CASE STUDY
Server Build & Network Infrastructure Upgrade
Modernized infrastructure with improved reliability
Environment: On-Premises Business Network
Technology: Windows Server, Managed Switches, VLANs, Firewall Configuration, UPS
OVERVIEW
The organization was running aging server hardware. Growth in headcount and increasing reliance on internal line-of-business applications made the existing setup a liability.
THE CHALLENGE
The challenge was to plan and execute an infrastructure refresh with minimal disruption to daily operations; including new server hardware and updated networking gear, while also establishing baseline documentation and monitoring.
THE SOLUTION
The project began with a thorough assessment of the existing environment: hardware inventory, usage, bottlenecks, and future proofing any hardware upgrades. New server hardware was specced and built for application hosting: web, MIS, email, DNS, Domain services. Windows Server was configured as Hyper-V hosts with Failover setup. On the networking side, a 40gbps link between servers handled failover conditions. A UPS was added for the server room with shutdown scripting to protect against unclean power events. All configurations were documented with network diagrams and IP plans.
RESULTS
What it delivered
- New hardware was installed with greater capacity
- iSCSI was implemented to allow for data replication between the machines through Starwind
- Old VMs were upgraded and moved to the new servers running Windows Server 2022, rather than Windows Server 2012 R2
REFLECTION
Server upgrades technically speaking were simple, not much different than building a workstation PC. Planning was the struggle: mapping out the VM upgrade paths, planning the networking across the machines, making sure the software kept functioning while the upgrade was going on, and moving the hardware itself in a mostly full server rack. With a good plan we were able to complete the full move over a few days with zero downtime.
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