Dayton, OH Questions and Answers Windows 2003R2 and Exchange SP2 (1-19-2006)

Good afternoon Dayton!  Thank you to everyone coming out to the Fairfield commons and talking about Windows 2003 R2 and Exchange SP2.  I hope everyone learned something new and enjoyed themselves.  There were a few questions that I did some research on.  So here the Questions and Answers from the event.  As always feel free to comment if I missed any question or if you need additional information, enjoy! 

Q: What protocols and ports does Distributed File System DFS use?
A:
The Distributed File System (DFS) integrates disparate file shares that are located across a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) into a single logical namespace. The DFS service is required for Active Directory domain controllers to advertise the SYSVOL shared folder.

Distributed File System (DFS)
Application protocol Protocol Ports
NetBIOS Datagram Service     UDP                138
NetBIOS Session Service         TCP                139
LDAP Server                           TCP                389
LDAP Server                           UDP                389
SMB                                        TCP                445
RPC                                         TCP                135
Randomly high TCP ports         TCP                 random port number between 1024 - 65534

This is a great question and I get this question frequently, not necessarily about DFS (listed above), but in general about all Windows Server core network port requirements).  There is a great KB article found here:  
KB 832017: https://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;832017

Q: Can Distributed File System (DFS) replicate Windows Share Point Files?
A:
No, DFS can only be used for files that are closed, because files are replicated only after they are closed, using DFS Replication for data collection is not advised for databases or any other types of files that are held open for long periods of time.  There are even some problems with Outlook .pst files as well.  You will have to set Outlook to periodically lock .pst file in addition depending on the version of Outlook you may need a hotfix to make it work properly.  There is a great TechNet article that discusses in detail DFS. 
Located here: https://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/1aa249c0-40f3-4974-b67f-e650b602415e1033.mspx

Q: Can I load Exchange SP2 on Small Business Server 2003 (SBS)?
A:
Yes. Windows Small Business Server 2003 with SP1 fully supports Exchange Server 2003 SP2. Exchange Server 2003 SP2 was tested to ensure compatibility.  Check out the SP2 FAQ: https://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/sp2/faq.mspx 

Q: Will there be a Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2?
A:
Yes there will be.  Once it becomes available there will be a version for SBS.  For some more information take a look here: https://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/sbs/r2/default.mspx

Q: Can you change the volume where the Shadow Copies are created in System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM)?
A:
  Yes, you can.  You create areas of storage called Storage Pools.  The storage pool is a set of disks on which the DPM server stores the replicas, shadow copies, and transfer logs for the protected data. Planning the storage pool involves choosing sources for storage capacity, calculating capacity requirements, and planning the configuration of the disks. DPM can use any of the following for storage pool capacity:

· Direct attached storage (DAS)

· Fibre Channel storage area network (SAN)

· iSCSI storage device or SAN

The storage pool supports most disk types, including Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), and SCSI, and supports both the master boot record (MBR) and GUID partition table (GPT) partition styles.

The storage pool does not support USB/1394 disks.

To learn more about how to deploy DPM (planning, sizing, configuration,…etc.)  check out the the System Center Data Protection Manager Planning and deployment guide: https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=034FCFD6-DEFE-44BC-BF18-F4A22CB17D95&displaylang=en 

Q: Can you turn off the automatic system restore for Windows XP volumes?
A:
  Yes, you can, you can even turn it off for specific volumes.  To disable System Restore from monitoring a particular drive, click Start followed by Control Panel and double click the System icon. Then click on the System Restore tab on the System dialog box. Depending on your disk setup, use the following instructions:

  • Single partition: Clear the Turn off system restore check box to disable System Restore.
  • Multiple disks or partitions: To prevent System Restore from monitoring a particular partition, click on the drive to disable and then the settings option. Clear the Turn off System Restore check box to disable monitoring the drive in question. You cannot disable monitoring of the system drive explicitly; you must disable System Restore for the entire system to prevent system drive monitoring.

There is a great FAQ on System Restore here: https://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/plan/faqsrwxp.mspx