Q: (from Bill)
With many servers I build for clients, I either partition the RAID drive into a smaller OS part & a larger “Data” one, or if the client can afford it, use a large enough server to have two separate RAID drives – a mirrored one for the OS and a much larger RAID 5 for their data. When I installed SBS 2003 in the past, I’d simply tell Exchange to keep it’s “data” on the other partition, as it would only install SBS\Exchange in the OS partition.
So, with SBS 2011, can I do the same kind of thing? Can I have two partitions (or two drives) in that one box and then have SBS install Exchange in the “Data” partition, or will it allow me to move the Exchange data to that other partition as I’ve done in the past with 2003??
I’ve installed Exch 2011, but not as part of SBS, so it was no problem putting it all in the non-OS partition.
Obviously I need to know before I order hardware for these upgrade clients.
A: (with contribution from Woody Walton)
You still have the choice:
D. PLANNING OF THE SETUP Partitioning a server is a religious argument. Whatever configuration you decide, ensure that you configure at least 120 gigs for the main C: partition. This to ensure you have plenty of room for the SXS folder When you install SBS 2011 it installs the entire server image on the C: drive and then once the server is completed you have the option to go back and use the console wizards to move Exchange data, SharePoint data and WSUS data. Remember that like all SBS’s before it, while you can have additional domain controllers, you cannot have two SBS’s in the same network with the exception of the 21 days during the migration period. SBS 2011 standard supports a maximum of 75 users or devices, must be the PDC, hold the FSMO roles, and cannot support trust domains. From http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/small-business-server-2011-standard-build-document-i-overview-of-sbs-2011.aspx
D. PLANNING OF THE SETUP
Partitioning a server is a religious argument. Whatever configuration you decide, ensure that you configure at least 120 gigs for the main C: partition. This to ensure you have plenty of room for the SXS folder When you install SBS 2011 it installs the entire server image on the C: drive and then once the server is completed you have the option to go back and use the console wizards to move Exchange data, SharePoint data and WSUS data. Remember that like all SBS’s before it, while you can have additional domain controllers, you cannot have two SBS’s in the same network with the exception of the 21 days during the migration period. SBS 2011 standard supports a maximum of 75 users or devices, must be the PDC, hold the FSMO roles, and cannot support trust domains.
From http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/small-business-server-2011-standard-build-document-i-overview-of-sbs-2011.aspx
You can then move the Exchange data store to another partition after installation using the same tools that come with Exchange 2010:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd351168.aspx
Steve