Get ready for the old SMB infrastructure to change, as Microsoft puts the finishing touches on Small Business Server 2008 and introduces a brand-new business offering called Essential Business Server. We’ve been working with a hardware package that promises to do a great job complementing the new EBS package.

VARs who’ve spent the last five years rolling out and managing single-server networks using SBS will be glad to know that SBS 2008 Standard Edition is still designed to run on a single server, tying Windows Server 2008 Standard, Exchange Server 2007, SharePoint Services 3.0, and Server Update Services 3.0 into a coherent package. However, a move to SBS 2008 Premium or either of the Essential Business Server SKUs will require a move to two-, three-, or even four-server configurations

Essential Business Server 2008: Outgrowing SBS
Small Business Server 2003 supports up to 75 users or devices—it’s truly a small business offering. Essential Business Server builds on the solutions-oriented concept introduced by SBS and expands it to address organizations with as many as 300 systems. Right off the bat, realize that this isn’t a package resellers are intended to support. Rather, Microsoft positions the software for businesses with at least one full-time IT staffer. But just because medium-sized businesses have larger budgets for technology purchases doesn’t mean they want to exhaust their resources sifting through messaging, security, and management applications. EBS combines all of those components in a package that’s much more easily deployed (relative to from-scratch implementations) and simpler to control.

The ramifications of Intel’s decision will be widely felt if its architecture successfully makes the transition to product and then garners enough support from the software developer community. After all, Larrabee is based on an x86 architecture, unlike AMD’s Radeon or NVIDIA’s GeForce GPUs. But while the technology diverges from familiar graphics products, it’s also dissimilar from today’s most popular CPUs.

	In The Likeness Of SBS Small Business Server veterans will recognize EBS’ look and feel, but this is a medium-sized business solution spanning three separate servers and priced more like enterprise software.

The real benefit of EBS is that the software components it comprises work together. Ideally, productivity and cost savings go up as the software makes it easier to manage the complete environment, automate repetitive tasks, and keep a handle on security. In theory, the same formula that made SBS 2003 such a well-integrated solution should carry over to EBS 2008. This is especially true because it centers on Windows Server 2008, which is already incredibly user-friendly. Of course, your mileage will vary depending on the version you choose; as with SBS, Microsoft will be offering Standard and Premium editions of Essential Business Server.

Windows EBS 2008 Standard is installed across three servers, divided logically between management, messaging, and security. Each includes its own license for Windows Server 2008 Standard, but the management box also comes with System Center Essentials 2007, the messaging machine runs Exchange Server 2007 Standard with Forefront Security for Exchange, and the security system offers Microsoft’s Forefront Threat Management Gateway. Stepping up to the Premium edition adds a fourth machine, also running Windows Server 2008, plus SQL Server 2008 Standard.

Dealing With the Complexity of EBS
Why the expansion of hardware at a time when virtualization is supposed to help us consolidate servers? As mentioned, the server division is logical, not physical. You can, in fact, run EBS on an individual server with a trio of virtual machines if you and your customer agree that it’s the best course of action. And indeed, the configuration is an interesting one to consider, as it’d likely cut back on hardware costs, cooling requirements, heat output, and rack space. Knowing that some midsized businesses would pursue virtualization as a way around deploying three boxes, Microsoft created a separate (and more difficult to find) list of requirements for a box virtualizing all aspects of the EBS package.

Simplifying Management EBS makes it easy to monitor the infrastructure’s health using the green/yellow/red checkmark system introduced with SBS 2003 R2.

First and foremost, you’ll need a 64-bit processor with hardware-assisted virtualization and data execution protection—EBS is only available in 64-bit trim, and the performance demands of virtualizing three machines require acceleration. A dual- or quad-core chip will work. However, Microsoft recommends two quad-core processors, marking the most aggressive list of specs we’ve ever seen the company suggest.

Memory requirements are also through the roof. A capable server needs at least 12GB, but Microsoft says 16GB or more is preferable. Broken down, the management and messaging servers each need 4GB, while the security server can get away with just 2GB.

Install at least four hard drives: one for the host operating system (the one running Hyper-V) and one for each of the three EBS virtual machines. Of course, that’s a bare minimum setup. As with any system hosting critical data (we think that includes almost all of them, especially in a business), RAID 1 or 5 is certainly advisable. The challenge there is cramming as many as 12 disk drives into a compact chassis.

The networking requirements aren’t as stringent. You do need one adapter to connect the three EBS virtual machines to an internal network. In a production environment, you’ll need a second adapter to connect the security server to an external network. (It isn’t necessary if you’re only evaluating the software in a lab.) An optional third adapter can be used for managing the host configuration remotely. Most capable servers come with at least two Gigabit Ethernet controllers, so networking shouldn’t be a big issue.

But before you look at Microsoft’s recommendations and think to yourself “I can do this, no problem,” bear in mind that virtualization isn’t an EBS silver bullet. In fact, if you aren’t building servers with extreme redundancy, putting all of your software on one piece of hardware can be a major problem. A failed power supply, a memory issue, or even a bad battery backup could lead to the entire EBS network going down. With software distributed across a broader hardware infrastructure, the loss of a messaging box, for instance, would still leave the rest of the network functional. Microsoft’s TechNet Web page at technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc512503.aspx offers a more in-depth look at the hardware each virtual machine needs.

