Re: [NTSysADM] Server build recommendation

Fri, 26 Jan 2018 12:44:43 -0800

What he said.

It gives you lots more options going forward.


On 1/26/2018 12:32 PM, Michael B. Smith wrote:

And to clear this up a little for Kurt…

 

Essentials is available as a Windows Role and as a separate SKU.

 

The separate SKU has built-in limitations as to what it can do (and is cheaper because of that).

 

Most of those limitations do not apply to the Windows Role.

 

So buy Windows Standard. Put it on the Hyper-V host. Create a VM. Install Windows Standard with the Essentials Role for that VM. You can still add another Windows Server Standard VM if you want (this is all based on licensing – nothing is built into Windows to enforce licensing). And you can install your client VM, but you do need a separate license for that. To be legal. But Windows Standard doesn’t care.

 

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Susan Bradley
Sent: Friday, January 26, 2018 3:17 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [NTSysADM] Server build recommendation

 

My apologies I was thinking normal server, not Essentials.  I'd recommend normal Server because Essentials can't be a HyperV host.  Essentials has a funky virtualization eula/rights that it can hyperv but only itself and then it's only useful for Azure backup.

Windows 10 - you now need a SA/VL license to have it be headless.

SMB licensing isn't a cheap as it once was IMHO.

I honestly would bump the budget up to normal server, that gives you 2 server in 1 hyperV host.  You can still set up the Essentials role for easy remote access for people.

 

On 1/26/2018 11:55 AM, Brian Desmond wrote:

Pretty much.
 
I believe Essentials has the same license grant as standard (one guest server VM) but I wouldn't quote myself on that. You'd have to license additional VMs beyond that.
 
Thanks,
Brian
 
 
Thanks,
Brian Desmond
 
w – 312.625.1438 | c – 312.731.3132
 
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Kurt Buff
Sent: Friday, January 26, 2018 1:21 PM
To: ntsysadm <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [NTSysADM] Server build recommendation
 
I've never played with Windows Essentials, and have very little experience with Hyper-V, so I'll need to do some more reading.
 
Let me parrot back to you, to make sure I understood what you said.
 
I can set up the new machine with Windows Essentials as a Hyper-V host, and use that, with the same media and license, to run a VM that will be the DC.
 
Is that correct?
 
If it is, could I also stand up a Win10 VM (with its own license, of course), and use that to run their property management software?
 
How many VMs does a license for Windows Essentials support? I don't see a need for more than two at this point, and the hardware will certainly support their needs, but I want to get myself educated before I go in there and make a mess.
 
Kurt
 
On Fri, Jan 26, 2018 at 7:57 AM, Susan Bradley <[email protected]> wrote:
In SMB space I don't see VMware as the virtualization platform of 
choice. I see HyperV, not to mention in a single host, you either go 
with what we used to do:  Host is not domain joined, hanging off the 
dhcp/dns of the firewall with static entries.  Or what you can do what 
we do now in the 2012 R2 and later era which is domain join the host 
to the DC-VM and it doesn't freak out and boots just fine without DCHP/DNS.
 
I wouldn't use VMware.  I would do HyperV, and I would make these VMs. 
You never know even in SMB when you have a need for a virtual machine 
to stand up and test something, or a need for another server to put 
the application on.
 
 
On 1/25/2018 8:29 PM, Kurt Buff wrote:
 
VMware really wants a DNS server at boot time. If your DNS server is a 
VM on that host, it isn't there for VMware.
 
This is a problem, to say the least.
 
It's really the only reason why I have a DC on it's own physical host 
in my server room.
 
Kurt
 
On Thu, Jan 25, 2018 at 7:36 PM, Susan Bradley <[email protected]> wrote:
 
Why two hosts?
 
 
 
 
On 1/25/2018 7:09 PM, Kurt Buff wrote:
 
I had further discussion with them today.
 
The LOB is Timberline property management software, and they're 
adamant about keeping it in-house. They were also set on Dell, so we 
finally settled on a Dell T430, with an H330 RAID card, and two 1tb 
NLSAS drives, and 16gb RAM. The Windows Essentials will come from 
Amazon for a lot less than what Dell was charging - and they weren't 
bundling Essentials with this machine anyway.
 
They have moved their email to gmail (which was news to me - last I 
had heard from them they were still using their SBS 2003 Exchange).
 
They also wanted to keep their RD1000 unit for backups, which seemed 
pretty reasonable - actually, they'll be getting a new RD1000 bundled 
into the new machine, and probably keep the old one for an emergency 
spare.
 
I'm going to turn that server into a combined AD/DNS/DHCP and file 
server, and  I think I can convince them to keep their Timberline 
software on a domain-joined Win10 machine - I just gives me the 
shivers to install third party software on a DC.
 
I didn't save them much on pricing (maybe $100-200), but I think I got 
them a much better machine.
 
And, as a followup, once they have ordered it and it's in house, I'll 
be waling through their guy on setting it all up.
 
If I could, I'd virtualize it all, but doing that right would involve 
two hosts, and more servers than they need, I think that it's pretty 
good the way we went.
 
Kurt
 
On Thu, Jan 25, 2018 at 9:11 AM, Susan E Bradley, CPA/CITP/CFF, GSEC 
<[email protected]> wrote:
 
What LOB needs do they have?  What storage?
 
Premise peeps:  The Gen 10 Microserver doesn't have the fans it once 
had, my peeps are recommending HP ML110e
 
Cloud peeps:  Do they really need a server or a rethinking of what 
they do needs to be done and office 365/mapped drive to Sharefile or 
Google drive would be a better plan going forward.  What LOB is 
keeping the need for the on premise server?
 
These days, check that chip to see if it will get a spectre/meltdown 
patch.
 
 
On 1/25/2018 8:18 AM, Rick Berry wrote:
 
I'd suggest the consideration of something aftermarket as an option 
for them (since you said the words 'property management company' and 
having supported a few of those in the past I'll make crass 
generalizations about budget
limitations/thriftiness)
 
www.buysellservers.com  ... you can go build a 1U dell for instance 
with what you want in it (like a real RAID card) and also still get a 
drac/warranty/etc at aftermarket prices.
 
We normally do new ourselves, but I'm also not against getting the 
occasional 1U 'a few years old but with a fresh warranty' dell for 
swiss-army-knife server basic stuff like a dc/dns/ad/dhcp box.
 
So sometimes we'll grab something like an R420 poweredge and put a 
RAID card in it/drac it and even ESXi it to internal USB bootable for 
a few grand less than new (but still with new hd's)
 
Just throwing it out there, I know folks sometimes cringe at the 'used'
market but in certain situations it works.
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of Kurt Buff
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2018 6:46 PM
To: ntsysadm <[email protected]>
Subject: [NTSysADM] Server build recommendation
 
The owner of a small 5-6 person property management company has 
approached me to help acquire a new server. They're currently running 
a 10+yo machine with SBS 2003, and wish to replace it.
 
They've migrated their email to gmail, so don't need exchange, but do 
want a DC for account management, DHCP/DNS, etc., so they're looking 
to go with Server Essentials.
 
The fellow he's nominated at his firm to be their sysadmin is quite 
green, and got a quote from Dell for a tower box with a software RAID 
card, and I told them to hold off on that purchase, while I look at 
alternatives.
 
I was leaning toward an HP Microserver, but haven't played with one in 
years, and it looks like the current generation is using an AMD 
processor, and doesn't come with a RAID card to support RAID1.
 
Anyone have a recommendation they can make regarding hardware?
 
Kurt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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