Adding a second Win 2003 server

[Zucarita9000]

Hey everyone,

We currently have an HP ProLiant server with 25 CALs running Windows Small Business Server 2003. This server handles the domain, sharepoint, CRM database, financial stuff and acts as a file server.

Our engineering team, which consists of 8 engineers, wants to deploy Autodesk Data Management Server so they can use Vault in Inventor 2008. I read the deployment guide and Autodesk recommends running a separate server for Vault (which uses IIS btw)

So, I have two choices: Get a decent machine and install WinXP Pro and ADMS. Problem is, IIS under XP only allows a max. of 10 concurrent connections.

The other choice is getting another ProLiant server with Windows Server 2003. My questions regarding this particular choice are:

Do I need to purchase a CAL for each user that will connect to ADMS? Or will this second server just act as another machine and use a CAL from server 1?

I know that SMB 2003 has limitations, mainly that it cannot share its load nor allow a second server to run apps such as Exchange and so on. Will this apply in this scenario?

 

[earthman]

You can't run two SBS servers on the same logical network, but you can run a non-SBS server alongside it IF you disable DHCP. SBS will not function correctly if it detects another DHCP server.
The licensing issue is a gray area, I believe the licences are tied to the server they are deployed from, but I don't know for sure. Other computers can act as application servers within the SBS domain, even if they don't join it. It might be a matter of trial and error.

General rules:

Only 1 SBS Server on a network.
Only 1 Domain.
Only 1 Forest.
The SBS server must hold all the FISMO Roles.
The SBS Server must hold all the Server Applications included in the Suite.

 

[Zucarita9000]

I see, but what if I use Windows Server 2003 Standard in the second server, not SBS? Our DHCP server is a physical Cisco router, so the SBS is not acting as a DHCP server.
We have a single domain and forest.
Server no. 2 would join the domain controlled by server no. 1, as if it were a standard client. At least that's what I thought.

 

[earthman]

Based on my experience, that should work. I serviced a network with exactly that setup. There were two Windows 2003 servers joined to a SBS 2003 domain, to access files shared on the SBS server.

 

[Zucarita9000]

I've found this on MS website:

Extracted from http://www.microsoft.com/windo...aluation/topmyths.mspx

You can add additional servers to the Windows SBS domain. Windows SBS has the following design constraints:

There can be only one server in a domain running Windows SBS. However, there can be other Windows Servers in the domain and there can be other domain controllers in the domain.

You can add additional Windows Servers in the main office:

For line-of-business applications

The line-of-business application requires a dedicated server

Performance reasons

For domain controller redundancy

Adding additional Windows Servers in a remote office:

For domain controller redundancy

For faster authentication and resource location

You can have additional servers configured as Global Catalog servers

The server running Windows SBS must be the root of the Active Directory forest

You cannot create trust relationships with any other domains

The Windows SBS domain cannot have any child domains

All the flexible single master operations (FSMO) are restricted to running on the Windows SBS server.


Does ADMS count line-of-business application?

 

[owensdj]

Can you start a new domain using Win 2003 Server and then add the single SBS 2003 server?

 

[Zucarita9000]

Originally posted by: owensdj
Can you start a new domain using Win 2003 Server and then add the single SBS 2003 server?

And what would be the benefit? Sorry, I don't follow.

 

[DrGreen2007]

"Can you start a new domain using Win 2003 Server and then add the single SBS 2003 server?"

Why would he want to even think of doing that?


If you have an SBS2003 server with 25 CALS, you can add any amount of additional Windows 2000/2003/2008 servers to the domain, as long as the SBS2003 server holds the main active directory roles.

Your CAL's can be one of two types....USER or DEVICE

If you installed them as user type, I believe it covers the user being able to access other servers in the domain (because you have SBS CAL's not regular SERVER CAL's, SBS cals cost more)

 

[Zucarita9000]

Originally posted by: DrGreen2007
If you have an SBS2003 server with 25 CALS, you can add any amount of additional Windows 2000/2003/2008 servers to the domain, as long as the SBS2003 server holds the main active directory roles.

Your CAL's can be one of two types....USER or DEVICE

If you installed them as user type, I believe it covers the user being able to access other servers in the domain (because you have SBS CAL's not regular SERVER CAL's, SBS cals cost more)

That's exactly what I was thinking. The second server would use one of the 25 CALs registered on the main (SBS) server.