Time for a complete rethink.

[FragglePete]

We once again have been having issues with a certain system employed here. People on here who know me will know what it is but I'm not going to get into what it is , why and whats happened, but for now we've had enough and starting to have a bit of a rethink.

I'm looking to completely re-do how the network here works, and it's a bit of a chance to raise something from the ashes - I'm thinking of building a new domain from scratch, configuring, testing and then migrating users over. Some of the main servers I'm looking to replace over this year as they're hitting the 5 year old mark now, and although still going strong would like to replace with new and shiney so this would be a good chance to build this on new hardware as it comes in ready to move it over mainly I'd imagine over next Summer.

I'm filling up my larger whiteboard with a sort of mind map at the moment that breaks the network down into each element, eg. Application deployment, OS Deployment, Print Management, Backup, Desktop Start Menu creation, etc, etc and looking at the options out there and what we use now. Certain elements we will keep and carry on using, eg. WDS, AV, Impero. I'm just interested in how other networks are setup and managed on a Vanilla network - what do you use and how do you do it?

This is all theoretical at the moment, and may just be a purely academic exercise but it could be a great way to start from fresh. I'm breathing life back into a Server we retired this year to be the start of a new domain for testing and development that may be the initial seed of this new network, but I'm hovering over wether to make it 2008R2 or 2012 Server. Desktops will be Windows 7 (like now) and have no interest of Windows 8 at this time.

I appreciate the input.

Many thanks

Pete

[FN-GM]

Windows Vanilla for me

Application deployment = SCCM 2012
OS Deployment = SCCM 2012
Print Management = Paper Cut
Backup = Microsoft DPM
Desktop Start Menu creation = a script it use
Anti Virus = Endpoint Point Protection in SCCM 2012

Server 2012 or 2008 R2 is a tough call. At the moment we are 2008 R2 and wont even think about moving until SCCM 2012 support server 2012.

[zag]

For me

Application deployment = No solution, we just image clients regularly
OS Deployment = Acronis
Print management = papercut
Backup = Backupexec 2010
Desktop start menu = group policy, shared startmenu and desktop
Anti virus = no maanged solution, just cheap client on standard image.
Server 2008 R2 all the way I would think. The actual DC really doesn't matter so much any more

I'd also virtualize all the servers onto a couple of physical machines, but not use a SAN. Just have a good backup available and spare servers to swap over to.

I'd love a new domain project to get my teeth into

[Ergo]

I am sure that you already have it on your list, but as you have not mentioned it - for all of the Schools and Academies we talk to server virtualisation with shared storage is assumed to sit underneath whatever vanilla (or other) network is being used - mostly because of how it can allow ongoing use even with server hardware failure, but also because of the ability to clone the "real" network into an isolated test environment for testing, practicing and validating application upgrades.

SCCM has not been a standard for many of our customers, but with the changes to licensing which have just come in it does become simpler to consider.

If you are planning on the install possibly being Summer 2013 then I would probably assume that at least some of your servers will be 2012 (eg. Domain controllers) but some application servers may 'still' need to be on 2008/2008R2. MS have already announced Exchange 2010 support on Server 2012 (in SP3).

Regards,

Dave

[british_government]

Application deployment = SCCM 2007 & Microsoft Application Virtualisation
OS Deployment = MDT 2012
Print Management = Equitrac (Ricoh)
Backup = Microsoft DPM & Backup Exec
Desktop Start Menu creation = Custom script
Anti Virus = McAfee

[tmcd35]

Another Vanilla network. Win2k8r2 servers using Hyper-V virtualisation and Windows 7 clients.

Application deployment = Currently msi's through GPO, looking at SCCM next year. Would dearly love Microsoft Application Virtualisation but too costly
OS Deployment = Currently WDS. Looking at MDT/SCCM for next year
Print Management = Paper Cut
Backup = File level: Yosemite; Mirror: Robocopy; Offsite: copy VHD's to NAS
Desktop Start Menu: AD Redirected Folders
Anti Virus = Currently AVG, moving to MS Endpoint Protection next year

[mrbios]

Application Deployment = Microsoft Application Virtualisation + Some bigger software built into the image. (SCCM2012 setup but not fully funtional yet, never find the damn time!)
OS Deployment = WDS in Server 2012, fantastic at what it does with an unattended file, haven't actually found the need to use SCCM2012 for this yet as WDS doesn't seem to have any flaws.
Print management = Uniflow, we're an all canon printer and copiers site, though i also like the look of papercut so would recommend that.
Backup = Two sans replicated between two buildings followed by the secondary building backing up to tape, those tapes then go in a fire proof safe.
Desktop and start menu = Redirected, along with everything else that can be redirected (except AppData - this is redirected only for certain staff with specific requirements, as they're all super mandatory profiles for students and staff)
Anti Virus = Microsoft Endpoint protection from SCCM2012 (one part i do have working properly lol)

[sonofsanta]

As others say, System Center is well worth looking into - SCCM is one of my favourite things at the moment as it is making application stuff massively easier (and the AV). We still use Fog for OS deployment but we set that up before we went down the SC side of things, so pick your preference there, plenty of advice around here and elsewhere on both.

