In today’s computing environment, uptime is a critical factor. This is because information technology has slowly crept up from the supporting position it had years back—suddenly we look up and IT is not merely enhancing business operations, it in itself has become business operations. When a customer is placing an order, it is directly or nearly directly with a computer. When a shipment is received by a customer, the receiving signature is scanned and receipt is immediately confirmed through a computer. Messaging, quotes, accounting, inventory—they’re all done straight through automated systems that cannot afford downtime.
Now that so many servers are “front and center” and must run 24X7, time to perform tasks such as anti-virus, backups and defrag has become incredibly scarce. So scarce, in fact, that some sites put off defrag until performance is absolutely intolerable and the only choice is to bring a system down and run a manual or scheduled defragmentation.
Disk fragmentation occurs when a file is broken up into pieces to fit on the disk. Because files are constantly being written, deleted and resized, fragmentation is a natural occurrence. When a file is spread out over several locations, it takes longer to read and write. But the effects of fragmentation are far more widespread: Slow performance, long boot-times, random crashes and freeze-ups — even a complete inability to boot up at all. Many users blame these problems on the operating systems, when disk fragmentation is often the real culprit.
In the context of administering computer systems, defragmentation is a process that reduces the amount of fragmentation in file systems. It does this
by physically reorganizing the contents of the disk to store the pieces of each file close together and contiguously. It also attempts to create larger regions of free space using compaction to impede the return of fragmentation. Some defragmenters also try to keep smaller files within a single directory together, as they are often accessed in sequence.
Jim Bernal, Senior Network Engineer with Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett in Chicago, Illinois, found out just how bad it can get. “We constantly had servers running slowly and getting really fragmented from constant file access and over time file access would almost halt or take minutes to access a file,” Bernal said. “We also had problems with users logging in with domain controllers sometimes rejecting users because of timeouts in communicating with our DNS servers.”
Like many sites today, Bernal’s company was running the whole gamut of services and applications, including Microsoft Exchange, SQL, fileservers, domain controllers, print servers, Terminal Services, Live Communications servers, accounting software, SharePoint and Virtual Services servers for virtualization.
But also like many sites, Bernal’s fortunately discovered Disk Defragmentation. Only a high quality disk defragmenter utilizes only otherwise-idle system resources, so defrag takes place whenever and wherever possible. There is never a negative performance hit from defragmentation, and no scheduling is ever required. Performance is always maximized, so systems can remain up and running.
Today, taking your systems down is the same as taking part of your business down. Therefore it is always well said that its better to take care of your servers & systems before the problem becomes incurable. So go ahead & download your copy of a free Disk Defragmentation Software.
By C Toumayan
Showing posts with label Server. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Server. Show all posts
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
10 Reasons Why Your Business Needs A Server
Ever wonder how a server could benefit your business? LANstar offers you some free computer support information and the reasons why...
Computer ServersBecause you don't want to lose data if something goes wrong – Any reliable computer technician will tell you that backing up data stored on individual computers is not only impractical, it's unreliable. Storing all your data on a server and then backing up all of the data on that server is more likely to work properly without interruption and it is also easier to manage. Even if you decide to back-up via an on-line service, backing up one machine is typically easier and less expensive than backing up multiple computers.
Because you want your data secure – Storing sensitive accounting, human resources, or intellectual property information on your workstation or even an auxiliary storage device does not ensure that the data is restricted and protected. Sever security settings can easily and effectively limit data access to just certain people in the office.
The ability to work from home/remotely – In today's work environment, mobility and accessibility are the name of the game. With a server in your office, you can easily access all of your internal data without incurring the additional monthly cost of a router or remote access program.
Because you are running out of space to store data – Servers offer the flexibility of massive data storage on redundant and fault-tolerant drives. So, even if one of the drives fails, the remaining drives will still contain all of your data.
Because you need/want to use Microsoft Exchange - If you have numerous email addresses and/or you are tired of having to rely on your Email Service Provider to set up or delete email addresses employees come and go, Exchange may save you time and money. Exchange allows you to add, delete, or change all of your own email addresses easily and immediately without any monthly cost to you.
Because you're concerned about viruses and/or spyware on your network – The two ways to keep your computers protected are either to continually and constantly monitor each workstation or to install virus/spyware protection on a server. By using a server, protection updates are automatically downloaded to the server, which is then responsible for ensuring that every workstation connected to the network has the latest protection installed.
Because you have applications all employees must access – The most common way of sharing applications is to install it on one workstation and “share” it with other users. Unfortunately, this will ultimately slow down that user's workstation and limited to the abilities of the application's performance. This can result in poor performance and a great chance of long-term failure.
