Solve : Test Servers?

1.	Solve : Test Servers?
Answer» Hi Guys and girls, I've got a couple of TEST servers at the moment, and I'm at a bit of a loss with what to do with them. They're my own personal kit, at my house, which has a dreadfully slow broadband connection (0.5Mbps down, 0.35Mbps up). I've got: A Dell 2450, with 60ish GB HDD space and 2 x 1GHz (32 bit) CPU's with (I think) 1GB RAM A 1U Supermicro SERVER with 160GB HDD space and 1 x 2.4 (I think)(32 bit) HT CPU with 4GB of RAM. At the minute I've got ESXi 3.5 running on the supermicro, and nothing on the 2450. I'm keen to work with MS technologies, as that's what I work with in my day-to-day (I'm a tech support / sys admin for a small company), so I'm thinking of getting the Technet Plus Std subscription. With that said, I was curious to see what others would do given the hardware? I'm thinking about having a play with Linux, but the proper stuff like CentOS, as I want my "play things" to have transferable skills. In other words, it's no good playing with Ubuntu Desktop stuff when coporations don't really use it. I'm also keen to setup some "play websites", and I know dotnetnuke well enough that I could do some serious playing with it. So, I open it up to you, what would you "play with" given this situation?I would play around with sharepoint. Seems like a lot of companies are starting to use that. If you're just wanting to work with Microsoft stuff, try using Hyper-V instead of VMWare. I've got a Hyper-V box with 16 VMs at work that's working like a charm. If you don't want to pay for a windows server license, you can download the Hyper-V Server for free straight from Microsoft.Quote from: michaewlewis on March 02, 2011, 10:16:58 AM I would play around with sharepoint. Seems like a lot of companies are starting to use that. If you're just wanting to work with Microsoft stuff, try using Hyper-V instead of VMWare. I've got a Hyper-V box with 16 VMs at work that's working like a charm. If you don't want to pay for a windows server license, you can download the Hyper-V Server for free straight from Microsoft. Don't you need a 64 bit CPU with VT (or an AMD 64 bit CPU) to run Hyper-V? I'm considering plonking down to DOSH to get Technet Plus, so I wouldn't need to worry about licences...either that or get a 64 bit box that can pass those 64 bits down to a VM, and then get the subscription later this year. Ironically, I got a Sharepoint 2007 for Dummies book that I need to read through.Yep, you're right. I missed that point. In addition to sharepoint, how are you with Active Directory, DNS, IIS, and the like? (stuff that COMES built into server os)Quote from: michaewlewis on March 02, 2011, 10:37:49 AM Yep, you're right. I missed that point. In addition to sharepoint, how are you with Active Directory, DNS, IIS, and the like? (stuff that comes built into server os) AD, DNS, IIS, all of those fall under my day-to-day responsibilities at my job. Here we're really only using 2003 across probably 15-20 servers throughout the company. We've got 2 datacentre locations, and the main office (HQ) with VPN's running between all 3 sites (a mix of Cisco-Cisco and Windows-Windows.) We've got a 2008 server running Virtual Server 2005 R2, but that's about it for "new" technologies...which is why I'm keen to learn stuff at home. I'm keen to expand my skill set with newer tech and transferrable skills. Lol, this is beginning to sound like an introduction at an interview!Well, with a technet subscription, you get access to more microsoft software and resources that you can try out for free. Maybe you should make that the priority and get your x64 system later.Quote from: michaewlewis on March 03, 2011, 09:19:21 AM Well, with a technet subscription, you get access to more microsoft software and resources that you can try out for free. Maybe you should make that the priority and get your x64 system later. I'm 50/50 on which way to do it, as all the new MS stuff is 64 bit only. I think I'll try and sell some stuff off and then buy a 64 bit machine, and then get Technet Plus.How much are your test servers worth? Maybe you could sell them and get a newer server with the money you make from them..... And remember, for testing purposes especially, you don't need server class hardware to set up a server. You could get a cheap 64 bit workstation and and throw server software on it.They're probably not worth £100 in total. So I'll probably just save up and get something that's 64 bit and can act as a hypervisor.

