Many businesses host networked storage on
file servers, but as data grows, so does the need for streamlined consolidation and organization. Failure to properly manage this data growth challenge can result in unused capacity, poor availability of files and data, and difficulty in finding shared files. The good news is that network attached storage (NAS) can be a quick, easy and powerful solution to manage file data.
Through proper choices in file server solutions, businesses can save money on infrastructure, keep networked data highly available, and keep infrastructure highly scalable. Let PCMagCast, a PC Magazine editor, an expert from Hewlett-Packard, and a product manager from Microsoft teach you what the best practices are in consolidating and managing data with file servers.
In this free, 60-minute webcast, you'll find:
A complete discussion of file server options, including scalability Information on how networked attached storage (NAS) devices can optimize file serving A roadmap for future-proofing your file server software and hardware
Windows Server 2008 has been out for a while and has proven to be a stable operating system. Now that Microsoft has released the first "real" service pack (SP2), more companies are looking at the possibility of upgrading to Windows Server 2008. Although the coexistence of Windows Server 2008 and Windows 2003 shouldn't pose a problem, the actual server migration process can be a bit tricky. In this article, I want to talk about some of the issues that you may encounter when migrating file servers.
The file server migration process can be deceptively simple. In fact, Microsoft offers a free utility to assist you with the migration process. Even so, there is usually a lot more to performing a migration than just running a migration utility.
Hardware considerations
One of the first things to consider is whether or not you will be reusing your existing file server hardware. Keep in mind that if you deploy new server hardware, then the migration process will likely be easier -- especially if you are using the Windows Distributed File System (DFS) on your current file servers. One of the primary advantages to using new hardware is that you can leave your existing server in its current state. That way, if something goes wrong during the migration process, you can still fall back on your old server.
If you choose to reuse your existing hardware, it's important to carefully plan the operating system upgrade. This is especially true if you are using DFS or a clustering solution.
How long will the migration take?
Another major consideration is the amount of time it takes to complete the file server migration process. For instance, suppose you are not using DFS, and you want to use new hardware to host the new file server. In that situation, you can install and configure Windows Server 2008 on the new server without disrupting the users.
The File Server Migration Toolkit
Microsoft has created a free download called the File Server Migration Toolkit that you can use to get around the UNC path issue for migrations to Windows Server 2003 or 2008.
Full detail available here: http://searchwindowsserver.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci1353653,00.html
Below is a list of the what you need to enable on
Windows Server 2008 for SCCM 2007 to pass the pre-requisites check and work.
Role: Web Server (IIS). This will add Windows Process Activation Service automatically. Under Security, add Windows Authentication and URL Authorization Under Management Tools, enable IIS 6 Management Compatibility Application Development, add ASP Make sure Anonymous Authentication and Windows Authentication is enabled for the default web site Make sure the Allow for All Users authorization rule is set under the default web site.
You also need to enable the BITS Server Extensions features, which will enable other IIS role services. You need to download and install WebDAV. Once installed, you need to enable and configure it. You must set your configuration as shown here.
Specifically you need to set: Allow property queries with infinite depth to true Allow Custom Properties to false Allow anonymous property queries to true Create an authoring rule for All users to give read access to all content
You should now pass SCCM 2007 prerequisite check, as shown here.
