Where Microsoft’s EBS fits in

In the world of Microsoft server rollouts, we’re typically faced with two choices: either a Small Business Server (SBS) for the all-in-one option that supports organizations with up to 75 users or devices, or the full Server that can expand to meet thousands of users within your organization.

SBS 2008 includes Exchange 2007 (the underlying cause for it needing to be installed on a 64-bit system) and (a free download), plus some trial subscriptions to new Microsoft products like Forefront. The Standard Edition is a single server, whereas the Premium Edition allows for a secondary SQL Server. But you are limited in terms of corporate growth.

That is where Windows Essential Business Server (EBS) fills a need. With its ability to be used with up to 300 users and/or devices, this new option is perfect for the midsized enterprise. In addition to allowing for more users to connect, additional servers are permitted and more server types are automatically included.

In the Standard Edition, you can have three 64-bit servers, which will include application services like Exchange 2007, System Center Essentials, Forefront Security for Exchange, and Forefront Threat Management Gateway (previously known as an Internet Security and Acceleration Server). In the Premium Edition you have the same options but with an added SQL Server 2008 server, allowing for four servers.

There are four different servers. Microsoft breaks them into the following categories:

• Management Server: Running Server 2008 with Active Directory Domain Services; includes System Center Essentials.
• Messaging Server: Running Server 2008 with Active Directory Domain Services; includes both Exchange Server 2007 and Forefront Security for Exchange Server.
• Security Server: Running Server 2008 with Exchange Server 2007 and Forefront Threat Management Gateway.
• Database Server: Running Server 2009 with SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition; note that this is available only for the Premium EBS.

Logically, if your environment is in the 100- to 275-user range, you should consider the EBS product as a more affordable and manageable option than a full server deployment.

One of the features I like is the Centralized Administration Console. After all these years with Active Directory and working through the existing consoles, I’m comfortable with the Microsoft Management Consoles. But the Centralized Administration Console is a simple, one-stop-shop way for administrators to perform all their tasks.

One of the biggest dilemmas in a midsize business is not the quality of your administrators (typically, they are some of the most knowledgeable and resourceful jack-of-all-server-trades in the business) but the difficulty in maintaining too many balls in the air. Having an “all in one” server product with a single admin console that lets admins manage their environment and automate common tasks will make their lives simpler.

The features available in the Centralized Administration Console include:

• System Health: Shows an icon oriented status for services like Active Directory, Exchange, Security, Firewall, and so forth.
• Security: Displays the status of firewall, antivirus and anti-spam applications, and receives information from Forefront, Exchange and System Center Essentials.
• Computers and Devices: Provides views and tasks for managing computers, printers and other devices on the network.
• Users and Groups: Contains views and tasks for creating and managing users, security groups and distribution lists.
Licenses: Lets you quickly review your compliance with license agreements and your license installation history.

Licensing is always a nightmare for administrators. But with EBS, there is a single Client Access License (CAL) for all of the included products, so so you don’t need a different license for each product, just the one per employee (again, up to 300 desktops). These are not floating licenses but instead are tied to a specific user or device. If a user leaves the company, you can reassign the license.

Some people have asked about whether this licensing approach will work with virtualization. Microsoft says you can absolutely run EBS in both a physical and virtual operating system environment. If you are running it in a virtual OS, you can install an additional instance of Server 2008 on a physical system to actually run the hardware virtualization software, and EBS will virtualize on top.

One highly praised feature with EBS (one blogger actually said, “It rocks!” which is sort of goofy, but it’s nice to see someone still excited about technology) is the Remote Web Workspace. This allows for a secure Web site for administration that can be accessed both locally and remotely (if allowed). One cool aspect of this remote connection is that you can check e-mail (through Outlook Web Access) while performing administrative work. Rather than having to connect to your OWA and connect to your RWW separately, it makes sense that these two should work together.

If you log in as an administrator, you will see administrative links that let you perform administrative tasks remotely on both the servers and the clients, including remote control administration.

I’m curious to hear what admins think about the EBS option for their environment. Would you prefer all the flexibility that a full server install gives, or do you like the ease of administration and licensing that EBS offers?