Windows Server 2008 R2

Hello, I am a business owner and I need to make a purchasing decision on a server and system for the business. I am considering Windows Server 2008 R2 with SQL Server 2008 R2 and Intel Xenon 7500 series processor. I am concerned mostly with dependability and reliability but I also would like a system that can grow as the business grows and more demand is placed on the server. I am willing to make the investment and will be hiring techs but sort of need to know what system I will be going with before hiring a tech company. Any recommendations or experiences would be highly appreciated.

Intel Xeon (Xenon is a gas) processors are great workhorses. If you want dependability and reliability, I would go with a Linux or UNIX server since you're hiring techs. Most tech companies that are worth their salt know these systems very well.

I recommend Linux or UNIX also because they have fewer security vulnerabilities than Windows Server. They are also more scalable in that those operating systems were designed specifically for networking and have been around for a very long time. It also utilizes system resources more efficiently than Windows. You can also tailor the prioritization and threading of processes much finer than you can in Windows; as your business grows you don't have to upgrade your processing capacity as often.

Server 2008 isn't a bad choice. That and SQL Server 2008 isn't a bad combination...you can't dominate the world with it, but you can get by with it.

You only need a programmer if you intend to change code...otherwise it's just scripting which a good tech company will be able to handle.

Very good point. For a very fast database, I'd run either SCSI U640 or U320. Both are obscenly fast, but the 640 will cost a small fortune.

It may help if you can list out exactly what types of use you want the server to do. Depending on that... I may recommend VMWare ESX as the core OS and then you can run multiple different OS's under that and virtualize your infrastructure... makes life a lot easier.

Regarding Linux vs Windows.... that's really going to depend on what your needs actually are. A lot will argue that linux is the only sane way to go, however make no mistake that there are a TON of companies that rely on Windows everyday for a secure server and aren't disappointed. Also a lot of people think that Linux / Unix can't or won't be hacked... only to find out that they are quite wrong when it does happen. A poorly configured / not updated linux box will get hacked just about as quickly as a poorly configured / not updated Windows box.

Regarding the servers themselves, I really am liking the IBM x Series servers these days. Something like a new IBM 3650 M3 combined with VMWare ESX server could single handedly host probably 4 - 8 reasonably busy servers.... and if you're just looking for a really powerful SQL server... it's got that more than covered too with the ability to have 192 gb of RAM, and 8 Terabytes of storage, all in a 2U server that doesn't sound like a jet taking off ;-) In other words the thing scales great, has a bunch of features to keep it reliable, and it's not stupid loud like most are.