Below is a dump of all the roles and features that are enabled on my SCCM box. Note I have some extras, as I'm running a SCCM Preboot Execution Environment Boot point, so I also need WDS installed. ----- Roles ----- [X]
File Services [X]
File Server [FS-FileServer] [X] Web Server (IIS) [Web-Server] [X] Web Server [Web-WebServer] [X] Common HTTP Features [Web-Common-Http] [X] Static Content [Web-Static-Content] [X] Default Document [Web-Default-Doc] [X] Directory Browsing [Web-Dir-Browsing] [X] HTTP Errors [Web-Http-Errors] [X] HTTP Redirection [Web-Http-Redirect] [X] Application Development [Web-App-Dev] [X] ASP.NET [Web-Asp-Net] [X] .NET Extensibility [Web-Net-Ext] [X] ASP [Web-ASP] [X] ISAPI Extensions [Web-ISAPI-Ext] [X] ISAPI Filters [Web-ISAPI-Filter] [X] Health and Diagnostics [Web-Health] [X] HTTP Logging [Web-Http-Logging] [X] Logging Tools [Web-Log-Libraries] [X] Request Monitor [Web-Request-Monitor] [X] Tracing [Web-Http-Tracing] [X] Security [Web-Security] [X] Basic Authentication [Web-Basic-Auth] [X] Windows Authentication [Web-Windows-Auth] [X] URL Authorization [Web-Url-Auth] [X] Request Filtering [Web-Filtering] [X] Performance [Web-Performance] [X] Static Content Compression [Web-Stat-Compression] [X] Management Tools [Web-Mgmt-Tools] [X] IIS Management Console [Web-Mgmt-Console] [X] IIS 6 Management Compatibility [Web-Mgmt-Compat] [X] IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility [Web-Metabase] [X] IIS 6 WMI Compatibility [Web-WMI] [X] IIS 6 Scripting Tools [Web-Lgcy-Scripting] [X] IIS 6 Management Console [Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console] [X]
Windows Deployment Services [WDS] [X] Deployment Server [WDS-Deployment] [X] Transport Server [WDS-Transport] ----- Features ----- [X] .NET Framework 3.0 Features [NET-Framework] [X] .NET Framework 3.0 [NET-Framework-Core] [X] XPS Viewer [NET-XPS-Viewer] [X] BITS Server Extensions [BITS] [X] Remote Differential Compression [RDC] [X] Feature Administration Tools [RSAT-Feature-Tools] [X] BITS Server Extensions Tools [RSAT-Bits-Server] [X] Windows Internal Database [Windows-Internal-DB] [X] Windows PowerShell [PowerShell] [X] Windows Process Activation Service [WAS] [X] Process Model [WAS-Process-Model] [X] .NET Environment [WAS-NET-Environment] [X] Configuration APIs [WAS-Config-APIs]
Source: http://windowsitpro.com/mobile/pda/Article.cfm?ArticleID=101988&FAQ=1
A home
file server is, in theory, a great convenience. In reality, setting up, configuring and running a home file server to link multiple personal computers has been a great pain in the neck. Now, manufacturers are putting out dedicated home file servers, but they can be confusing and complicated. You can build one - I promise you won't enjoy building a
file server.
We wanted all our music, videos data, pictures, backups and other types of files on one computer so anyone in the house could access them without having to store duplicate and triplicate copies. Like this: I make a photograph and store it on my laptop. My daughter wants to send it to her friend. If we aren't sharing folders within a Windows home network, we have to figure out who has the file, then put the picture on a disk. Then port it over, name it, file it and then use it.
Even worse when we're talking home business - files have to be moved, shared, edited, and reedited. A
home file server is a great home technology idea. If it's easy to set up. If users can configure it easily. If it's lean and quiet rather than bulky and buzzy.
A few weeks ago, CyberPower of California jumped into the home technology market with a dedicated home file server called Windows Home Server 100. They claim the product is a high-performance energy saver that makes storage easy and fast.
- It's got Intel inside with 2 gig of DDR memory.
- The server has a 500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM hard drive - for those who just got bowled over by the string of numbers, that's a pretty nice hard drive. I'd say it's more storage than you'd ever need, but the way programs expand, who knows? Geeks will tell you you need a terabyte - you can add it for $50.
- The operating system is MS Windows 2003 Home Server - so you needn't learn another system.
- Home Server 100 can automatically backup your computers each evening, a nice plus.
- It appears Home Server is remotely accessible so you can grab home files when you're at work or school. Also nice.
Source: examiner.com
Even though
small businesses don't have the budget or the sheer volume of files that some of the larger enterprises do, you still have to protect the data. Smaller shops have their own issues to overcome that are just as difficult and just as important as the big guys.
Most notably, many small businesses will have only one server for file storage. The major issue with this strategy is that all your eggs are in one basket, and you rely on that same basket to serve all of your other office needs. Therefore, it becomes even more important to properly protect this
file server from a possible disaster. Since the bandwidth and hardware required for most off-site replication systems is out of the question here, your choices are limited, but there are options available for you.
RAIDMost servers now come with RAID systems already available with whatever disks you get when the server is built. In addition, you can set up very simple RAID systems via Windows and many other common operating systems. By using mirroring via RAID, you can create another copy of the data that can be used for the purposes of disaster recovery (DR) operations, and do so at a low price point. The main drawbacks are that you'll have to configure and manage the RAID systems, and RAID doesn't protect against virus attacks or other real-time damage.
