Win 2k3 co-located server and Linux Samba Mirrors

[Eric Shubert]

On 04/09/2012 05:37 PM, James Dugger wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I have a Company that has recently co-located their Windows 2003 Server
> to a datacenter.  The system has been in a LAN environment for 15
> years.  The main file server consists of 2 Dell 2800 poweredge file
> servers with just under 2 TB of stored files on these 2 servers in an
> array (don't know what type either 5, or 10).  The company is an
> engineering firm and so the project files involve AutoCAD .DWG, .DWF,
> and PDF drawings, along with excel, doc, and pst files (exchange server
> is also co-located with the database at 16 GB but is physically separate
> from the file server).
>
> The clients to this system are now connecting through VPNs to do work on
> their workstations.  In principle it sounds great however the biggest
> issue is the AutoCAD drawings.  The average drawing file in AutoCAD
> Civil3D is not small 100K to 250K and each file references other shared
> networked drawings (called externally referenced drawings).  These files
> can be the same or larger.  This presents an issue with bandwidth (they
> are limited to 5Mbps for the entire firm to share).
>
> I was thinking that each work site would improve there performance by
> setting up an onsite mirror of the co-located file server and that each
> site mirror would sync to the co-located server  2 -3 times per day.
> This would be only for the file server, exchange would continue pointed
> to the co-location site.
>
> My questions are based on using Linux w/Samba on a file server to mirror
> and sync with the Windows file server:
>
> 1. What recommendations for FOSS backup synchronization software does
> anyone have experience with that they could recommend for this type of use.

Unison (http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/unison/)

> 2.  Given the fact that populating the mirrors will take an enormous
> amount of time up front is there any recommendations again with item 1.
> or procedurally that will make this an easier process.

Nike net. Seriously. Copy the data to a hard drive and physically 
transport the drive to the other locations for local copying.

> 3.   Any other pitfalls or thoughts regarding the VPN, tunneling, ssh,
> connections between mirrors etc that come to mind again in relation to
> FOSS software, Linux and Samba.

DFS deserves a look to see if it can help. I don't know if it can 
redirect based on location or not. If it can, it would be useful.

> Just as a further note, the files stored on the server are standard
> Office documents and AutoCAD formats, as well as jpeg, TIFF, PDF, GIF.
> there are no databases or web servers running on the system to contend with.

What are the reasons why W2K3 is (still) being used?

You could conceivably use W2K3 simply as a domain controller (if need 
be), and samba as a file server. IMO, domain control and file storage 
are 2 distinct roles, and I think that things become simpler when 
they're treated as such. I do this even when using only samba (one host 
as a domain controller, and one host as a file server, using DFS to 
bring them together). Sort of a divide and conquer approach.

-- 
-Eric 'shubes'