	Plenty of Network Connectivity The Ethernet module’s 10 external and 12 internal Gigabit Ethernet ports are more than enough to match EBS’ system requirements.

If the much-expanded hardware infrastructure isn’t enough to prove that EBS isn’t intended for the SBS crowd, its price tag should do the trick. Essential Business Server Standard costs nearly $5,500, while the Premium edition is priced in excess of $7,000. Each client access license for joining the EBS network costs $81. So, when you consider that the software suite itself only comes with five CALs, any customer interested in deploying EBS is looking at a substantial investment.

Building a Hardware Solution for EBS
Rather than advocating three separate pedestal boxes or one ultra-potent rackmount machine, we have a slightly different approach to enabling EBS in the midsize business space: Intel’s Modular Server. Just as EBS serves up a lot of enterprise-like functionality on the software side, so too does the Modular Server open the door to hard-hitting compute muscle in a package that’s easily accessible to that same audience of businesses with fewer than 300 users.

The Modular Server is contained within one 6U rackmount or pedestal box weighing in the neighborhood of 200 pounds. Up front you have a storage bay that can accommodate up to 14 hot-swappable 2.5” SAS hard drives, as many as six Compute Modules, and one hot-swap I/O Fan Module. If you already have experience working with blades, you’ll definitely get that vibe from Intel’s offering. The key distinction is that the Modular Server separates storage and processing, yielding a much more flexible configuration of compute nodes and capacity pools.

	Adding On Just because Intel’s Modular Server includes 14 drive bays doesn’t mean that’s your limit. The storage control module offers four more lanes of SAS for connecting additional storage.

Server compute modules are most closely identifiable as blade nodes. Each one is based on an Intel 5000P chipset able to support a pair of dual- or quad-core Xeon 5000-series processors. Eight FB-DIMM memory slots take up to 32GB of memory per node. And an integrated LSI 1064E SAS controller allows the compute module to interface with the server’s 2.5” disks.

As mentioned, the storage bay takes a maximum of 14 2.4” SAS disks. Stuffed with 10,000 RPM drives like Seagate’s 300GB Savvio 10K.3s, you’re looking at a maximum of 4.2TB total capacity. Installed storage forms a large pool, which you can carve up and assign to each compute module depending on its task. If, for instance, you knew that the host operating system in a virtualized EBS installation needed no more than 50GB and each of the virtual machines needed 80GB, you’d likely install three or four 300GB drives in a RAID 5 array and divvy the pool up between each VM.

The only other bay accessible through the server’s front-end belongs to the I/O Fan Module, responsible for cooling the storage and included with the Modular Server.

Flip the chassis around and you’ll find a handful of components responsible for communication between the compute and disk subsystems, like the storage control module. Equipped with RAID 0, 1, 1E, 5, 6, and 10 support, the storage module also includes a mini x4 external SAS port for attaching additional storage. Battery backup, global/dedicated hot-spare capabilities, and room for an optional second control module help ensure that even if a piece of the server’s storage infrastructure dies, redundancy will keep the machine running.

The Ethernet Module’s job is self-explanatory. It enables 10 external Gigabit Ethernet ports and 12 internal Gigabit ports, which facilitate communication beyond the Modular Server out to your customer’s network.

In its stock form, Intel’s server includes two 1,000W power supplies. That pair supports two to three compute modules, plus all of the other modules (storage, Ethernet, management, etc). Add a third PSU and you have enough juice to populate all six compute modules. Of course, the power supply is another possible point of failure in a mission-critical environment like EBS. So, employing three supplies in a 2-3 module arrangement remains the key to maintaining redundancy. Should your customer expand to four or more compute nodes, add the fourth PSU as a safety measure.

	Room to Grow The back of Intel’s Modular Server takes up to five different modules (one management, two Ethernet, and two storage), four power supplies, and a pair of hot-swap fan modules.

Tying Intel’s Modular Server to EBS
The Modular Server launched in January of this year. Microsoft’s EBS launches early in November. Yet, the two products seem made for each other. EBS Standard gives you a choice between installing three copies of Windows Server 2008 to a trio of separate machines or three copies of Server 2008 to one much more powerful box that can handle the entire package on three virtual machines. Either way, resellers will need to weigh the pros and cons of going wide with multiple boxes or putting all of their software eggs in one basket. That’s where Intel’s Modular Server comes into play.

Equipped with as many as six compute nodes and as many as 14 2.5” SAS drives, the Modular Server is in many ways blade-like. However, because the storage and processing are separate, it becomes far more flexible and thus, much more attractive to the limited IT staff serving most medium-sized businesses. Start with three compute nodes, each armed with a quad-core Xeon and 4-8GB of memory. Slide in enough hard disks to give each compute node its requisite 80GB of storage with at least RAID 5 protection. Demonstrate how easy it is to manage the hardware and software using Intel’s and Microsoft’s respective solutions. Then, sell the combo as the answer to running a medium-sized business in one box—after all, it’s a collection of enterprise-class technologies distilled into a single 6U solution.