CF Standard, MS Exchange and SQL on one computer

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

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shotbyshawn - 29 Mar 2007 02:52 GMT

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 webserver 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, and a few mgmt/reporting areas (they'd run it from there, this
would be a development environment). Who knows from there...

Shawn

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kim il sung - 30 Mar 2007 12:48 GMT

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

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shotbyshawn - 30 Mar 2007 16:30 GMT

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

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Webmaster Forum / ColdFusion / Advanced Techniques / March 2007

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