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

Question

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 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.
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/FDS2, and a few mgmt/reporting areas
(they'd run it from there, this would be a development
environment). Who knows from there...
Shawn

Answer 1

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