HomeServer podcast show question - so if you were in charge of Microsoft what would you change/do/fix for a next version of Essentials?

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• Thursday, March 21, 2013 1:25 AM

   

   
  

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  P.S. anyone else can post up here too!  Please feel free to post your list of "if I was in charge of Microsoft here's what I'd do" here.
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• Thursday, March 21, 2013 7:50 AM

   

   
  

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  Well as you asked ...

  I am currently researching how to replace an SBS server with Windows Server 2012

  - it doesn't look easy, at least I can't work out how to do it

  What I want is a machine that can

  - run the 5 VMs I have (I consolidated a bunch of old machines into one Dell T310 server, each VM uses less than 2Gb of memory, it's a mix of Linux and Windows 8)

  - run exchange (I'm a luddite  - I want my email in my control)

  - host a small number of web pages and maybe actually use sharepoint instead of admiring it's error logs in the SBS daily reports

  - handle client machine backups centrally (a bunch of laptops, currently I use a Dell homeserver for this, I believe SBS can do it, I just never switched it over as it works, but now it's end of life'ed I'll have to move eventually)

  So far I don't have an ideal solution

  - Windows Server Essentials should be ideal as my requirements aren't large and the number of users is low

  - but it won't allow me to run Exchange locally (I run it locally now on the SBS server)

  - I could go back to sendmail/IMAP on Linux, but that's a lot of work to convert all of the email boxes back (that's where the email originally was before I moved it)

  - I could run it on another server but the current one has plenty of CPU/memory so why ?

  - it also won't let me run the VMs as HyperV is actively disabled (so I read, I haven't tried it yet)

  So I seem to need to use Windows Server Standard

  - this allows me the VMs and to host exchange

  But then I seem to lose the client backup from Essentials

  - I could host Windows Essentials in a VM

  - but then it insists on being the domain controller (my understanding of the documentation)

  - plus if I already am running Windows Standard edition why would I add Essentials (I'm already coping with the more complex setup and have one O/S running)

   

  I could run two servers

  - the first with essentials

  - the second with standard, exchange and all of the VMs

  - but the first server would be basically idle doing backups and little else

  - I can't move load to the idle server as Essentials won't let me

  - and I have to manage standard so why bother with the simplified setup of essentials

  Are my requirements really that unusual ?

  I can't be the only person who has consolidated a bunch of old machines into a newer server (todays servers are so powerful and so cheap) ?

  So I guess the long winded answer is that I'd allow HyperV on essentials (after all even my Windows 8 laptop runs it these days)

  - you can set the hardware requirements high if you want.

  - you don't need to make it easy, just stop blocking it

  Or support the essentials backup client (and other helpful tools) on Standard edition and get rid of essentials altogether

  - you can limit the number of backed up clients if you want

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• Thursday, March 21, 2013 7:54 AM

   

   
  

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  One server, install Windows 2012, install the hyperV role.  Cram it with as much ram as you can afford.

  Put essentials as a child DC, install other member servers as children in the HyperV.  Remember you get 1+2 virtualization rights so for every one server 2012 you buy, you can install two virtual machines.  Also you can downgrade one to essentials.

  One server, multiple virtual machines UNDER that server.

  
  The parent server I'd leave as a workgroup (it's what I'm comfortable with) but all of the machines installed on the HyperV can be DCs, member servers, you name it.

  • Edited by Susan BradleyMVP Thursday, March 21, 2013 7:55 AM
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• Thursday, March 21, 2013 8:38 AM

   

   
  

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  That's kind of the solution I came up with as well - except skipping the essentials server :-)

  When the homeserver dies I'll work out how to fix the client backup, for now it works.

  I'll experiment meanwhile with the Windows 8 backup and see if I can get that to work

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• Thursday, March 21, 2013 4:50 PM

   

   
  

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  I wouldn't skip it.  I'd make it your DC and client backup device.

   
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• Friday, March 22, 2013 8:27 AM

   

   
  

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  - Provide a better write-Performance using StoragesSpaces with Parity
  - Provide Hard Disk Storage Balancing using StorageSpaces with Parity
  - Provide FreeUp used Hard Disk Storage when you delete/move files on Storages Spaces with Parity

  And for Home Users, accept a Router as DNS and not bring in your on DNS Server like in Business Proposals.

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