Server Spec For a Small Business?

[AndyCan]

I used to work in a large high school (which is why i still rely on this place so heavily as i used to use it daily) I'm now working in a small business with about 45 users and computers. We are on a workgroup network, no domain, and i want to put in a server to do the following:

 

Host Spiceworks

Run a few VM's with virtual box to keep some mailboxes and their rules running so that automated responses can be sent out 24x7

Run PDQ Deploy to dish out my software updates on a schedule in the early hours, seeing as Group Policy is not an option

Run WOL2 to wake all devices up prior to deploy schedule and maybe shut down everything on a schedule at the end of the day.

 

I may then start using it for more in the future but those are the core requirements now. There's no server rack so i'd be looking for a Tower and not really sure what spec i should be aiming for an also do i even want to bother with a copy of Windows Server, i might as well just stick a version of 7 on there as i imagine i wont get a copy of Server bundled with the hardware?

 

As for the VM mailboxes, i'd need some licenses to run them, can you get any dirt cheap XP or Vista licenses these days or would i be looking at more 7 licenses?

 

Thanks.

[glennda]

You would need to buy windows 7 licenses now. You may as well buy something install Free ESXI on it which will run all your vm's on it.

 

For waking up devices, shutdown and deployment you should be able to use FOG which is also free and runs on linux.

[Domino]

Yeah, I'd echo that.

 

running a server as a server and hosting vms won't get you the best from the hardware. ESXi and vm everything, it'll run much better than virtualbox.

 

Basically, you'll want a decent spec processor or two, and as much RAM as you can bung in the thing.

 

though, rather than 4 windows 7 licences - if you licence the processor for server 2008 r2 enterprise, you can run up to 4 windows server vms. might be worth a look? although if its not a domain anyway...maybe not

[AndyCan]

Does ESXi install onto bare metal then i create and run the VM's from that, so then i just buy lets say 3 win7 licenses if i have 3 VM's running?

 

Or do i get a server 2008 license, install that along with ESXi then run my free VM's with that license? I'll look into it but i suspect the win7 licenses route will end up cheaper and as like you said, without any domain in place i dont see any reason to use Server really, it will probably just be a waste.

 

I played with FOG a few years back to replace Ghost, got somewhere with it but then the whole project kind of fell away. I remember it took a fair amount of time just to get it going though as it was the first time i'd used linux and haven't since so not sure if it will be a good use of my time!

[glennda]

ESXI is an OS as itself. You would need to install that onto the Bare metal assign it an IP address and walk back to your desk and do everything from there via the VSphere console.

[Domino]

Yeah, ESXi is baremetal and the licensing works per VM as you said.

 

Of course, if you do go the ESXi route you can always just install the FOG appliance you can download from VMware too - very little linux ability needed

[glennda]

Windows 7 has a client limit of 20 - so if you share data from it only 20 clients at once can connect to it.

 

as domino mentions - FOG Appliance for ESXI

[Guest Guest]

As said ESXi (or Citrix Xenserver). 8gb ram+ and imo any Xeon processor. SAS 6R or equivalent with 3 or 4 HDs in raid 5. Deploying software over night and (depending on load) a few mailboxes really isn't going to tax a new server no matter how cheap it is, there's no need to be spending big bucks on it.

 

The money will be in the licenses. As said Server enterprise, run hyperV and then 4 OSes on top is a good option.

Edited November 21, 2012 by Guest