CF Standard, MS Exchange and SQL on one computer - best practices?

[shotbyshawn]

After attending Ryan Favro's session on vmware, I realized my one box should function to it's full capacity (it's a dual physical processor Supermicro/AMD Opteron w/ 8 hotswap Raptors, expandable to a quad 2.6Ghz/8Gb RAM).

I had planned on running CF Standard (bought it), SQL Express, and in fact all of my development stuff (Flex/Photoshop CS2, which I also bought)) on this box, but that idea blew up when I realized my PNY Quadro wouldn't run under Server 2003SBS (which, you guess it, I also bought LOL). So, I've stripped out the GUI-stuff - it's just going to be a server (web/email and database) now. Webserver for my own sites, so no reason to spend money I don't have on Enterprise CF. I will probably run a bunch of stuff for friends under my domain in folders, i.e., faceitphoto.ca/mystuff, faceitphoto.ca/friend1stuff, faceitphoto.ca/friend3 stuff...not more advanced than that. They can forward/cloak however they see fit at their expense.

I see SQL Is available in a version that offers web services - is that valid to me at all? Or am I good with just the MS SQL Express?

Is MS Exchange going to function fine as the email server in CF, i.e., can I point it as the source in Administrator? I have the MX entry or whatever it's called from my ISP for faceitphoto.ca pointed to my static IP.

Most importantly, as per the title, how would you recommend setting this up? Should I buy XP Pro and run SQL under it, and CF under my Server 2003 with the mailserver (Exchange) running in the same environment? Is vmware the answer here?

Any other suggestions? I'm pretty much out of money after the laptop comes...

And yes, I'm a bit out of my league here, so I will take the recommendations to someone who knows what they are doing. I want the OS/Apps drives all Ghosted when it's done (running, configured, current updates applied). This isn't for a business (yet), so please keep your $$$ recommendations with that in mind...but I am very serious about trying to buildng something I COULD turn into a small business down the road, i.e., I like to build photo galleries and have 'informal' expectations at work to maybe cobble together a dashboard with CF/SQL/Flex2/FDS2, and a few mgmt/reporting areas (they'd run it from there, this would be a development environment). Who knows from there...

Shawn

[kim_il_sung]

hi
"I see SQL Is available in a version that offers web services - is that valid to me at all? Or am I good with just the MS SQL Express?"
>Sql express is just fine for start, if you are not happy stripped sql you can allways start to use other version and import db's there.

"Is MS Exchange going to function fine as the email server in CF, i.e., can I point it as the source in Administrator? I have the MX entry or whatever it's called from my ISP for faceitphoto.ca pointed to my static IP."
>yes you can. you can still use your isp mailserver if you dont want to use/maintain exchange.

"Most importantly, as per the title, how would you recommend setting this up? Should I buy XP Pro and run SQL under it, and CF under my Server 2003 with the mailserver (Exchange) running in the same environment? Is vmware the answer here?"
>same enviroment is fine. you can spend $ to dedicated sql box but why?
you can use wmvare too, it up to yours how you want to maintain you dev/prod enviroment.

"I want the OS/Apps drives all Ghosted when it's done (running, configured, current updates applied)."
>set some raid to your disks like 2 system disks and rest for data and/or apps.
wmvare and you can have easy machine images, it make life easy when troubles come..
if you do not select wmvare you can use symantec ghost software to create images

select some backup software and maybe external hd (network capable) where you do your daily backups
and firewall to protect your stuff!

cheers
kim

[shotbyshawn]

Thank you VERY MUCH for the help with this.

I'd be much happier using Exchange than doing anything through an ISP, especially if that means I can configure Exchange once, check for securitiy occasionally, and otherwise simply be able to log into the web-based Outlook to check or send messages from my domain. I will have 2 groups of subscribers, I think, one who ask for notification when I update images in my gallery, and one when blog/comments are updated. Exchange hopefully will allow for that sort of thing, either automatically or even if I must create a distribution list and send such updates manually (which will hopefully make me less spam-like!).

My only concern with running everything under one OS is that I hear it's better for security reasons to physically separate things like your webserver and your web data and your email stuff...which I am willing to try out since my machine should have the power...but I don't have $3,500 for vmware, so I'd need to find a free/cheap solution to that end.

I'll study up on Ghost before I try to do the ghosting, after it's all running, updates and security applied, everything 'seeming' to work etc.

Thanks very much for your response, it was quite helpful.

Shawn