SAN Solutions query

Dear all,

I have a basic network business setup comprising of five laptops and
workstations running either Windows XP and Vista.

It is now becoming apparent that storing files on the local machines is
dangerous for us and we do not have any backup facility.

Thus I have now started to look at SAN/NAS solutions to ensure that we can
access all our files in a single location. Furthermore, we need a facility
whereby we can VPN into the office and access our files remotely.

I have looked at the Seagate Mirra solution and it looks good on paper. The
only concern, is that this is not a SAN solution but a synchronisation
facility. The only good part is that it runs on Linux so you know its never
going to crash (sorry MS).

Anyone got any suggestions or recommendations on this?

Cheers
Paul.

Paul King <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> I have a basic network business setup comprising of five laptops and
> workstations running either Windows XP and Vista.
>
> It is now becoming apparent that storing files on the local machines
> is dangerous for us and we do not have any backup facility.

Yes, it's very good to be worried about that sort of thing - before
something bad happens.
>
> Thus I have now started to look at SAN/NAS solutions to ensure that
> we can access all our files in a single location.

Since you're using a small workgroup now, I'd suggest something like SBS2003
for you - just make sure to get a good-quality box with sufficient disk
space to store all your data (and a UPS, centralized AV, and a good
firewall, of course - those are a must regardless in my book). Even with
five computers, a domain is so much easier to manage -and you'll get remote
access built in, monitoring tools you don't get in the enterprise products,
and Exchange, to boot.

> Furthermore, we
> need a facility whereby we can VPN into the office and access our
> files remotely.

VPN for file access is not always optimal - opening files across a slow WAN
connection is not a reliable thing in general. Syncing them to a local
folder is a better option - or Terminal Services, which is the best possible
thing from a performance standpoint (if you use SBS you get Remote Web
Workplace, which lets you connect in either to a TS box or to a WinXP Pro
workstation, among other things).

>
> I have looked at the Seagate Mirra solution and it looks good on
> paper. The only concern, is that this is not a SAN solution but a
> synchronisation facility. The only good part is that it runs on
> Linux so you know its never going to crash (sorry MS).

<snort> That's silly. Of course it can crash. Despite rumors to the
contrary, Linux doesn't cure malaria, you know. The bottom line is that any
system's reliability depends on the skills of the people who set up and
maintain it. I support dozens of Windows servers in my clients' offices and
they generaly go down only if there's a hardware problem - and that's very
rare.

If you don't want to go with the SBS option, I'd say that in your situation,
a simple NAS box would suffice - as long as you can back it up. You can
configure VPN through your firewall/router - it isn't related to your
storage. Check out Dell's NAS options. Get hardware RAID.


>
> Anyone got any suggestions or recommendations on this?

>
> Cheers
> Paul.

Cheers,

I just knew you were going to say SBS2003... I don't want to go down this
route just yet as I won't use the Exchange and SQL offerings... I guess
what Im wanting is a small NAS solution that can backup automatically.

I too have experience on customer sites and raid etc, and all I can say is
that in the real world of SME's, they don't worry about virus protection and
backups until its too late. Thus a small compact NAS solution would be
ideal for this type of market.

Regards
Paul.
"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
<(E-Mail Removed) hoo.com> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Paul King <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> Dear all,
>>
>> I have a basic network business setup comprising of five laptops and
>> workstations running either Windows XP and Vista.
>>
>> It is now becoming apparent that storing files on the local machines
>> is dangerous for us and we do not have any backup facility.
>
> Yes, it's very good to be worried about that sort of thing - before
> something bad happens.
>>
>> Thus I have now started to look at SAN/NAS solutions to ensure that
>> we can access all our files in a single location.
>
> Since you're using a small workgroup now, I'd suggest something like
> SBS2003 for you - just make sure to get a good-quality box with
> sufficient disk space to store all your data (and a UPS, centralized AV,
> and a good firewall, of course - those are a must regardless in my book).
> Even with five computers, a domain is so much easier to manage -and you'll
> get remote access built in, monitoring tools you don't get in the
> enterprise products, and Exchange, to boot.
>
>> Furthermore, we
>> need a facility whereby we can VPN into the office and access our
>> files remotely.
>
> VPN for file access is not always optimal - opening files across a slow
> WAN connection is not a reliable thing in general. Syncing them to a local
> folder is a better option - or Terminal Services, which is the best
> possible thing from a performance standpoint (if you use SBS you get
> Remote Web Workplace, which lets you connect in either to a TS box or to a
> WinXP Pro workstation, among other things).
>
>>
>> I have looked at the Seagate Mirra solution and it looks good on
>> paper. The only concern, is that this is not a SAN solution but a
>> synchronisation facility. The only good part is that it runs on
>> Linux so you know its never going to crash (sorry MS).
>
> <snort> That's silly. Of course it can crash. Despite rumors to the
> contrary, Linux doesn't cure malaria, you know. The bottom line is that
> any system's reliability depends on the skills of the people who set up
> and maintain it. I support dozens of Windows servers in my clients'
> offices and they generaly go down only if there's a hardware problem - and
> that's very rare.
>
> If you don't want to go with the SBS option, I'd say that in your
> situation, a simple NAS box would suffice - as long as you can back it up.
> You can configure VPN through your firewall/router - it isn't related to
> your storage. Check out Dell's NAS options. Get hardware RAID.
>
>
>>
>> Anyone got any suggestions or recommendations on this?
>
>>
>> Cheers
>> Paul.
>
>
>