Answer»

Hi Guys and girls,

I've got a couple of TEST servers at the moment, and I'm at a bit of a loss with what to do with them.

They're my own personal kit, at my house, which has a dreadfully slow broadband connection (0.5Mbps down, 0.35Mbps up).

I've got:
A Dell 2450, with 60ish GB HDD space and 2 x 1GHz (32 bit) CPU's with (I think) 1GB RAM

A 1U Supermicro SERVER with 160GB HDD space and 1 x 2.4 (I think)(32 bit) HT CPU with 4GB of RAM.

At the minute I've got ESXi 3.5 running on the supermicro, and nothing on the 2450.

I'm keen to work with MS technologies, as that's what I work with in my day-to-day (I'm a tech support / sys admin for a small company), so I'm thinking of getting the Technet Plus Std subscription.

With that said, I was curious to see what others would do given the hardware?

I'm thinking about having a play with Linux, but the proper stuff like CentOS, as I want my "play things" to have transferable skills. In other words, it's no good playing with Ubuntu Desktop stuff when coporations don't really use it.

I'm also keen to setup some "play websites", and I know dotnetnuke well enough that I could do some serious playing with it.

So, I open it up to you, what would you "play with" given this situation?I would play around with sharepoint. Seems like a lot of companies are starting to use that. If you're just wanting to work with Microsoft stuff, try using Hyper-V instead of VMWare. I've got a Hyper-V box with 16 VMs at work that's working like a charm. If you don't want to pay for a windows server license, you can download the Hyper-V Server for free straight from Microsoft.Quote from: michaewlewis on March 02, 2011, 10:16:58 AM

I would play around with sharepoint. Seems like a lot of companies are starting to use that. If you're just wanting to work with Microsoft stuff, try using Hyper-V instead of VMWare. I've got a Hyper-V box with 16 VMs at work that's working like a charm. If you don't want to pay for a windows server license, you can download the Hyper-V Server for free straight from Microsoft.

Don't you need a 64 bit CPU with VT (or an AMD 64 bit CPU) to run Hyper-V?

I'm considering plonking down to DOSH to get Technet Plus, so I wouldn't need to worry about licences...either that or get a 64 bit box that can pass those 64 bits down to a VM, and then get the subscription later this year.

Ironically, I got a Sharepoint 2007 for Dummies book that I need to read through.Yep, you're right. I missed that point.
In addition to sharepoint, how are you with Active Directory, DNS, IIS, and the like? (stuff that COMES built into server os)Quote from: michaewlewis on March 02, 2011, 10:37:49 AM

Yep, you're right. I missed that point.
In addition to sharepoint, how are you with Active Directory, DNS, IIS, and the like? (stuff that comes built into server os)

AD, DNS, IIS, all of those fall under my day-to-day responsibilities at my job.

Here we're really only using 2003 across probably 15-20 servers throughout the company. We've got 2 datacentre locations, and the main office (HQ) with VPN's running between all 3 sites (a mix of Cisco-Cisco and Windows-Windows.)

We've got a 2008 server running Virtual Server 2005 R2, but that's about it for "new" technologies...which is why I'm keen to learn stuff at home.

I'm keen to expand my skill set with newer tech and transferrable skills.

Lol, this is beginning to sound like an introduction at an interview!Well, with a technet subscription, you get access to more microsoft software and resources that you can try out for free. Maybe you should make that the priority and get your x64 system later.Quote from: michaewlewis on March 03, 2011, 09:19:21 AM

Well, with a technet subscription, you get access to more microsoft software and resources that you can try out for free. Maybe you should make that the priority and get your x64 system later.

I'm 50/50 on which way to do it, as all the new MS stuff is 64 bit only.

I think I'll try and sell some stuff off and then buy a 64 bit machine, and then get Technet Plus.How much are your test servers worth? Maybe you could sell them and get a newer server with the money you make from them..... And remember, for testing purposes especially, you don't need server class hardware to set up a server. You could get a cheap 64 bit workstation and and throw server software on it.They're probably not worth £100 in total.

So I'll probably just save up and get something that's 64 bit and can act as a hypervisor.

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