Good Research Proposal On Windows Server Deployment

Introduction

Implementation of computer architecture is a significant process that needs to be taken into consideration. There are many issues that need to be considered so that everything will go right in the solution that has been given. The deployment of Windows Server 2012 will enable users to have features that have been integrated in the new server operating system. This paper will focus on the implementation of Windows server on Worldwide Advertising, Inc. (WAI) Organization. It is meant to show the details that need to be put in place in order to have effective windows environments in an organization.

New features of Windows Server 2012

There are new features that have been integrated in Windows Server 2012 that WAI will benefit in the process. One of Windows Server 2012 is the presence of New Server Manager. It is a feature that is used to manage the server groups that will be formed in the network. The company will have locations in Los Angeles and New York. There will be different servers that will be used to manage the different users in the network. Because of the different groups that will be there in the network, it will be important to have a way in which the server groups will be able to have one management in the entire network. WAI can take advantage of the Server Group manager to be able to create different groups in the server so that they are able to manage the smaller groups. In the normal way, many users could be put on one server so that the group will be hard to manage. WAI can advantage of this feature and have the management of the server groups to be made simple.
Another feature that WAI can advantage is that of installation options that are available in the case. The new feature that has been added in the server is that of availability of command-line and GUI installation editions. It is one of the ways in which the company will manage the smaller tasks of configuration in the entire system. After the configuration has been done, the command-line edition can be used. It is a feature that will enable the company to have enhanced management.
Another feature is that of Hyper-V replication. It is one of the features that will enable the company to have features of one server in both locations. The feature will enable the company to replicate features of one server in another server. It is one of the benefits that will be useful in the entire process because the users will be able to get services as though they are using the original server. Also, it is a feature that will enable the company to have disaster recovery managed well and effectively. In case there is a disaster, WAI will make use of the feature to enable services to run as though they are normal.
There is also the feature of DirectAccess. It is the feature that will enable the company to have direct access through tunneling of the two locations. It is a feature which will enable the company to have secure connections between Los Angeles and New York without the pain of having to install VPN (Schwartz, 2013). There will be VPN features that will enable the company to have secure connections without having to incur the cost of implementing VPN.

Deployment and server editions

There are different editions of Windows Server 2012. The edition that an organization will deploy will depend on the requirements of the organization and what they would like to achieve. The deployment can be done on hardware that has been in use in the company. There is a need to ensure that the minimum features have been provided for in the hardware that will be provided. The requirements that would be needed in order to deploy the server would include i3 Intel 2.6GHz processor. This is in terms of the processor. The RAM of the computer should be at least 3GB. Although 2GB can work, it is not as fast (Thomas, 2014).
There will be a total of 5 servers which will be installed. The edition of the server that will be installed in the company will be that of Standard. The Standard edition will be essential for the case because of the features that are available on the version. It will enable the users to have some virtualization in their system. With virtualization, the company will be able to have some instances without having to have the server installed physically in place. Since there are more than 25 users, Standard edition is the most appropriate for the case that is being assessed.
The server roles have in the past been put on one server. With the advent of virtualization, it is now possible to have each role on their own servers. It has made work easier for most of the management. There will be the use of Virtual Server systems and capabilities with Windows 2012. It has these features installed and will enable some of the roles combined in the entire process. There is the possibility to have separation of every role. Because of some overhead costs, there will be the need to have the roles combined in the case. The file server can be put together on a DC. Another option would be to put DC together with a backup server. The reason why the backup server will not be an issue when combined with some role is that the backup servers usually run when all users are not using their computers. It will mean that there will be no competition for the use of resources on the network. It will be important to have these issues in place and have a better way of managing eth servers in the end (Stanek, 2014).
Most of the servers will be located on Los Angeles site. It is the location where most of the users are located. It is an aspect that will ensure that there is a better management of the user management and the creation of the profiles for the users. In total, there will be five servers. The servers are SQL server, file server, Exchange server, BES, and BackupExec. The backup server will be located in the two locations because of the roles. SQL server will also be located on the two locations.
The deployment of the servers will be deployed in an automated process. It will be done in an automated process because of the benefits of configuration. Because of the virtualization aspect, it will be easy to have the management and enhancement of the servers in the system. Future enhancements will be made easy with the automated deployment option. It is because most of the developments and enhancements have been made in an automated manner (Tulloch, 2014).

Active Directory

There will be two ADs in the network. One is Domain Name, Scheme Master, PDC, and RIC. On the other hand, the other AD serves as infrastructure master. The automatic configuration that has been recommended in the installation will have the automatic switching of the roles to the new server if there is server failure.
There will be Read-Only domain controllers in the directory. They will be used to manage the server roles which will not change over a long period of time. The AD organizational groups will be organized by having roles assigned according to the location and the ranks that the users have on the organization. Each users will have a server role according to the profile that they have on the company. It will mean that the executives will have different roles than the other users. It is one way in which to ensure that there is proper management of the users and their different roles in the company.

DNS and DHCP

The lease times for DHCP will be 8 days. It will help to have minimal tampering with the active directory users. The address range of the servers will be left at the defaults because of the network settings that will have to be done at the time of setting up the network. There will be DHCP reservations that will made use in the servers. The reservations will be useful in ensuring that the servers have their own IP addresses and will not be tampered with in the entire process. It will enable the servers have their IP addresses. There will be a split of the DNS so that there will be segmentation for internet and internal usage. The namespaces will be split to ensure that there is some separation of the namespace.

Application services

There will be application services which will be used in the infrastructure. Some of the application services that will be used include office applications, design software and database management systems. The application services will be deployed with the use of Group Policy. The Group Policy will be used so that the services will be deployed according to the profile of the users. The Group Policy will have privileges for the users of the applications which will enable the users to be able to get the required roles and responsibilities in the entire system.

Files and printer sharing

There will be a need to configure the domain so that there are shares that will be enabled. File shares will have to be enabled. The domain users in the two locations will have to have some shared services. There are some files and services which will have to be shared. Some applications will have to be shared in a common folder. There is the share folder which is found in Windows 2012 Server. There will be a need to have Distributed File System because of the two locations. There will be the need to have a file system that will enable the users in the locations to share some files. Quotas will be configured according to the roles and the level that the user has on the profile.

References

Schwartz, J. (2013). GROUP CONTROL: Dynamic Access Control in Windows Server 2012 can help IT improve file server authorization and authentication by reducing Active Directory groups. Redmond: the Independent Voice of the Microsoft IT Community, 19(1), 22-29.
Stanek, W. (2014). Windows Server 2012 R2 Pocket Consultant Volume 2: Storage, Security, & Networking. Microsoft Press.
Thomas, O. (2014). Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 R2 Services. Pearson Education.
Tulloch, M. (2014). Training Guide: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 R2. Pearson Education.