Windows 2003 vs Home Server.

FatRakoon

FatRakoon

FatRakoon

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Whats the diff?

Some time ago, I got a naughty copy of 2003 Server, and it was fun etc but as I had a legal 2000 Server I stuck with that for the time being, and then I kind of never bothered with server O/S as I never actually needed anything that required it.

Anyway, I have seen that there is Windows Home Server right, but on talking about it to a mate, I find that he has recently upgraded his setup from Server 2003 to 2008 and he has offered me Windows 2003 Server and 5 CALS

What would be the better option?

My LAN consists of 13 PCs in total...

1 x Vista32Prem
1 x Vista32Biz
2 x XP Home
1 x XP Pro
The rest are XP64

So, I know that I dont truthfully need it, its really more a case of want, but hell, why not eh?
 
Essentially Home Server is a slightly neutered version of SBS. But it also has drive mitigator (or drive extender) which is like a storage pool for drives. Which i (personally) see as a huge advantage for me compared to lack of AD (i don't need roaming profiles or the like). It makes backing up computer undeniably easy and centralized.

I'd probably rather have 2003 and the ability to add the drive extender service and the home server connector suite to make backups easy, but since you can't do this I'm stuck to home server and bending it to do things i want :)

//Edit: Oh 13 Pc's are apparently too many for home server anyway, it caps out at 10, the rest can only see shared folders etc... but not connect or use its backup service.
 
I would... the have it doing all my DNS and DHCP, and might as well have an AD domain to play around with :)

Stelly
 
You could either...

Get one Server 03 licence and that be that

Or, get two WHS licences and run them from a machine in VM's to save on hardware (if this is possible).

me personally, I would be tempted to get Server 2003.

If you have the hardware for it you get free trials of both from the MS website.
 
Burnsy2023 said:
The most important question hasn't been asked yet. What do you want the servers to do exactly?

Burnsy
Click to expand...

That IS the most important question I suppose.

Well, thats just it... as I said, I dont really need it for anything, its just that I was kind of looking at WHS and then the offer of 2K3 came up and now its more of a want than a need.

However...

things that I would dearly love to have is the ability to :-

1 - Have a PC or two, with no HD, but running over the LAN

2 - Have PCs with HDs, and no CD/DVD and installing fully over the LAN

3 - Being able to update a PC, but the updates being stored on the Server, so that any updates will only be downloaded once, since it will be stored on the server.

Its all possible, not sure if #3 is a possibility built-into SVR2K3 but there are apps / add-ons that can do it

And anyway... Where my Vista or XP64 Machines are concerned, they will be staying as-is, but the other machines, which are on XP, these could be moved and controled by the server.

I dont know, as I said, I have had naughty copies of Server in the past, but now I got a chance to buy it legally and I just fancy the idea!

Right now, I just got all my PCs on the LAN, no Server as such, but one PC is set aside and I have thrown 4x400GB Drives into that and its acting as my FileServer with my ISOs, Drivers, System Tools etc that all the other PCs access, and I have simply shared all my partitions on all my PCs so that each PC can access each other PCs files ( Its only me and my kids and a few mates wh ouse the PCs and there is nothign I dont really have that important, so I have no need for fort-knox type security )
 
1) WHS won't do dumb terminal access, but then neither will 2k3 out of the box.
2) What do mean by this exactly, an OS install or just applications?
3) This is avaliable of both through a program called WSUS (download from MS)

Burnsy
 
Burnsy2023 said:
1) WHS won't do dumb terminal access, but then neither will 2k3 out of the box.
Click to expand...

I have the instructions on doing jus that though in a book I have, for running Windows 2000 Server... It also has them for NT4 too, so I dare say that they will work for 2003.

Burnsy2023 said:
2) What do mean by this exactly, an OS install or just applications?
Click to expand...

What it says on the tin really...

Can I run a server with a massive HD ( Or HDs or array of them or whatever.. ) and also have a handful of seriosuly stripped down PCS with no HD, or CD, and then install Windows onto the dumb PCs, over the NETWORK, but also have the PCs files stored over the network too? - thus meaning that the PC needs the network just to boot up and run?

