New SBS 2011 Setup

hi

Thanks for the solution, its pretty cool and i would love to give it a try but might be a bit shy on expertise at the moment.
I am going to stay away from the Virtualization and go for the 2 server solution. Am i right in assuming that all i require now is SBS 2011 Premium on one machine and the second to just have 2008 R2 (this member server to run sql)

Thanks for all the help

Alan

 

Yes (you can only have ONE SBS system on the network).  However, consider the cost to properly implement - I would recommend you use your TechNet plus subscription and setup a test environment so you can familiarize yourself with virtualization and use that option.  It's really NOT difficult and can safe your client the expense of a server.

Hi

I would love to have the time to have a look at the visualization route but might not have it. I understand that having a server be it virtual or real doing one task is preferable to doing multiple tasks but surely for 5 users, SBS premium on one server with oodles of RAM should have no performance issues of any note. Are t$he security issues with having the DC running SQL a bit of overkill as well, this is not a database that will hold any personal details etc. Are there any issues with the SBS databases and anything third party that could be installed.
Thanks for taking the time to comment on this setup

Rgds

A couple of things:

First, there is no such thing as SBS Premium anymore. SBS now has three products in the "SBS Family" and the premium functionality is now sold as an "add-on" model, not a bundled edition. So you will not be running "SBS Premium" on a server. I wrote an article that goes in-depth on the subject for SMB-PC Magazine, which after its initial run, was made free on the SMBNation website. So instead of repeating all of that again here, I'll just link you there. As the author, if you have questions about it, please feel free to follow up with me.

http://www.smbnation.com/Home/tabid/36/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/791/SBS_Standard_and_Essentials__Which_is_Right_for_You.aspx

Secondly (and this will only make sense if you've read the article) if you install SQL on your SBS server, you are installing it on a DC thus putting you in that support conflict with your LOB vendor. If you want to avoid that conflict, the *only* way to do so is to run two servers. That can be two physical servers or two virtual servers on one physical hardware machine, but two servers nonetheless. Even putting security, performance, apps on a DC, and all of those pesky "best practices" aside (and I say this as tongue-in-cheek humor, not maliciously), it won't resolve the one issue you can't dismiss....your LOB vendor's requirements. And calling a vendor because of a legitimate bug in six months only to have them tell you "oh, you are on SBS, tough. We don't support that." and dismissing your bug...SUCKS. Been there. Your client/customer/boss won't care that the database has no information. S/he won't care that you were trying to save money or didn't have experience, all they will care about is that you got them into an unsupportable platform. You will lose your job/client/customer and your reputation is permanently tarnished.

So the decision is simple: do what is right for the client, or take the shortcut to gaurantee the sale and compromise everything, stand for nothing, and diminish the value of your service in the process.

That choice, only you can make.

-Cliff

I have an SBS2003 server running SQL and the biggest problem I run into is ram.  SQL wants to use a bunch of it.  SBS 2011 should allow you to load up the server with ram so you can avoid that problem.  I would start with 16 gig and go from there.  Minimum of quad cores.  With this being a 5 user network I find having a second server to be a bit extreme.  I guess I don't know enough about SQL to understand why it can't run on a domain controller from a security perspective.  I do know that performance is not great when you run it on a domain controller but your domain controller is not going to be that busy with only 5 users.  If you can get the software company to install on the SBS server I would start with that.  Add a second server for SQL or a virtual server if you find it necessary later.  I suspect that it will work on just one server.  I have had accounting software companies give me the same speech about running on a domain controller yet I have networks where the software has been on a domain controller for 10 years.  They just want to advise you the best possible senario.  That does not mean it can't work for you on a domain controller.  Well, that is my opinion anyway.  Good luck!

One last comment.  Cliff is correct.  If the LOB insists that they won't support it on SBS then you probably should not do it.  You will likely need their support some time or another.

Thanks