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Just wondering if a network of approximately 15 users has only 1 Server Running Windows 2003 and wanted to add a "secondary server" so that in the event the "primary" fails for any reason the secondary can take control while the primary is fixed.

Is this very hard to do? Approximately how long should it take? What type of server lisc should I buy? Would I install 2008 or 2003? How does it actually "mimic" the primiary server for all its info?

The server currently is the DNS Server, AD Role, and I will check for more info. Although it's not the Exchange Server or the DHCP I would like it to maybe be in the future.

Sorry for basic questions. Just looking for some guidance.

HopelessN00b
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Ike12
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1 Answers1

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List all the actual services that the first server provides and go through them one-by-one.

For AD (and AD-integrated DNS), you get another Windows server of the same or later version, and run dcpromo on it to add it as another DC in your domain, running DNS. Adjust all your client DNS configs (usually set by their DHCP server) to use both machines as their DNS servers. Easy as pie.

For non-AD DNS ... screw it, just use AD-integrated DNS unless you have a really strong reason not too. If you're not yet, change that first.

For DHCP - you can split the scope and make each machine's pool be one-half of the scope.

Exchange - you're not going to make a DC be an Exchange machine in your environment. If you need HA for your Exchange server, you'll need another Exchange server.

You didn't mention file and print as services hosted by your current DC, so I'll assume it's not doing that.

Do you have any other services that this machine is providing, that you need redundancy for? As above - list them, and figure it out or ask more specific (new) questions.

mfinni
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