I have a client with a server running SBS 2003 premium with 8 client PCs which has recently played up, causing a few days disruption to the business. We are considering methods of mimimising this risk in future, I thought of running another server in a cluster to have an automatic failover.
I have a few questions:
Can you use SBS 2003 to create a cluster?
Do you have to buy additional software?
Do both servers in the cluster need to be identical?
Do I have to set up external file storage?
Is there a better option using some other method?
Obviously this is a small firm so the IT budget is not enormous.
They also have 2 offices, currently both running from the same server, the second office only has 1 user and is about 100 yds up the road, they have an external WiFi link between the 2 which works OK but the speed is poor. Ideally I'd like to put the second server in the second office to improve performance for that user but I don't know if this is feasible.
Any help or suggestions to an alternative solution would be much appreciated.
The only thing which would not replicate across is Exchange - that is something which must be left on the SBS.
I've posted below for your information the standard procedure for adding a second DC to your domain as an additional DC. If your SBS isn't R2 and the new server is running Server 2003 R2 (or Server 2008), you will need to follow the adprep procedure, otherwise, you don't need to.
---
Install Windows Server 2003 R2 onto the new server which is intended to be promoted as a Domain Controller. Ensure the new server is assigned a routable static IP address on your IP subnet. Ensure the IP address is not included in any of your existing DHCP scopes. The only DNS server entry at this stage should be the IP address of the existing domain controller on your network.
After installation, join the new machine to the existing domain as a member server. This procedure is exactly the same as joining a workstation to the domain.
You might not need to do this, it depends on if you are using Server 2003 R2 with a non-R2 SBS, or Server 2008 with Server 2003 on the 2nd server! Since you are upgrading the Operating System on the new Domain Controller, you will need to add some values to the existing Active Directory schema, in order for the new server to become a Domain Controller. Windows Server 2003 R2 supports more functionality than before, so a schema upgrade for the domain and forest is required to facilitate this and make this new feature set fully functional on the domain. To make the necessary changes, you must be logged on as the built-in Administrator user account, or a user with Domain, Schema and Enterprise Admin privileges. Insert the Windows Server 2003 R2 media into your current server . Open a command prompt and browse to CD-Rom Drive:\CMPNENTS\R2\ADPREP.
The next step is to promote the new server as a Domain Controller for the domain. Enter dcpromo at a command prompt and follow the wizard. When prompted, select the option for an additional domain controller in an existing domain. After the wizard completes, the new server will be acting as a Domain Controller for your domain. It is necessary at this point to restart the server for these changes to be applied.
In a single-domain Active Directory forest, all servers should also be Global Catalog servers. The Global Catalog is a required component of Active Directory which is used during logins to establish universal group membership for a user account. To promote the new server as a Global Catalog, open Active Directory Sites and Services from the Administrative Tools container within Control Panel or on the Start Menu. Double-click Sites, then Servers, followed by the name of the new server. Next, right-click "NTDS Settings" and select Properties. On the General tab, check the Global Catalog checkbox. Restart the new Domain Controller for changes to take effect.
DNS is a critical component of your Active Directory network. The easiest way to install the DNS role onto the new server is to follow the instructions outlined at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/814591 You should be already using Active Directory-integrated DNS zones, which is the easiest method of allowing DNS replication to occur - DNS information is stored in Active Directory and replicates with Domain Controller replication traffic. To check if your DNS zones are AD-integrated (and convert them if not), please follow http://support.microsoft.com/kb/227844.
You probably want to enable DNS forwarding in the DNS console on the server, too. This forwards lookups for external domains to a DNS server at your ISP, which allows the server to effectively resolve DNS for external domains. More information on forwarders can be found at http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/ee992253-235e-4fd4-b4da-7e57e70ad3821033.mspx.
-tigermatt