Backup systemsTo protect yourself from virus attacks and other threats, you'll want to develop an effective backup strategy. While you can use the NTBackup systems that come with Windows and the backup tools that come with other OSs, you may wish to invest in a third-party backup system. These offer a large number of additional features, especially for scheduling and dealing with open files that NTBackup simply doesn't offer.
You'll also need some form of removable media. For very small shops, this can be a DVD burner, but for most others, this will mean a tape drive of some type. Also remember that you should be removing the tapes from the physical location of the tape device on a regular basis, so that the loss of your office space doesn't destroy the backups too. It is wise to perform full backups on a weekly basis—on a day and time each week when there are the fewest users on the server—and incremental backups nightly. This gives you the ability to recover from data-loss outages.
For midsize offices, you may want to consider local replication. Many replication tools work great in a LAN environment, and also offer many-to-one capabilities. This means that you can keep a copy of all the data on the servers that you have replicated to a single server. That DR server may even be a small network-attached storage device (NAS), which can be economically more feasible for these purposes. Much like RAID, these systems tend to be real-time by default, so you'd either have to utilize backup tape to provide point-in-time copies, or use a third-party snapshot tool for that purpose. These tools often come standard with the NAS devices (yet another reason to investigate that avenue), but keep in mind that snapshots to the same physical location don't get your data off-site.
Source: http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-5750072.html
In a continuing bid to capture some of the tape-backup market, Microsoft on Wednesday released a beta version of the upgrade to its file-and-application server recovery software, which includes support for a wider range of the company's server products.
The product, System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2006 version 2, builds upon a previous version of DPM released last year that marked the company's first move into the data-protection software market.
Version 2 employs a patent-pending technology that constantly monitors data changes and can recover the data with zero loss, Microsoft said. During recovery, the new version can also draw data from tape, a new capability, as well as from disks, Microsoft said.
DPM version 2 now supports
Microsoft's Exchange Server, SQL Server and Office SharePoint Portal Server, plus the already-supported Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 servers.
DPM is a candidate to replace low-end tape products with centralized disk-to-disk backup, the research analyst company Gartner wrote in a November 2005 report.
Gartner wrote that Microsoft is expected to make gains in the field because of the wide use of
Windows file servers and typically low use of file-protection software among small- to medium-size businesses.
Download from here
Source: http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/09/27/HNmsfileserverbackup_1.html?BACKUP%20AND%20RECOVERY
Following are the steps to install a
File Server on windows server 2003:-
1) First step you Open the start menu and then click administrator and after that configure the server.
2) After that click next
3) Again next.
4) Then click file server in the server role box and then click next, on the file server disk quotas page configure any quotas you need to disk space usage on the server and then click Next. after that on the file server indexing service page you need to click indexing configuration that appropriate for you server and then click Next.
5) And choose the next and after it finish.
6) The share folder wizard starts and then clicks.
7) Click the Browse items and then OK.
8) And then Next.
9) You can type the share name for the folder that you want to share , and then click OK.
10) Click Next.
11) Click the one of the basic permission for the folder, after that finish.
How to Manually Install a File Server on windows server 2003:-1) Click start and then click windows explorer.
2) That you want to share, Right click the folder and then click sharing and security.
3) Click the share this folder .and then accept default name for the share.
4) configure the number of users who can connect and you configure permission for this folder, after that Ok.
5) Windows explorer windows to indicate that the folder is beginning shared.
As with all Windows Server 2003 R2 features, the File Server Resource Manager component must be installed via the Add/Remove Windows Components module. To install the component, follow these steps:
- Start the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel applet (Start, Settings, Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs).
- Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
- Select "Management and Monitoring Tools" and click Details.
- Select the File Server Resource Manager check box, as the figure at http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/images/2003r2filescrenfsrminstall.gif shows.
- Click OK.
- Click Next to the main Windows Components dialog box.
- Click Finish. You'll need to reboot for the changes to take effect.
From: http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/49718/how-do-i-install-the-file-server-resource-manager-services.html
As an admin, you might want to move all file services from a NetWare or OES 1 server to an OES 2 Linux server on new hardware with both the migration source and destination servers being in the same directory. You want to do that without disrupting your users.