Paul King <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Cheers,
>
> I just knew you were going to say SBS2003...

Hah! OK, smart guy - then maybe you can tell me where my DVD remote control
is? I haven't seen it for a week.

> I don't want to go down
> this route just yet as I won't use the Exchange and SQL offerings...

If you get Standard, there's no SQL in SBS. And you don't have to use
Exchange - it's still an excellent price for W2003 server w/AD, and is very
easy to set up even if one is an utter newbie with that stuff. (admittedly,
I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want Exchange - my bias shows there).

> I guess what Im wanting is a small NAS solution that can backup
> automatically.

Sure, but to what? You need offsite storage - so it should have the option
for USB hard drives, which you can swap out.
Without AD, you won't be able to use folder redirection, so you'll have to
do the config/settings manually on the workstations to make sure they are
not storing anything locally that could be stored on the network drive.
>
> I too have experience on customer sites and raid etc, and all I can
> say is that in the real world of SME's, they don't worry about virus
> protection and backups until its too late. Thus a small compact NAS
> solution would be ideal for this type of market.

I don't know what an SME is (too many TLAs out there) - but my advice to
small businesses is that they buy the same stuff large businesses do, as
their data is equally important to them. They just don't have to buy exactly
the same type, or amount.

There are plenty of NAS products out there - check Dell & HP's websites for
various options. If you want Windows, but don't want SBS, there's Windows
Storage Server, which is *just* for file/print. Or there's Linux - you could
use Samba.

I just don't like supporting workgroups, even if they're as small as yours.
They're a pain in the ___. I like centralized admin, security, and remote
access for both users & tech support - and VPN alone is not very useful to
most people.

Just my $.02. :-)

>
> Regards
> Paul.
> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
> <(E-Mail Removed) hoo.com> wrote in
> message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Paul King <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>> Dear all,
>>>
>>> I have a basic network business setup comprising of five laptops and
>>> workstations running either Windows XP and Vista.
>>>
>>> It is now becoming apparent that storing files on the local machines
>>> is dangerous for us and we do not have any backup facility.
>>
>> Yes, it's very good to be worried about that sort of thing - before
>> something bad happens.
>>>
>>> Thus I have now started to look at SAN/NAS solutions to ensure that
>>> we can access all our files in a single location.
>>
>> Since you're using a small workgroup now, I'd suggest something like
>> SBS2003 for you - just make sure to get a good-quality box with
>> sufficient disk space to store all your data (and a UPS, centralized
>> AV, and a good firewall, of course - those are a must regardless in
>> my book). Even with five computers, a domain is so much easier to
>> manage -and you'll get remote access built in, monitoring tools you
>> don't get in the enterprise products, and Exchange, to boot.
>>
>>> Furthermore, we
>>> need a facility whereby we can VPN into the office and access our
>>> files remotely.
>>
>> VPN for file access is not always optimal - opening files across a
>> slow WAN connection is not a reliable thing in general. Syncing them
>> to a local folder is a better option - or Terminal Services, which
>> is the best possible thing from a performance standpoint (if you use
>> SBS you get Remote Web Workplace, which lets you connect in either
>> to a TS box or to a WinXP Pro workstation, among other things).
>>
>>>
>>> I have looked at the Seagate Mirra solution and it looks good on
>>> paper. The only concern, is that this is not a SAN solution but a
>>> synchronisation facility. The only good part is that it runs on
>>> Linux so you know its never going to crash (sorry MS).
>>
>> <snort> That's silly. Of course it can crash. Despite rumors to the
>> contrary, Linux doesn't cure malaria, you know. The bottom line is
>> that any system's reliability depends on the skills of the people
>> who set up and maintain it. I support dozens of Windows servers in
>> my clients' offices and they generaly go down only if there's a
>> hardware problem - and that's very rare.
>>
>> If you don't want to go with the SBS option, I'd say that in your
>> situation, a simple NAS box would suffice - as long as you can back
>> it up. You can configure VPN through your firewall/router - it isn't
>> related to your storage. Check out Dell's NAS options. Get hardware
>> RAID.
>>>
>>> Anyone got any suggestions or recommendations on this?
>>
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>> Paul.

