- Joined
- Nov 22, 2008
- Messages
- 1,506
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- 48
A couple of days ago, I put together a pair of backup servers with the following hardware:
Intel Atom 330 (dual-core) 1.6ghz (D945GCLF2D)
2gb ddr2-800 (underclocked)
1TB WDC Black
Noah Black Mini-ITX case
Windows Server 2003
Total cost (excluding software) was £225 per unit - certainly not bad. However, the performance I get with these is simply staggering, especially when you consider under load it's eating a meager 35W! I'm using it as a domain controller, DNS and file/print server currently, and a cross-site interface between my houses. I manage about 10 computers across 2 houses (I'm the "tech-head" of the family, and got tired of doing everything manually)
However, I have a couple of questions for someone better-versed in Windows Server than I am:
1. I want both servers to be referred to by one name (so logon scripts can mount network drives), but for this to always refer to the server of the house the machine is in. Each machine has the same IP address for each house (both are 192.168.2.200), so I could mount by IP, but is there a "nicer" solution? I considered a HOSTS tweak, but I'm pretty sure it can also be done in DNS, which saves me time changing each hosts file manually.
2. I realise that Active Directory supports multiple sites, but my router hardware is cheap, so I plan to use Hamachi instead, and SyncToy. This way, each server can contact the other and sync files, and people can't print to the wrong house by accident, and file transfers "cross-site" can be triggered on logoff or overnight. However, this raises the issue of what setup should I use regarding Sites - I presume it would be simplest to make each server the domain controller for the house it's in, but make it all part of one conceptual "site" (spanning multiple real-life sites). Is this possible? More importantly, is this the most sensible solution?
Charlie
Intel Atom 330 (dual-core) 1.6ghz (D945GCLF2D)
2gb ddr2-800 (underclocked)
1TB WDC Black
Noah Black Mini-ITX case
Windows Server 2003
Total cost (excluding software) was £225 per unit - certainly not bad. However, the performance I get with these is simply staggering, especially when you consider under load it's eating a meager 35W! I'm using it as a domain controller, DNS and file/print server currently, and a cross-site interface between my houses. I manage about 10 computers across 2 houses (I'm the "tech-head" of the family, and got tired of doing everything manually)
However, I have a couple of questions for someone better-versed in Windows Server than I am:
1. I want both servers to be referred to by one name (so logon scripts can mount network drives), but for this to always refer to the server of the house the machine is in. Each machine has the same IP address for each house (both are 192.168.2.200), so I could mount by IP, but is there a "nicer" solution? I considered a HOSTS tweak, but I'm pretty sure it can also be done in DNS, which saves me time changing each hosts file manually.
2. I realise that Active Directory supports multiple sites, but my router hardware is cheap, so I plan to use Hamachi instead, and SyncToy. This way, each server can contact the other and sync files, and people can't print to the wrong house by accident, and file transfers "cross-site" can be triggered on logoff or overnight. However, this raises the issue of what setup should I use regarding Sites - I presume it would be simplest to make each server the domain controller for the house it's in, but make it all part of one conceptual "site" (spanning multiple real-life sites). Is this possible? More importantly, is this the most sensible solution?
Charlie