Use DFS, makes life easier. We have redirected start menus etc. that works well. I'd love to have mandatory profiles here but at the moment, roaming works so MP are lower on my list. Printers are set up through PCounter and deployed with GPP (after a bit of faff). Everything managed through 2008R2 tools for the most part.

[mattianuk]

I actually did this during the summer. I started here, realised what I had been left with was rubbish and started again. Admittidly I have had a stupid amount of money thrown at me for a middle school... but I went with this:

Vanilla 2008R2 AD Network - on a brand new failover hyperv cluster - with 2 identical hosts connected to a SAN by iSCSI
Image deployment = fog
email = exchange 2010 (still cant beat it IMO)
Office 2010
Windows 7 64x Only
Papercut for print management
Redirected folders inc start menu and desktops for all staff, but roaming app data folder for all.
Biometric registration through Live Register which feeds straight into SIMs
Backup: VEEAM to a decent NAS and 2 x NAS doing file only nightly backups.
AV- Sophos because it works and is free.

I did not move over any student work (But it is available should I need too - middle schools are lucky in that none of it is course work)

Remote access from home and booking system is via HAP+

[JJanisch]

Apple Macs!

[FragglePete]

Apple Macs!

And this from my Tech???!! Your fired!

Pete

[sonofsanta]

Apple Macs!

Goddammit, where did that negrep button go?

[tmcd35]

Apple Macs!

And this from my Tech???!! Your fired!

Pete

With that kind of out the box thinking he'd fit in around here
(can't convince the head though (that said he's interested in iPads - yay!))

[glennda]

Application deployment = MS GPO Or image reguarly
OS Deployment = FOG
Print Management = Paper Cut (Ricoh will now sell this with MFD's I beleive).
Backup = Veeam
Desktop Start Menu creation = ScriptLogic
Anti Virus = Avast Network

For hypervisor I would go with VMware or at a shove Hyper-V but I would be very put off Hyper-V. If you are looking at a SAN then Equallogic's are brilliant and the intergration into VMware is Awesome.

You have plus's to onsite exchange but also Live@Edu/Google Apps could be good. With the Veeam backups I would suggest something like a IOmega Nas Device which has the ability for you to plug in a USB HDD and hit copy and it will copy data off the device onto the HDD. This then gives you data to take offsite. Or built into the device is the ability to sync data with Amazon S3 or Mozy Pro Etc.

[pritchardavid]

Application deployment = APP-V and Some software installed onto the deployment image and a few bits over group policy for new software requested after the image was made
Moving over to now- APP-V, Group Policy, MDT to install things that are to big to deploy like Interactive Smart board software to install after the image is installed and maybe just office installed on image.
And at a later date when we get new servers to use System Centre 2012

OS Deployment = WDS
Moving over to now- MDT2012 (lol im testing Windows 8 too, will be using one of these programs to get the start menu back through)
And at a later date when we get new servers to use System Centre 2012

Print Management = None, we could use Impero if we wanted.

Backup = Microsoft DPM2012

Profiles/Desktop/Start Menu - Local Man Profile on each computer (Might move it over to redirected start menu and desktop)

Anti Virus = Endpoint Point Protection 2012 (Not using SCCM through, we need new servers)

Monitoring PCs and Remote Support - Impero

Filtering - E2BN Proxy (Council) and Impero

Access from home for students and staff - Remote Desktop Services 2012

Email - Exchange 2010

Website - Wordpress (Want to try SharePoint w
And at a later date when we get new servers to try out making the website on SharePoint 2013 when that's is released of course

External Access for sites/services - TMG 2010 Reverse Proxy, Need to find something else now, considering this is now discontinued



Windows Vanilla

Most servers are on 2012 now Just Exchange & TMG2010 will be the only ones staying on 2008R2 because they don't work on 2012 yet. Once I have finished setting up the new deployment virtual server, only the DPM server left to upgrade.

Windows 7 64bit here, some 32bit too for computers that can't do 64bit.
But Some XP laptops still left, only because if we install Windows 7, students network drives never seems to map fairly often, found out it was the wireless card, changed one to an Intel one for a test, no problem. Don't think the school wanted to buy about 30-60 new cards, I'll have to bring this one up again. Want to kill XP

Hyper-V 2012, not clustering through, only using a Intel shared SAN on a Intel Modular Server.

Waiting on some nice new shiny servers. Then a nice new start, new domain from two. Clustering, using System centre. Hopefully Exchange 2013 will be out soon, so when we do this, we can install that. Basically we like to use as much Microsoft products as we can.