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Hello all, I found your forums whilst searching Google for MCAD info. After trawling through copious amounts of marketing dribble from various training organisations I found it refreshing to find a more objective place with opinions i feel i can trust a little better ;).

Background:
I'm 24 years old, and currently work as the sole programmer in a new company that deals in web-generated data management. I graduated with a degree (BSc) in "Software Development with Artificial Intelligence" last year, and have been working for my current employer since September. My work is mainly non-Microsoft web based (PHP/MySQL/JavaScript/etc), and my degree was mainly Java based with appearances from C++/Scheme/Prolog/the aforementioned web technologies/a few others. Non Microsoft. The computers we used for the course were even Unix based.

Now; both morally and historically I myself am quite anti-Microsoft so my ignorance of them hasn't really bothered me, but my opinion of at least their technologies has risen since they stole Borland's lead programmers and paid them to copy J2EE and make Visual Studio languages worth using {morality--}.

Anyway, I recently suggested to my boss that we would be better off running our internal systems (invoicing, data management, etc) on a local Win2k3 server, ie *internally*, rather than running them all on a website on some remote webspace somewhere (the guy who preceeded me was an absolute muppet - square peg: round hole). So here I am, wanting to aquire .NET skills so I can develop some Windows-based round pegs for those round holes .

P.S: Heh, copy-before-submit just saved me from login-timeout-deletion.

 

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Greetings, M3ntal. Welcome to CertForums.

 

Welcome to CF!

 

Hi M3ntal,

Welcome 2 CF

 

Welcome to CF!

 

Hello!

 

Welcome to CF!

Silly question - if all these 'internal' systems use things like PHP and MySQL why not run them on a Linux server instead of Win3k?

You would be more familiar with them, and I suspect you will get a better 'bang for the buck' that way!

Harry.

 

i'm not sure i understand. you say you are most familiar with php and mysql (which indeed, as harry mentioned, you really should run on linux/bsd boxes), then why do you want to go completely the other way, and even recommend .net on windows boxes to your boss, when you're not even trained in it yet. on what basis did you form that recommendation? i can see why you would want to keep everything inhouse, but that doesn't explain the switch to windows. could you perhaps elaborate?

oh, and welcome.

 

Basically, we're getting a Win2k3 server anyway to use as a domain controller with Active Directory, Group Policies, etc for all our office PC's which run XP.

Our current invoicing / data management software was written by the same aforementioned muppet who didn't have a clue what he was doing. As such it is bloated, slow, badly written, has next to no structure (i don't think the guy ever heard of database normalisation - it has 7 identical tables with different names to denote the source of the data, rather than one table with an extra column, for example) and needs re-writing from the ground up anyway.

Rather than buy a second Linux server and re-write the system still using PHP with a web browser interface, i figured it would be better to use the server we are already getting and write a native Windows client application instead. This system will be used by over 50% of our employees on a daily basis, and will probably have to survive for at least a few years, so i'm trying to find the best long-term solution to this problem and i reckon it is worth spending a bit of time adapting my own knowledge and skills to fit around that.

 

Welcome to CF m3ntal

 

okay, i see where you're going. how big is your user base? i usually recommend to keep your domain controller dedicated to it's main task, namely controlling the domain. but if the number of users is low, and/or money is tight, then adding additional tasks is acceptable, i guess. will you need to install an sql server?

 

I'd agree with d-Faktor. *Don't* put this app on the DC.

It needs to be on it's own box. You could run into horrendous load problems if you aren't carefull.

Harry.

 

G'day M3ntal, glad you found us

 

As i said, we are a new company, so we is small and money is indeed tight, hence the reason i'm just paying for the exams rather than doing a full training course. I'm really just after the knowledge, but i figure i may as well get the cert while i'm doing it.

There are currently 7 users using the old system, and we can see that increasing to maybe 20 maximum in the next year, so it doesn't really warrant a dedicated server yet (in my opinion; some actual load figures from anyone with a similar setup would be appreciated). I'm thinking something around a 2GHz, possibly dual core, and 2GB RAM will be plenty to handle it all (maybe even a little overkill). Of course, tell me if you think i am way off the mark ;). We can always buy a second server in a year or so if we need, when funding will be a little more fluid.

I'm planning on installing a MySQL server on it, on the basis that first of all it is a lot cheaper (free) and second of all it'll be a little more lightweight than MSSQL Server. Microsoft reckons that an MSSQL Server with dual 3GHz Xeons and 4GB RAM is the perfect setup to handle over 10,000 users, so i'm thinking my intended setup should be able to handle 20 SQL users and manage 20 client machines.

P.S: Thanks for all the welcomes .

 

I still wouldn't do it. And you can pick up a machine that would run Linux and handle that many users for petty cash!

This is your company money you are handling with this invoice system! I wouldn't let anything else near it!

Harry.

 

Are you saying you don't think one Win2k3 server can handle AD, GP and a MySQL DB for 20 users? I understand that Linux is more secure, but the only way into this server from the outside world will be VPN anyway, and only by myself and my boss.

 

No - it will handle it almost certainly. It is just that I wouldn't put financial stuff that is important on the same machine as a DC.

I've seen too many DCs get trashed and have to be re-loaded to be comfortable with such an arrangement!

Harry.

 

m3ntal, that machine will be able to handle it just fine, but for the price of a 2ghz dualcore 2gb ram, you can also get two less powerful machines, and thus have the opportunity to keep the application off the domain controller, and still service 20 users with ease.
spending the entire budget on one big server, and then putting everything on it, may not be the most efficient way to do it, both technically and financially. just a thought.

 

Ok, i'll keep what you have both said in mind, and re-evaluate the situation with my boss on Friday.

Thanks .

 

Have you checked out Microsoft Small Business Server 2003? The premium edition comes with SQL and ISA. It has it's limitations but for a small business it's really great.

I know it breaks all the rules having apps, exchange, AD, SQL, ISA all on the same box but Microsoft have managed to pull it off and produce a very popular product.

http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/sbs/evaluation/features/default.mspx