Here is a step-by-step process for planning and carrying out the migration:
- Step One: Install an OES 2 Linux file server with NSS
- You'll want to have significantly more storage space on the migration destination server than the source server. As part of installing NSS, you should create a pool for the new storage. You can use NSSMU to set up a pool for all volumes. When you use NSSMU to do this, activate the drive that you're going to place NSS on, and set up the pool and name it. Set up the pool to consume all the drive space.
- Step Two: Migrate all file data from the source server to the migration destination server
- Assume that you have enough data that you think it will take a week to migrate. On Monday night after your end users go home, start the data migration process. Do is by logging in as root on the destination server and running the following command:
migfiles -s -n -P POOL [-m]
- Do this every night through the week after your users go home. The first time that this command is ran, omit the -m option. The mig files command picks up where it left off the night before in migrating the source server data.
- Step Three: Modify user working directory
- Run the following command:
- The mls command lists all files, trustees, attributes, and quotas from the source server.
maptrustees -s -d maptrustees.yaml
- Then run
migtrustees -d maptrustees.yaml
- is the LDAP server address for both the source and destination servers.
- Step Four: After the data is moved, migrate file rights, attributes, and quotas
- If a large data set is involved you should give yourself sufficient time for this.
- Rights, attributes, and quotas are migrated by running the following command:
After running this command, run the following command:
maprights -n mls.yaml > maprights.yaml
- The maprights command sets up mappings to the destination NSS file system.
- Finally, run the following command:
- The migrights command applies all mappings to the destination NSS file system.
- Step Five: Notify users to log in again
- The last step is to ask users to log in again. If you want to send a message to your users, you can create a message file with the command vi message. Type in something like this.
- Dear #{first} #{last},
We have finished migrating your files onto the new file server. In order to transfer over to the new system, you will need to relogin to your computer.
- Regards,
#{from} of your friendly IT staff.
- After creating this file, named message, run the following command:
mignotify -a login -e myusername@mycompany.com -s smtp.mycompany.com -m message -i maptrustees.yaml
- This will email the message you created to all of your users who have had their file services migrated, if the mail attribute has been set in e Directory for your users.
- This scenario was for cloning the file servers on the same directory server. To clone a file server into another directory, run maptrustees with the -r option. This generates random passwords for your users. Then, run migtrustees with the destination LDAP server in the new directory. After this, notify the users of a password change using mignotify by using the #{password} variable the message file.
- The migfiles, migtrustees, and migrights commands all have -i flag for --verbose-information. If you want to see the status of these utilities as they are running, then use this flag.
- You can also just pipe commands as follows:
mls -s | maprights -n | migrights -i
Source: http://wiki.novell.com/index.php/How_to_%22clone%22_a_file_service_to_a_new_file_server
The following key reasons to deploy Distributed
File Services (DFS) in
Windows Server 2003 R2 highlight major new features and improvements.
1.
Effective WAN network usageOnly changes made to a file need to be transmitted over the WAN, thanks to the remote differential compression (RDC) algorithm, which serves as the basis for DFS Replication.
2.
Potential to eliminate backup processes at the branch officeWith an efficient, wide area network (WAN)–friendly way to collect content for the corporate central office, DFS Replication makes it possible to eliminate the local backup at the branch and rely on daily backup from the corporate office.
3.
High availabilityA namespace offers a simple way to redirect users to other servers that contain required data when their primary server is down, helping to achieve a higher level of server availability. You can use DFS Replication to synchronize data on all servers that host a particular folder in the namespace. As a result, no matter which folder the user connects to, the user sees the same data.
4.
Ease of data access with namespace virtualizationA namespace offers uniform access across multiple
file servers, making it easier for users to “remember” their server names and easily access their data.
5.
Ease of publishing content to branch locations from the central officeDFS Replication makes it is easy to distribute core content in the corporate central office to all remote offices.
6.
Local access for users without going across the WANWith content easily publishable to local servers that are part of a namespace, users in branch offices can access their data locally. If a server malfunctions, the namespace automatically refers clients to the next closest server.
7.
Easier management of data and server locationsIT administrators benefit from a new, easy-to-use Microsoft Management Console snap-in called DFS Management. This snap-in greatly simplifies the management of DFS Replication and DFS Namespaces.
8.
Large-scale deploymentsDFS Replication is a scalable, reliable, multimaster replicator that can scale to several thousand nodes and arbitrary topologies because it stores its configuration in Active Directory. You can achieve large fan-out deployments by using hub-and-spoke topologies.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/storage/dfs/topdeploy.mspx
