I have Acronis True Image but not Universal Restore and atm i can only restore to the same hardware. I backup everything but when disaster strikes what procedures should I do to quickly restore SBS?
REgards,
Ready1
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SBS 2003 Server Duplication
I am using SBS 2003 and i want to build an identical machine but different hardware settings so that if my main server falls over i can plug in the spare one while i repair the main server. Note that these 2 servers will be identical just not the hardware. Also I purchase the premium SBS 2003 and its not OEM, i also purchased the 40 CALS.
My questions are:
1. Can i activate the Temp Server without breaking the main server
2. If i dont activate it, can i activate it after the 30 day period.
3. Can i backup my license and restore it on my Temp Server if my Main Server dies
4. What licensing issues do i encounter
Regards,
REady1
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Answers
well, you have to consider what you mean by "when disaster strikes". Because if you're talking about a catastrophic loss like fire, then what is your plan for your workstations? What about remote users? There are lots of things to consider...
I'd suggest that you start by listening to a couple of SBS Show podcasts on the subject:
http://www.vladville.com/s
http://www.vladville.com/s
And viewing this PowerPoint presentation: http://www.sbsfaq.com/List
Then, perhaps you can use this tool to help you organize your priorities:
http://www.microsoft.com/s
Jeff
TechSoEasy
Check into StorageCraft: http://www.storagecraft.co
Gives you disk based images, with bare metal restore to different hardware with the click of a mouse.
Be up and running super quick, no fuss, no muss.
Philip
But back to my question will activating the temp server now or later impact the running of the production server:
1. Can i activate the Temp Server without breaking the main server
2. If i dont activate it, can i activate it after the 30 day period.
3. Can i backup my license and restore it on my Temp Server if my Main Server dies
4. What licensing issues do i encounter
Regards,
REady1
Why are you only looking at this as a licensing issue???? Because that is the very least of the issues.
But I'll answer your questions directly so you can see...
1. Can i activate the Temp Server without breaking the main server
Technically, NO. But legally? YES. You can only have one copy of your SBS OS installed and activated at any time.
2. If i dont activate it, can i activate it after the 30 day period.
Sure. The 30-day period is only for non-activated software. After 30 days, the software won't work until activated.
3. Can i backup my license and restore it on my Temp Server if my Main Server dies
CALs can be backed up, but not the overall license. However, there is generally no need because the SBS Backup will include your licenses in the System State portion of the nightly backup. However, you cannot restore this nightly backup to a server running on different hardware. If you review the backup documentation (at http://sbsurl.com/backup) you'll note the following:
"""" Caution
If you are restoring to a different computer than that which was originally running Windows SBS, make sure that the following items are the same on the original and the new computer:
" SCSI controller. You can restore to a computer that has an IDE controller if the original computer had SCSI.
" Motherboard chip set.
" Number of processors.
" Hard disk size. The new computers hard disk should contain matching volumes the same size or larger than those on the original computer.
" Drive letter of the boot partition.
" We recommend restoring to the same brand and model as the original computer.
Please review the entire document I linked above for complete details.
4. What licensing issues do i encounter
In order to qualify for the "Cold" backup option, you MUST aquire Software Assurance for your SBS License. Please see this blog post for complete details: http://blogs.msdn.com/mssm
Jeff
TechSoEasy
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by: TechSoEasyPosted on 2007-06-27 at 21:02:01ID: 19378090
SBS licensing allows for a "cold" backup server, but honesly I think it's a total waste of time, money and effort....
"Note that these 2 servers will be identical just not the hardware"
If you have different hardware then they aren't identical at all because you can't easily just restore the SBS Backup to different hardware.
What exactly is your reasoning for doing this rather than following the recommended backup procedures?
Have you considered using something like Acronis True Image Server for Windows with Universal Restore? If you use that you can restore your backup image to ANY machine, even a laptop, so you don't need to have an identical server built and sitting around.
Jeff
TechSoEasy