Windows SBS 2011 is designed primarily for networks consisting of one
or two servers and up to 75 workstations. However, a Windows SBS
network is more expandable than many people think. First, although you
can add a second server by purchasing the Windows SBS 2011 Premium
Add-on, you don’t have to implement your second server in this way. If
you purchase Windows SBS 2011 Standard when you initially set up your
network, you can always add a second server later by purchasing a copy
of Windows Server 2008 R2.
The operating system for the second server in the Windows SBS 2011 Premium Add-on is Windows
Server 2008 R2 Standard, with no additional components. No Windows SBS
2011 additions or restrictions are incorporated into the operating
system. The Premium Add-on product also includes both 32-bit and 64-bit
editions of SQL
Server 2008 R2 for Small Business, which is not incorporated into the
second server operating system, either. You receive it as a separate
DVD, which you can run on either the 32-bit or 64-bit platform.
In other words, the only difference between buying the Windows SBS
2011 Premium Add-on product and buying standalone copies of Windows
Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2008 R2 is the price. At this writing, the
price for the Windows SBS 2011 Premium Add-on product is US $1604. To
purchase the components individually would cost:
-
Windows Server 2008 R2: US $1029
-
SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard: US $898
-
Windows SBS 2011 CAL Suite for Premium Add-on Users or Devices 5-pack: US $457
The total price would therefore be $2,384. You would save $780 by
purchasing the Windows SBS 2011 Premium Add-on product, assuming that
you needed all the components that product contains. If, for example,
you only need a second server, but do not intend to run SQL
applications, it would be more economical to buy a standalone copy of
Windows Server 2008 R2.
Understanding Windows SBS 2011 Limitations
Running Windows SBS 2011 on your network is not the same as running
Windows Server 2008 plus Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and (optionally)
SQL Server 2008 Standard, even if you disregard the differences in
software costs. Windows SBS 2011 imposes certain limitations on the
network with regard to the additional servers and workstations you can
add to the network, although they are not as stringent as some people
think. These limitations include the following:
-
Your Windows SBS 2011 network can consist of only one Active
Directory Domain Services (AD DS) domain, with the Windows SBS primary
server functioning as the first domain controller in this root domain.
-
You cannot install more than one Windows SBS 2011 primary server in a
single AD DS domain, even if you purchase an additional license.
-
You cannot create subdomains, such as newyork.adatum.local, beneath the AD DS domain you create on your Windows SBS 2011 server.
-
You cannot establish trusts
between your Windows SBS 2011 domain and any other AD DS domain,
whether running on Windows SBS 2011, Windows Server 2008 R2, or any
other operating system.
-
You can install the second server included with Windows
SBS 2011 Premium Add-on only on your Windows SBS 2011 network. You
cannot install it on another network or use it as the domain controller
for another AD DS domain.
-
You can install the copy of SQL Server 2008 R2 for Small Business
included with Windows SBS 2011 Premium Add-on on the Windows SBS 2011
primary or secondary server. You cannot install it on a non-SBS server
or network.
Caution
Although you can install SQL Server 2008 R2 on your primary server, you must not use it to host the SBSMONITORING
or Windows Server Update Services databases that Windows SBS 2011
creates. You can move the SharePoint Foundation 2010 content database to
SQL Server 2008 R2, running on either your primary or secondary server,
but you cannot move the SharePoint configuration or search databases.
-
You cannot install the copy of Exchange Server 2010 Standard included
with Windows SBS 2011 on any server other than the Windows SBS 2011
primary server.
-
You cannot use more than 75 Client Access Licenses (CALs) on your Windows SBS 2011 network.
With these limitations in mind, this means that you can do either of the following:
-
You can add as many additional
servers as you want to your Windows SBS 2011 network, so long as you
purchase appropriate licenses for any servers other than the secondary
server included with the Premium Add-on package.
-
You can add as many domain controllers as you want to your Windows
SBS 2011 domain, using the Windows SBS secondary server or any
additional Windows Server 2008 R2 computers.
Understanding Licensing for Additional Servers
When you purchase the Windows SBS 2011 Premium Add-on product, you
receive an additional license for a secondary server, running the
Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system included with the product. You
also receive a license to install SQL Server 2008 R2 Small Business on
that secondary server. The terms for the secondary server licenses are
the same as those for the primary server.
However, you are not required to install SQL Server 2008 R2 on the
secondary server, nor are you required to install the secondary server
at all. If you prefer to hold off on deploying the secondary server
until later, you can do so, but, as mentioned earlier, you cannot use
the license to deploy the secondary server on another network.
If you want to install additional servers on your Windows SBS 2011
network other than the ones supplied with Standard Edition and the
Premium Add-on, you are free to do so. However, you must purchase an
appropriate license for each copy of Windows Server 2008 R2 you plan to
deploy, using any of the standard Microsoft licensing
options. For example, you can purchase a new computer with an original
equipment manufacturer (OEM) license included, or purchase a retail copy
of Windows Server 2008 R2 and install it on an existing computer. You
can also purchase a license through Microsoft Open Value Licensing (MOVL) or Microsoft
Open License Program (MOLP). The type of license you choose does not
have to match that of your Windows SBS 2011 license.
It is important to understand, however, that many vendors bundle the
Windows Server 2008 R2 server license with a number of CALs, which adds
to the cost. You do not need to purchase additional
CALs when you add a server to your Windows SBS 2011 network. The
Windows SBS 2011 Standard or Premium CALs you have purchased for your
Windows SBS 2011 users or devices enable them to access any additional Windows Server 2008 R2 computers, so long as you join those servers to your Windows SBS domain.
Note
If you plan to use the Remote Desktop Services or Rights Management
Services capabilities built into Windows Server 2008 R2, you must
purchase the appropriate RDS or RMS CALs for the users that will be
accessing those services.