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
<(E-Mail Removed) hoo.com> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Paul King <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> Cheers,
>>
>> I just knew you were going to say SBS2003...
>
> Hah! OK, smart guy - then maybe you can tell me where my DVD remote
> control is? I haven't seen it for a week.

Where the dog sleeps,...under the cussion. There's a few teeth marks but it
still may work if you tape the battery back in.

--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------

Phillip Windell <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
> <(E-Mail Removed) hoo.com> wrote in
> message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Paul King <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> I just knew you were going to say SBS2003...
>>
>> Hah! OK, smart guy - then maybe you can tell me where my DVD remote
>> control is? I haven't seen it for a week.
>
> Where the dog sleeps,...under the cussion. There's a few teeth marks
> but it still may work if you tape the battery back in.

Gracias. ;-)

Thanks chaps for your devine words of wisdom. Hey maybe you can solve
global warming to?

Im a hugh fan of Exchange. Hell, I run this myself on my Windows 2003 box
and think its a great piece of software, yet the administration burden would
outweigh this small business setup.

Thus I found the ideal product for them. Its called a Ethernet Disk Raid
solution by Lacie. Check it out...

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=10876

The only thing im trying to find out is wether I can set this thing up to
use my Exchange SMTP server to generate the event notification emails?
Considering this would be in a seperate location, my guessing is not????

Regards
Paul.

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
<(E-Mail Removed) hoo.com> wrote in message
news:%23$6Wv$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Phillip Windell <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
>> <(E-Mail Removed) hoo.com> wrote in
>> message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> Paul King <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>>> Cheers,
>>>>
>>>> I just knew you were going to say SBS2003...
>>>
>>> Hah! OK, smart guy - then maybe you can tell me where my DVD remote
>>> control is? I haven't seen it for a week.
>>
>> Where the dog sleeps,...under the cussion. There's a few teeth marks
>> but it still may work if you tape the battery back in.
>
> Gracias. ;-)
>

Paul King <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Thanks chaps for your devine words of wisdom. Hey maybe you can solve
> global warming to?
>
> Im a hugh fan of Exchange. Hell, I run this myself on my Windows
> 2003 box and think its a great piece of software, yet the
> administration burden would outweigh this small business setup.

What administration burden? It's far easier to administer a
properly-configured Exchange environment than it is to manage Internet mail
& local mail storage on workstations. Have you ever worked with SBS? I
suspect not - it's really kind of a no-brainer if you follow the setup steps
& wizards fully.


>
> Thus I found the ideal product for them. Its called a Ethernet Disk
> Raid solution by Lacie. Check it out...
>
> http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=10876

I'm generally not a big fan of LaCie unless it's their Mac-specific stuff.

>
> The only thing im trying to find out is wether I can set this thing
> up to use my Exchange SMTP server to generate the event notification
> emails? Considering this would be in a seperate location, my guessing
> is not????

No, likely not.
>
> Regards
> Paul.
>
> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
> <(E-Mail Removed) hoo.com> wrote in
> message news:%23$6Wv$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Phillip Windell <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
>>> <(E-Mail Removed) hoo.com> wrote in
>>> message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>> Paul King <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>
>>>>> I just knew you were going to say SBS2003...
>>>>
>>>> Hah! OK, smart guy - then maybe you can tell me where my DVD remote
>>>> control is? I haven't seen it for a week.
>>>
>>> Where the dog sleeps,...under the cussion. There's a few teeth
>>> marks but it still may work if you tape the battery back in.
>>
>> Gracias. ;-)

"Paul King" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Thanks chaps for your devine words of wisdom. Hey maybe you can solve
> global warming to?

There is no such thing as global warming. It's "junk science",...it's just
"pop culture" beliefs of modern scientists kinda like way back when *every*
living scientist of the day (except Galileo) believed the earth was flat.
Of course they killed Galileo for saying the earth was round.

There, ...Problem solved.

Sorry for the breif OT, and I don't want to carry it any futher,...but I
just couldn't resist that one.


--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------