Probably pushing that boat out a bit too far yes?


Burnsy2023 said:
3) This is avaliable of both through a program called WSUS (download from MS)
Click to expand...

WSUS - Win SVR UPDATE Services? that sounds familiar!

Cheers Ill check that out.
 
Sure thing...

2003 it is then!

Can anyone just verify the CAL thingy for me now too, just before the thread dies...

He has said that I can have 5 CALs with it, but doesnt 2003 allow so many anyway?

Anything I might need to know will be great... I will only use this with 2 PCs... One being the server and one with one of the CALs and I will try to install over the LAN onto a full PC... What will this give me then 2003 Workstation? 2003 Pro? or XP? - Will be fun finding out I suppose?

Anyway, I am going to go tonight then and grab it and see what happens I suppose?
 
I think you misunderstand what a CAL is.

Every client that accesses resources on a Windows 2003 server needs a Client Aaccess Licence. It's a legal restriction rather then a technical one.

Burnsy
 
Do I ?

Oh, ok.

This is what I think it is, please point me in the right direction then..

- I have Windows 2003 and thats got its own Serial number.

- I install this copy of Windows Server onto a PC I assign to be my Server PC

- I have 5 CALs

- I can therefore use up to 5 other PCs, and assign each CAL to one PC using the Serial number from the CAL

So, in total, I have 6 serial numbers, one for the server, and 5 for workstation PCs.

Is that right?

The CALS are all in a kind of A4-Leaflet thingy and there is no CD or owt for them, so therefore, they MUST allow installing over LAN as the Server Disk does not seem to offer any other installation other than SERVER ?

I have only toyed about for a few hours but this seems to be it really?!??!?

It also seem to be that 2003 uses XP32 Drivers... Is this the case?

There is a few things that I am having some big headaches with actually and half my drivers dont want to work with it making me think that this might not be completely true?

For example, the latest drivers for the Audigy dont play but the older one ( 2.5.3 ) does.
The ATI X1900XT has installed with the latest driver but there is somehtign with the catalysts that wont startup as I need an up to date driver??? - EH?

A few hiccups, but nothing thats any kind of worry just yet.

TV Card wont play either, nor with the Abit Guru driver go.

Other than that I love it, and hopefully over the weekend I will have a PC running over the LAN with it.
 
Can I also ask...

The startup / shutdown thingy that constantly asks why I want to shut it down...

I can see this would be useful for a number of reasons, but is there any way I can get it to STFU ?
 
FatRakoon said:
Do I ?

Oh, ok.

This is what I think it is, please point me in the right direction then..

- I have Windows 2003 and thats got its own Serial number.

- I install this copy of Windows Server onto a PC I assign to be my Server PC

- I have 5 CALs

- I can therefore use up to 5 other PCs, and assign each CAL to one PC using the Serial number from the CAL

So, in total, I have 6 serial numbers, one for the server, and 5 for workstation PCs.
Click to expand...

The CALs are totally different from the main OS licence. CALs aren't installed. They are merely there from a legal standpoint, not technical.

Basically, you have one serial for the OS, fine. You then have 5 CALs which allows five other machines to access the resources on your server.

Burnsy
 
Skyboat said:
http://www.win2008workstation.com/wordpress/2008/03/08/disabling-the-shutdown-event-tracker/

should be exactly the same for 2k3
Click to expand...

Absolutely spanking.

Thanks mate.


Burnsy2023 said:
The CALs are totally different from the main OS licence. CALs aren't installed. They are merely there from a legal standpoint, not technical.

Basically, you have one serial for the OS, fine. You then have 5 CALs which allows five other machines to access the resources on your server.

Burnsy
Click to expand...

Accepted. I kind of realised this from before, however I was also sure that Win Server allowed a given number of CLIENTS.

I now know this is NOT the case.

All a learning curve isnt it?

Thanks mate.
 
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