Help with Software/Hardware decision....

Hello,

I need some advice on what software should go where on my hardware. Here is
what I have:

Hardware:

Servers: #1 – Poweredge 2600 – (MOST POWERFULL) 3.0 GHZ Xeon, 1GB RAM,
redundant power supply, Raid 5 w/3 36GB U320 SCSI 10K drives, DLT tape drive
40/80 GB.

Servers #2, 3, & 4 – Poweredge 500SC – 1.13 GHZ Pent 3, 1.25 GB RAM (or
less), RAID 1 (basic 2 drive duplex) w/2 18 GB SCSI 10K drives, DDS4 tape
drive (20/40GB)

Now for the software: MS 2003 server OS’s, SQL 2000 server, Terminal
Server, Exchange Server 2003, MS Office and other apps to run on terminal
server.

MY CURRENT SETUP:
4 total offices, 10 users local to servers, 18-20 users (in 3 branches)
connect to TERMINAL SERVER via DSL/VPN connections to run company database
application using SQL 2000 server, MS Office, Outlook etc. The 3 branches do
not have local servers and will not. (I don’t want to travel to administer,
=) )

On Power edge 2600: – MS 2003 server, & MS SQL 2000. Roles configured as
DOMAIN CONTROLER, DHCP(not used), DNS(not setup correctly), & FILE SERVER (to
store user files, profiles, etc).

On Poweredge 500SC - MS 2003 server with TERMINAL SERVICES, Company SQL
application, MS office, Outlook, crystal reports, etc.

On Poweredge 500SC – Exchange 2003 server (not yet set up on LAN)

On Poweredge 500SC – Not currently used.


My question is, Based on hardware POWER, backup and redundancy, number of
users, ROLES, apps etc, where should I put what????

I ran tests with MOST users running ONLY the company SQL app on my current
setup. The Terminal Server did ok (only high >%75 utilization when users all
logged in at the same time or performed BIG data tasks ABNORMAL for regular
usage at one time) With normal use, < 40% processor utilization. RAM was
OK.

Based on number of users (about 30 total) and MS Terminal Server guidelines
of usage (standard users, power users etc), I figured my 500 SC would
accommodate running all my apps without problem based on number of users.
(MS test said I could run 100 users with my setup)

I figured my SQL server was best on the most powerful server so processing
data is super fast. Note the 2600 with SQL 2000, DC, etc, hardly even winks
when the users were accessing the company SQL app.

Does this setup best utilize my hardware/software relationship? If not,
what is best?

I was going to take my unused 500SC and LOAD BALANCE it to the one running
now to take some load off. (not a true cluster as I cannot afford enterprise
additions of all MS products, **thanks for thinking of the little guys MS, we
need availability too ya know**)

But, I have been told to NOT run SQL 2000 and a DOMAIN CONTROLLER on the
same server. Is this really warranted? My current setup hardly even takes a
hit, but I have not FULLY tested it yet either.

Should maybe my TERMINAL SERVER be on the 2600, and I use the 500SC’s for
stand alone SQL server, DOMAIN CONTROLLER, & Exchange Server? I kind of like
having the unused Server to act as a backup, just in case one of the other 2
500SC’s would fail. Besides, the 2600 is like a fortress, with power
redundancy, etc.

My concern is backup as well; I’d like to pack ALL IMPORTANT STUFF on one
tape if possible so I don’t have to manage3- 4 Tape drives.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I’m an old Netware guy and
had to move over to MS, so I’m lacking on some knowledge.

Thanks much,

Mark

It doesn't matter how you'd distribute the software over this powerfull
hardware having 30 users. You can put everything on PE 2600 if 72GB is
enough and imagine it's a Small Business Server.

SQL server on DC question has two aspects such as performance and security.
If you have enough network bandwidth, memory, and spare processors, using
the computer running SQL Server as a domain controller will work (and it
does work). But the processing could be a lot of work, depending on the size
of your domain. If you expect SQL Server to be busy, do not run any other
service with it. This recommendation originates from NT4 and 386 computers.
MSSQLServer service must run within the security context of an NT account.
This configuration lets users assign permissions and rights to a service by
assigning those permissions and rights to the underlying NT account. You
have two account choices: You can run a service as LocalSystem, which is an
administrator account with powerful rights and privileges, or you can run a
service as normal, which is an account with the rights of an ordinary system
user. By default, the setup program installs MSSQLServer to run as a
LocalSystem account, giving users powerful rights and privileges.
You can avoid these security holes (even if you install SQL Server on a
domain controller) by running MSSQLServer under an account other than
LocalSystem and without domain administrator privileges. However, to contain
potential security problems and not degrade performance, your best option is
to put SQL Server on a member server rather than a domain controller.

You should have minimum 2 DC. Think about USB drives as the backup devices
instead of tape for full backups at least.

P.S. Terminal Services clients, branch servers, and unwillingness to travel
aren't relevant