Because you need to centrally manage all employees/computers – Without a server, each employee can only log onto his/her computer, and when an employee leaves it becomes difficult or impossible to recover the password. With a server, all usernames and passwords are managed from one central location so you can add, delete, and change the access levels and passwords without needing to know the old password.
Because my computers are slow – Two of the most common causes of slow computers are an old processor and insufficient memory. Moving applications to a server can allow a user to take advantage of the improved speed and performance of a server without requiring an upgrade to the workstation. The money saved on workstation upgrades can quickly eclipse the entire cost of a new server.
Because I need a domain – A domain is the way by which a server tells every network computer which devices are supposed to be on the network and which therefore be trusted. All devices that are part of a domain are registered with the server to that it knows to allow access and and from certain domain devices. A domain is often required by many centralized database applications so that the server can properly communicate with each workstation, but it is also another valuable layer of security.
By: Joel Ray
Computer ServersBecause you don't want to lose data if something goes wrong – Any reliable computer technician will tell you that backing up data stored on individual computers is not only impractical, it's unreliable. Storing all your data on a server and then backing up all of the data on that server is more likely to work properly without interruption and it is also easier to manage. Even if you decide to back-up via an on-line service, backing up one machine is typically easier and less expensive than backing up multiple computers.
Because you want your data secure – Storing sensitive accounting, human resources, or intellectual property information on your workstation or even an auxiliary storage device does not ensure that the data is restricted and protected. Sever security settings can easily and effectively limit data access to just certain people in the office.
The ability to work from home/remotely – In today's work environment, mobility and accessibility are the name of the game. With a server in your office, you can easily access all of your internal data without incurring the additional monthly cost of a router or remote access program.
Because you are running out of space to store data – Servers offer the flexibility of massive data storage on redundant and fault-tolerant drives. So, even if one of the drives fails, the remaining drives will still contain all of your data.
Because you need/want to use Microsoft Exchange - If you have numerous email addresses and/or you are tired of having to rely on your Email Service Provider to set up or delete email addresses employees come and go, Exchange may save you time and money. Exchange allows you to add, delete, or change all of your own email addresses easily and immediately without any monthly cost to you.
Because you're concerned about viruses and/or spyware on your network – The two ways to keep your computers protected are either to continually and constantly monitor each workstation or to install virus/spyware protection on a server. By using a server, protection updates are automatically downloaded to the server, which is then responsible for ensuring that every workstation connected to the network has the latest protection installed.
Because you have applications all employees must access – The most common way of sharing applications is to install it on one workstation and “share” it with other users. Unfortunately, this will ultimately slow down that user's workstation and limited to the abilities of the application's performance. This can result in poor performance and a great chance of long-term failure.
Because you need to centrally manage all employees/computers – Without a server, each employee can only log onto his/her computer, and when an employee leaves it becomes difficult or impossible to recover the password. With a server, all usernames and passwords are managed from one central location so you can add, delete, and change the access levels and passwords without needing to know the old password.
Because my computers are slow – Two of the most common causes of slow computers are an old processor and insufficient memory. Moving applications to a server can allow a user to take advantage of the improved speed and performance of a server without requiring an upgrade to the workstation. The money saved on workstation upgrades can quickly eclipse the entire cost of a new server.
Because I need a domain – A domain is the way by which a server tells every network computer which devices are supposed to be on the network and which therefore be trusted. All devices that are part of a domain are registered with the server to that it knows to allow access and and from certain domain devices. A domain is often required by many centralized database applications so that the server can properly communicate with each workstation, but it is also another valuable layer of security.
By: Joel Ray
After 10+ years of computer network experience, including 6 years of employment in the network department of an enterprise-size local company, Joel Ray, MCSE, CNE formed LANstar, LLC in 2000.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Windows XP – How to Run a Time Server using NTP
Time synchronisation in modern computer networks is essential. It not only provides the only frame of reference between all devices, it is critical in everything from securing, planning and debugging a network to providing a time stamp for applications such as data acquisition or email.
Microsoft Windows XP has a time synchronisation utility built into the operating system called Windows Time (w32time.exe) which can be configured to operate as a network time server. It can be configured to both synchronise a network using the internal clock or an external time source.
For many applications, an internal clock can be quite adequate, although, on a network problems can arise such as sharing network files or in some environments even fraud and so it is vital for security reasons to use an accurate timing source for your network.
NTP (Network Time Protocol) is a protocol already installed on Windows XP and is used by Windows Time to keep machines synchronised to the single time source. There are several timing sources available on the Internet but Microsoft and others strongly recommend that you configure a time server with a hardware source rather than from the Internet where there is no authentication.
Specialist NTP servers are available that can receive a reliable time source via the GPS signal or specialist radio transmissions that get their time from atomic clocks.
