Dual domain controller and file server scenario...

[Jake]

Hi,

What do you guys do to get your system up again when your main domain
controller / fileserver goes down? Directory service and dns would be
seamless between domain controllers, but the file share location for
roaming profiles and home folder is 'hardcoded' in each user account to
the server that goes down..

We are in the process of virtualize our domain controllers/file servers.
The have access to a common SAN where profiles and home folders are
stored. We use ESX Server 3.5i if that makes any difference.

What is 'best practice' for failsafe operation in this scenario? I
would rather not use DFS as there are huge amounts of data involved and
I don't want to keep two identical copies (other than backups, which are
stored in another location

Thanks for comments and urls...

jake

 

[Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS]]

Hello Jake,

Use a clustering solution for high availability, we did it that way or you
can use Distributed file system to have multiple servers with the same folder
content.

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
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> Hi,
>
> What do you guys do to get your system up again when your main domain
> controller / fileserver goes down? Directory service and dns would be
> seamless between domain controllers, but the file share location for
> roaming profiles and home folder is 'hardcoded' in each user account
> to the server that goes down..
>
> We are in the process of virtualize our domain controllers/file
> servers.
> The have access to a common SAN where profiles and home folders are
> stored. We use ESX Server 3.5i if that makes any difference.
> What is 'best practice' for failsafe operation in this scenario? I
> would rather not use DFS as there are huge amounts of data involved
> and I don't want to keep two identical copies (other than backups,
> which are stored in another location
>
> Thanks for comments and urls...
>
> jake
>

 

[Jake]

Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS] skrev:
> Hello Jake,
>
> Use a clustering solution for high availability, we did it that way or
> you can use Distributed file system to have multiple servers with the
> same folder content.
>
> Best regards
>
> Meinolf Weber

Hi and thanks for the comment.

Unfortunately it has come to my attention that VMWare ESX Server 3.5i
does not support w2008 clustering, only w2003 clusters. One of our main
goals by going virtual was also to upgrade to w2008, which we have done now.

DFS maintains two copies of the same data. Would going the clustering
way also mean two copies of the same data? Does anyone here have a url
to a good web page explaining the difference(s) between these and other
alternatives?

My main point was not to necessarily have two copies of the same data
for high availability, but rather how to switch the 'remaining' domain
controller / file server over to correctly point to a common profile and
home folder storage share when the active server goes down. We have
good backup systems and our SAN is a dual controller high availability
solution with hotspare, so I think we can manage without keeping a live
replicate of our data.

More comments highly appreciated.

regards jake

 

[Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS]]

Hello Jake,

Without having doubled data you have to use clustering.

With clustering you use a SAN for example where the data is stored and each
cluster node can access the data. So no access will only occur if the SAN
itself is down, if a cluster node fails it will switch automatically to the
other node(s).
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003...clustering.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003...clustering.mspx

http://support.microsoft.com/winsvr2003clusthowto

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm


> Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS] skrev:
>
>> Hello Jake,
>>
>> Use a clustering solution for high availability, we did it that way
>> or you can use Distributed file system to have multiple servers with
>> the same folder content.
>>
>> Best regards
>>
>> Meinolf Weber
>>
> Hi and thanks for the comment.
>
> Unfortunately it has come to my attention that VMWare ESX Server 3.5i
> does not support w2008 clustering, only w2003 clusters. One of our
> main goals by going virtual was also to upgrade to w2008, which we
> have done now.
>
> DFS maintains two copies of the same data. Would going the clustering
> way also mean two copies of the same data? Does anyone here have a
> url to a good web page explaining the difference(s) between these and
> other alternatives?
>
> My main point was not to necessarily have two copies of the same data
> for high availability, but rather how to switch the 'remaining' domain
> controller / file server over to correctly point to a common profile
> and home folder storage share when the active server goes down. We
> have good backup systems and our SAN is a dual controller high
> availability solution with hotspare, so I think we can manage without
> keeping a live replicate of our data.
>
> More comments highly appreciated.
>
> regards jake
>