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SBS2008

We have our new server commissioned and running.

Hardware Specs

• ASUS TS700-E4/RX8 Intel Core Xeon Server
• 2 x Intel Quad Core Xeon 5405 1.6GHz CPU
• ASUS Server Mainboard
• 32GB of ECC Fully Buffered DDRII RAM (4 x 8GB)
• 12 DIMM slots support Quad channel DDR2 533/667 FBD up to 48GB
• ASUS Pedestal Server Chassis with 730W Power Supply
• 2 x 300GB Seagate SAS Hard Drives
• 2 x 1TB Seagate Drives 24/7
• up to 8 hot-swap SAS or SATAII HDDs
• Onboard RAID 0, 1, 1E
• Hardware RAID 5 via optional ZCR RAID card
• 2 PCI-X 133/100 MHz (one support ZCR RAID card)
• 2 PCI-E x 8 slots
• 1 PCI-E x 16 (x8 link)
• ASUS 16x DVD-RW Drive
• Dual Intel Gigabit LAN
• ASUS ASWM 2.0 & Server Anti-virus License
• 3 Years Hardware Warranty
• Powerware 5110/1500VA UPS

We are running SBS2008 which works very nicely. We found that there is a dearth of how to’s out there on the web in relation to a number of specific configuration issues we came across but we seem to have solved most of them now. We did use Philip’s excellent SBS 2008 setup list as a starting point. We also found lots of good helpful stuff on his website. we were both doing similar migrations from SBS 2003. In our case we didn't use any migration tools but manually moved data and mail. I actually copied every users mail out of exchange into a PST file, and then re-imported them into the new box from the PST file. The main reason for this was to avoid bringing over corrupted profiles and other bits and pieces from the old server. The value of this paying off already with quick profile load times and no errors.

Here are some useful SBS2008 articles from Philip:

The want for easy as sharing of photos, documents and what not between your computer, your relatives computer, and your friends computer, is now answered through the words Live Mesh.
It is rather brilliant, very useful, and so easy to understand and use.

My favourite best friend and I often have spent long periods of time uploading photos using photo swap on msn, and I am pleased to say those days are over. All I have to do is create a Live Mesh folder, invite her to join it, and once she accepts she can view and use any photos or files I put in that folder, and she can put any of her things in that folder for me to use as well. It’s all about easy sharing.

My home computer, my work computer, my best friends computer, and her laptop, can all be synchronized in the same folder allowing easy access for whatever files we want to share. And, my home computer, my work computer, and my bosses computer, can all be synchronized in another folder, easy as sharing.

Here’s a rough step by step of the getting started process. It’s easier done than said :)

I did a really dumb thing.

Yesterday my backup failed, because of a device I/O error. I assumed (really badly) that the error was on the backup drive, and so proceeded to reformat it - losing all my backups in the process. My logic was that after I had reformated it I would try and run a fresh backup and if it failed again I would replace the disk.
It failed again, but this time I realised it was not the backup drive that was at fault, but one of the drives it was trying to backup.
I realised this because it was the drive that had all our music on it, and I was having trouble playing music, followed by even more trouble browsing the drive.
I should have been a bit smarter. This was the last of three disks that I bought all in one go from one shipment, same size and model, all 500GB Western Digital drives (I know, I know - WD are crap). The other two had failed within the last 3 months and been replaced. I just hadn't gotten around to transferring the data off this disk.

Even novices know that you have to save your files so that they aren't lost and can be easily found. But what if you don't back up your files and all of a sudden your computer decides to go on strike. Windows Vista comes with a cool feature called the Backup and Restore Centre, which you'll find in the Start menu. The Backup and Restore Centre simplifies the whole process for you, with easy to follow prompts and allows you to decide whether to backup the whole computer or specific files.

It's a good idea t backup your computer when you first set it up that way if the computer ever stops completely you can potentially restore it using the initial entire computer backup.

For the rest of the time to back up the files that you use regularly follow these steps: