[dba-Tech] Host Integration Server, Commerce Server, Small Business Server, BixTalk Server, Exchange Server, etc.

Arthur Fuller artful at rogers.com
Tue Apr 6 14:03:15 CDT 2004


I have read the various pages at microsoft.com and I still can't
understand what these packages are for, or what they include, or why I
would choose one of these over a standard Windows server + a SQL Server
installation. It's not even clear to me which OS, if any,  is included
in each package. Call me dense! I don't want to risk an install just to
find out. All the versions of said products say "2002" except Host,
which says "2000".

Can someone give me a concise rundown of what these include, at whom
they are targeted, what else I might have to install or purchase to make
it work (i.e. I don't do credit-card billing so maybe commerce server is
pointless; etc.). I think Exchange Server is primarily about integrating
many users' Outlook databases, but even that I'm not sure about. Call me
dense!

I have a genuine server, kind of old and by today's standards kind of
slow, but for my home office it's fine. It runs Windows 2000 Advanced
Server (cuz it has twin P3-400Mz chips), has a RAID setup, and currently
doesn't do much more than run SQL 2000 plus provide access to a few
shared directories.

Since I have copies of all the products mentioned in the subject line,
what might I gain by installing one or more of said products? Should I
consider installing one or more in a multi-boot setup, thereby
protecting my current installation, or should I back up my SQL data and
overwrite/update the current install?

TIA,
Arthur




More information about the dba-Tech mailing list