New Domain Servers ?

[rogerp_1]

Hi all,

Looking for some guidance and help on a new domain we are needing to deploy/sell at clients site.

I'll start by giving you a background:

The network currently is the following

Windows 2000 Domain
2 x DC's ( logon and print )
1 x 2000 member server running exchange 2000 (Exchange Server and Email Archive in pst formats)
1 x 2000 Data Server ( File data only)
1 x 2000 Apps Server (Various Applications)
1 x 2000 SNA Server (SNA Server)

70 PC's, a mix of Windows 2000 and XPsp2

All the current servers are old Dell Poweredge server's.

My task is to Upgrade the complete network to the latest technology and at the same time making sure its deployed using latest redundancy plans and best way to support and manage this network from our remote office as there is no in house IT department.

I have been assigned the following task's:

1 Replace all existing Servers with new Rack Servers
2 Replace 60 the pc's with new desktop computers (already done, supplied HP DC5100MT computers)
3 Replace network switch's making whole network 1gb connections
4 Make domain 2003 with exchange 2003
5 Setup a SIM 5.0 at our office to remotely manage and monitor this remote site
6 Take into consideration the future expansion, they are already looking at employing around 50 more users in the next 3/4months, this will take the desktop users to around 120ish
7 Setup and supply a backup device

I have decided to look at the HP DL 380 G4 Range of servers as all need to be Rack servers.

The Servers will be the following specs,

DL380G4 XEON DUAL 3.2
2gb ram
4 x hp 36gb scsi hd ( 72gb online with 1 hotspare)
Smart Array 6i
128mb ram for 6i
Embeded Dual nc7782 nic
Hot plug ac redundant PSU
Advanced Pack for Lights out

The Data Server will have larger disk drives.
The Mail Server will have 4gb memory, 72gb disks, and a Smart 6402 Raid Ctrl

The server backups will be done using two HP Ultrium 960i units and Brightstore SW

I need to implement this network using the features available to me supplied with HP Servers and hopefully keep this network up as much a possible, so here are my questions and comments:

1 Can you please comment on my choice of Servers, good/bad/better or worse, anything else you think I should add to keep it up?
2 I understand the servers are supplied with Dual Nic's, am I right in saying that they can be configured in a Network Team with 1 IP address, so if once die's the other will immediately kick in?
3 We are hoping to install the HP SIM Manager SW at our office, am I right in saying this is free and can be setup to monitor and check the health of the Servers on Clients Site?
4 Do you think with this many users we should split the load using more server's?
5 Other than the each server having Raid 5 with a Hot Spare, a redundant ps and fan, are there any other HP Options I should be looking at?
6 Any other suggestions ?

Thanks for your support in this long raad.

[Ivan Ferreira]

For more availability, you should connect the redundant nic (TEAM) to different switches, you need a license to do that, but I don't remember the the license name or information location.

You should consider using a cluster software.

You may also want to use SAN based storage.

You could also use Storage Replication for disaster recovery.

[rogerp_1]

Thanks,

I thought the NIC teaming would have come with the server, thanks for letting me know about this as we need to buy a "HP Proliant Ess Networking Pack" to activate the failover nic.

Few, this would not have been good if i ordered the kit then found out i need more.