SBS 2011 Standard Server Installed Physically - Now Customer wants to add SQL Server Standard
Scenario:
HP ML350 G6 Server installed with Physical SBS 2011 (migrated from SBS 2003) all running happily.
BES has been installed to cater for their Blackberries.
3rd Party App has been installed which is using SQL server (CRM Application).
Now the customer wishes to add SQL Server to cater for a database that may grow beyond 10Gb, so looking at the Premium Add-On to SBS 2011.
Question:
Which approach would work the best?
1. Buy Premium Add-On to SBS (and CAL's) and install SQL Standard on the SBS 2011 server itself (hoping that nothing breaks in the process).
2. Buy Premium Add-On to SBS (and CAL's) and install SQL on a Windows 7 64-Bit Workstation as they don't wish to buy a new server just for the heck of it.
3. Buy Premium Add-On to SBS (and CAL's) and then convert the SBS 2011 from Physical to Virtual. Rebuild the server as Windows 2008 R2 Physical and add the Hyper-V role, then add the converted SBS 2011 server as a Hyper-V guest, then build a 2nd Hyper-V guest with Windows 2008 R2 and install SQL Standard on that.
4. Buy Premium Add-On to SBS (and CAL's) and do something not listed above.
5. Buy SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard separately and install that on a Windows 7 64-Bit PC?
6. Something completely different?
Thoughts please from Experts that can speak from experience - Google Monkeys need not apply.
Thanks
Alan
HP ML350 G6 Server installed with Physical SBS 2011 (migrated from SBS 2003) all running happily.
BES has been installed to cater for their Blackberries.
3rd Party App has been installed which is using SQL server (CRM Application).
Now the customer wishes to add SQL Server to cater for a database that may grow beyond 10Gb, so looking at the Premium Add-On to SBS 2011.
Question:
Which approach would work the best?
1. Buy Premium Add-On to SBS (and CAL's) and install SQL Standard on the SBS 2011 server itself (hoping that nothing breaks in the process).
2. Buy Premium Add-On to SBS (and CAL's) and install SQL on a Windows 7 64-Bit Workstation as they don't wish to buy a new server just for the heck of it.
3. Buy Premium Add-On to SBS (and CAL's) and then convert the SBS 2011 from Physical to Virtual. Rebuild the server as Windows 2008 R2 Physical and add the Hyper-V role, then add the converted SBS 2011 server as a Hyper-V guest, then build a 2nd Hyper-V guest with Windows 2008 R2 and install SQL Standard on that.
4. Buy Premium Add-On to SBS (and CAL's) and do something not listed above.
5. Buy SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard separately and install that on a Windows 7 64-Bit PC?
6. Something completely different?
Thoughts please from Experts that can speak from experience - Google Monkeys need not apply.
Thanks
Alan
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Hi Philip.,
Thanks for your comments. Glad I am not alone in thinking that Hyper-V is the way to go.
Appreciate the links and the advice re P2V and HP Tools - hadn't thought of that.
Is shifting BES a simple process? Not a fan of BES, so nearly had to get counselling before I installed it, but thankfully it wasn't as painful as I had anticipated and so far it hasn't broken, so can't complain.
Is there any process you don't have a guide for?
Alan
Thanks for your comments. Glad I am not alone in thinking that Hyper-V is the way to go.
Appreciate the links and the advice re P2V and HP Tools - hadn't thought of that.
Is shifting BES a simple process? Not a fan of BES, so nearly had to get counselling before I installed it, but thankfully it wasn't as painful as I had anticipated and so far it hasn't broken, so can't complain.
Is there any process you don't have a guide for?
Alan
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I had imagined that performance might be an issue. SBS does like it's memory and sharing it with SQL probably won't work very well.
Server has got and can have plenty of RAM, so was thinking 32Gb for SBS and about 8Gb for the Hyper-V host, plus 16Gb or so for the SQL server would be in order.
Not a fan of OS's without GUI's. Probably an age thing!
Server has got and can have plenty of RAM, so was thinking 32Gb for SBS and about 8Gb for the Hyper-V host, plus 16Gb or so for the SQL server would be in order.
Not a fan of OS's without GUI's. Probably an age thing!
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Thanks Philip - not sure if I am missing something here, but the SBS box that needs to be P2V'd is the server that will be rebuilt, so not sure how I can configure my VHDs before P2Ving my server as I won't have a Hyper-V host to play with until I have P2V'd the SBS server and flattened.
Current disk config is RAID 5 - should it remain that way?
Current disk config is RAID 5 - should it remain that way?
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Thanks - looks good. Just need to convince the customer to head down that route as there will be downtime and no doubt work out of hours to achieve, which means I cost more!
Much appreciated.
Alan
Much appreciated.
Alan
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We have iLO - or at least I can trial it to get that working. Done many Hyper-V installs, but not converted too many, although it isn't my first.
There is Symantec System Recovery Server available (or whatever it is called today) to generate the server image and it also converts to a VHD I believe, so will probably be using that to convert the image.
Plenty of external USB drives to take the server image and also have an internal HDD to play with to speed up the process, so that's not an issue.
The customer mentioned option 2 - any thoughts / comments about that as a solution?
Thanks gents.
Alan
There is Symantec System Recovery Server available (or whatever it is called today) to generate the server image and it also converts to a VHD I believe, so will probably be using that to convert the image.
Plenty of external USB drives to take the server image and also have an internal HDD to play with to speed up the process, so that's not an issue.
The customer mentioned option 2 - any thoughts / comments about that as a solution?
Thanks gents.
Alan
Server for server Desktop for desktop.
Philip
Philip
ASKER
Agreed - but MS states it can be installed on:
Windows XP Professional SP2 x64
Windows Vista SP2 Ultimate x64
Windows Vista SP2 Enterprise x64
Windows Vista SP2 Business x64
Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
Windows 7 x64 Enterprise
Windows 7 x64 Professional
I removed the server references for obvious reasons.
Customer will no doubt ask why not a PC especially when MS suggests that a PC OS is a valid OS for SQL to be installed on. I wouldn't - but then I'm not my customer and I don't pay their bills.
Windows XP Professional SP2 x64
Windows Vista SP2 Ultimate x64
Windows Vista SP2 Enterprise x64
Windows Vista SP2 Business x64
Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
Windows 7 x64 Enterprise
Windows 7 x64 Professional
I removed the server references for obvious reasons.
Customer will no doubt ask why not a PC especially when MS suggests that a PC OS is a valid OS for SQL to be installed on. I wouldn't - but then I'm not my customer and I don't pay their bills.
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Ah - you are old-fashioned (like me) - the right tool for the job, not just the cheapest tool that might work - just!
If they ask - I'll come up with some good analogies - very used to being creative in that area.
Thanks Philip
If they ask - I'll come up with some good analogies - very used to being creative in that area.
Thanks Philip
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Appreciate the sanity check gents. Waiting on the customer to get the go-ahead and schedule the task.
Appreciate all the comments.
Alan
Appreciate all the comments.
Alan
Alan,
Very welcome. :)
Philip
Very welcome. :)
Philip
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I'll let you know how I get on assuming I get the go-ahead (if you want to know).
Not something that I can do in my sleep yet, but have done a similar project before and that is still working, so confident that it will all happen and work happily.
Not something that I can do in my sleep yet, but have done a similar project before and that is still working, so confident that it will all happen and work happily.
ASKER
In case anyone wants to know - the ball is now rolling.
HP related items removed from the server
NIC cable unplugged
Server Image being created at the moment.
HP related items removed from the server
NIC cable unplugged
Server Image being created at the moment.
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That was what I was thinking would be the best option too.
Have you ever tried option 1 and if so - does it work? If it works - are there are performance issues? Is it recommended? Customer is asking if this is possible. From what I read it is, but I am a tad reluctant to in case it breaks the happily running SBS.