. Kane [MVP - Small Business Server]
TechSoEasy

http://www.techsoeasy.com

Blog:

http://techsoeasy.spaces.live.com

 

[lanrat]

Yep, the RAM sounds like a good idea - I'll look into it.

Interesting you mention Acronis - I've been meaning to run a test bkup on the server using the version you mention but after I purchased (and have had problems creating a recovery CD) the Workstation ver I've been a little leary.

I assume you use/have used True Image Echo for Windows Server - have you ever used it to do a bare-metal restore/recovery and if so - on what hardware?

 

[TechSoEasyMVP]

I have no problems with the Server Version, I don't really use the workstation one. But you can download a fully functional trial version to test it out.

I have used the Universal Restore feature and it works just fine... as long as you prepare the boot disk before attempting any migration (or before any disaster/server failure). It especially works well to restore to a virtual machine which is the fastest way to get back up and running.



Jeffrey B. Kane [MVP - Small Business Server]
TechSoEasy

http://www.techsoeasy.com

Blog:

http://techsoeasy.spaces.live.com

 

[tschwebel]

I am curious to know if your update went as planned. I will be doing an upgrade from xactimate 24 to 25 tomorrow for a client on sbs 2003 standard.

 

[lanrat]

Good to know there is someone else out there supporting this s/w on an SBS box albeit "std" vs the "Premium" I just did :^)

Since you're doing this on a "SBS 2k3 Standard" you should not have any problems. Once you click the install btn
the CD will automatically install SQL 2005 Express after .NET 3.0 - creating the appropriate instances etc. Note: This is *NOT* quick....

Once that is done - the procedure for setting up the "Network Only" install on a Workstation is pretty much the same as it was with Ver24.

The only caveat to remember is when mapping the shared (Server) data folder on the workstation make sure you set the "Share Permissions" to "FULL" for your Users Group inaddition to the std folder permissions or you'll have problems.

I had to jump through a few hoops that added just over an hour to the process because it was trying to superimpose some SQL Express stuff over top of my SQL Workgroup (SBS 2k3 Premium).

If you/your client have access to the xactware e-support helpdesk you'll find them very helpful should you have problems.

Please let me know you it goes - I'd be happy to provide more detail if you need/want it. Have fun

PS My "old v24" install was on a WORKSTATION" before - so I did this as "new" install after I performed the recommended "Data Transfer Backup" to a folder on my Server then removed that workstation from the network. I then retrieved the data within V25 afterwards.