To configure Windows Time to use an external time source
Run Registry Edit and locate the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesW32Timeparameters
In the right pane, right-click Type, then click Modify
In the Edit Value box, under Value Data, type NTP and then click OK.
Now as before in the Config folder, right-click AnnounceFlags, Modify and in the Edit DWORD Value box, under Value Data, type 5, then click OK.
Locate and click the following
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeTimeProvidersNtpClient
In the right pane, right-click SpecialPollInterval, then click Modify.
In the Edit DWORD Value box, under Value Data, type the number of seconds you want for each poll, ie 900 will poll every 15 minutes, then click OK.
Now enable the NtpServer:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeTimeProvidersNtpServer
In the right pane, right-click Enabled, then click Modify
In the Edit DWord Value box, type 1 under Value data, then click OK.
Now in the right pane, right-click NtpServer, then Modify and in the Edit DWORD Value under Value Data type Peers, then click OK.
To configure the time correction settings, locate:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesW32Timeconfig
In the right pane, right-click MaxPosPhaseCorrection, then Modify, in the Edit DWORD Value box, under Base, click Decimal, under Value Data, type a time in seconds such as 3600 (an hour) then click OK.
Now go back and click:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesW32Timeconfig
In the right pane, right-click MaxNegPhaseCorrection, then Modify.
In the Edit DWORD box under base, click Decimal, under value data type the time in seconds you want to poll such as 3600 (polls in one hour)
Exit Registry
Now to restart windows time service, click Start, Run and type:
net stop w32time && net start w32time
And on each computer, other than the domain controller, type:
W32tm/resync/rediscover
And your time server should be now up and running.
Copyright 2008 © Richard N Williams
Richard N Williams is a technical author and a specialist in the telecommunications and network time synchronisation industry helping to develop dedicated time server products; ethernet clocks, GPS time servers, NTP servers, digital wall clocks, atomic clock servers and SNTP time servers. Please visit us for more information about NTP products and NTP servers
Microsoft Windows XP has a time synchronisation utility built into the operating system called Windows Time (w32time.exe) which can be configured to operate as a network time server. It can be configured to both synchronise a network using the internal clock or an external time source.
For many applications, an internal clock can be quite adequate, although, on a network problems can arise such as sharing network files or in some environments even fraud and so it is vital for security reasons to use an accurate timing source for your network.
NTP (Network Time Protocol) is a protocol already installed on Windows XP and is used by Windows Time to keep machines synchronised to the single time source. There are several timing sources available on the Internet but Microsoft and others strongly recommend that you configure a time server with a hardware source rather than from the Internet where there is no authentication.
Specialist NTP servers are available that can receive a reliable time source via the GPS signal or specialist radio transmissions that get their time from atomic clocks.
To configure Windows Time to use an external time source
Run Registry Edit and locate the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesW32Timeparameters
In the right pane, right-click Type, then click Modify
In the Edit Value box, under Value Data, type NTP and then click OK.
Now as before in the Config folder, right-click AnnounceFlags, Modify and in the Edit DWORD Value box, under Value Data, type 5, then click OK.
Locate and click the following
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeTimeProvidersNtpClient
In the right pane, right-click SpecialPollInterval, then click Modify.
In the Edit DWORD Value box, under Value Data, type the number of seconds you want for each poll, ie 900 will poll every 15 minutes, then click OK.
Now enable the NtpServer:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeTimeProvidersNtpServer
In the right pane, right-click Enabled, then click Modify
In the Edit DWord Value box, type 1 under Value data, then click OK.
Now in the right pane, right-click NtpServer, then Modify and in the Edit DWORD Value under Value Data type Peers, then click OK.
To configure the time correction settings, locate:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesW32Timeconfig
In the right pane, right-click MaxPosPhaseCorrection, then Modify, in the Edit DWORD Value box, under Base, click Decimal, under Value Data, type a time in seconds such as 3600 (an hour) then click OK.
Now go back and click:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesW32Timeconfig
In the right pane, right-click MaxNegPhaseCorrection, then Modify.
In the Edit DWORD box under base, click Decimal, under value data type the time in seconds you want to poll such as 3600 (polls in one hour)
Exit Registry
Now to restart windows time service, click Start, Run and type:
net stop w32time && net start w32time
And on each computer, other than the domain controller, type:
W32tm/resync/rediscover
And your time server should be now up and running.
Copyright 2008 © Richard N Williams
Richard N Williams is a technical author and a specialist in the telecommunications and network time synchronisation industry helping to develop dedicated time server products; ethernet clocks, GPS time servers, NTP servers, digital wall clocks, atomic clock servers and SNTP time servers. Please visit us for more information about NTP products and NTP servers
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