Do I need an additional server?

[techyphil]

We currently have 3 Domain controllers over 3 servers. All the students work come off 1 of the controllers and in performance manager the disk queueing is most of the time at 100%. This causes the whole network to be really slow, clicking start on any workstation becomes a waiting game.

My idea is to get another server in, use file replication services and somehow get them working in a way that if 1 machine is being used heavily, then get the students work from the other server...

Everyone talks about it in books and at conferences and makes it sound easy...

Is it easy and is it the right thing to do? Whats involved?

Thanks for all your support, cheers guys

[ChrisH]

How many workstations
Spec of servers including disk array etc
More details please

[MK-2]

I know it may not be ideal, but what about spreading the home folders over the 3 servers?

So:
Server 1 - Y7 / Y8
Server 2 - Y9 / Y10
Server 3 - Y11 / STAFF

That way all home folders aren't utilising space on all servers?
I dunno, just a thought

[techyphil]

Server 1 - Hosting the students folders is a HP Proliant ML370.

1700 Users
500 Workstations

Servers are-
2GB Ram
4 x 72gb SCSI 10rpm's. Stripped and Mirrored

[mrforgetful]

We use the method of just having certain year groups work on certain servers.

What's not a great idea that we have is one of them is the Exchange Server aswell.

[techyphil]

So how's that work when year's progress? Moving students from 1 place to another then highlighting the users, change the profile and home dir to the new server...

Seems easily possible... surely someone here has load balancing?

[mrforgetful]

The work stays where it is.

At the moment we have:

Server1: 8 and 9 and staff
Server2: 10 and 11
Server3: 7 and 12 and 13

Next year, these will all stay on the same servers as they are, the Year 13s will be removed and the new Year 7 will probably go on Server 3 aswell.

Whichever server has the least amount of users on at the start of a new school year will get the new year 7s on it.

[mrforgetful]

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserv...resources.mspx

Take a look.

[Geoff]

We've split things up like that. However we use DFS to keep the naming structure uniform. Therefore we have the following servers

amphion -> student my documents.
zethus -> staff my documents
ch05 -> subject areas
ch04 -> applications

When exported out via DFS it ends up looking like this:

\\carrhill\shares\year7\
.....
\\carrhill\shares\year13\
\\carrhill\shares\staff\
\\carrhill\shares\subject areas\
\\carrhill\shares\apps\

You can use these DFS generated UNC names anywhere.

[mrforgetful]

How do you enlist the help of this chain of Sofa shops to do this? Sounds helpful.

It means I wouldn't need to have a list on my wall then saying which users work is on which server?

[ChrisH]

DFS is nicer to use with an R2 server as well.

[Geoff]

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserv...s/default.mspx

No you don't. Plus it means if you have replace or move servers around you can do so without upsetting the names everything else is using.

A word of warning though, don't bother attempting to do any replication with DFS, it doesn't work reliably.