What about implementing the 2X application server, where the launching of a specific application is launched on a remote terminal server and presented as a local application? If you have one box dedicated to be the "TS User Outlook Box" and the launching of Outlook always occurs against that one server, then the PST files can all be stored on that one box, called locally, and presented on any of the other load balanced terminal servers that the users happen to be connected to for their general computing needs.
Jeff "S Conn." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 05/20/2008 01:49 AM Please respond to "NT System Admin Issues" <ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com> To "NT System Admin Issues" <ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com> cc Subject TS Clusters and PST Files - Looking for Suggestions Hey guys I'm looking for suggestions. Here's the deal. I have NO Exchange server. Management won't buy it, too expensive, especially since Linux alternatives are "cheaper". I've been fighting this losing battle for years now. If I did have Exchange, the upcoming question would be null. All 400+ of my users are using POP3 with Outlook 2003 or 2007. I just gotten the ability to do IMAP, but the trick there is that there is a 90 day message limit on the server. This causes issues with many users since they like to keep EVERYTHING. Setting up local PSTs on most user's PCs is ok, especially since most users understand the risks associated with doing so. Where I'm running into issues is on my Terminal Servers. I have a few "stand-alone" Terminal Servers, where users are assigned one specific server and that's it. They have a local profile on these servers, so their PSTs don't move across the network at all. I'm not using Citrix here, just normal Windows 2003 Terminal Server. Where this gets trickier is when I decided to create a Terminal Server cluster (or farm) for reliability reasons (using 2X's Load Balancer). This means that I have to have roaming profiles since the user won't know which server they'll log into at any given time. I redirect all the folders that Microsoft allows (desktop, my docs, etc). But, roaming profiles nor folder redirection covers the Local Settings folder, where the PST is stored. I can tell Outlook to use a PST file hosted on a network share, but it has been covered on this list several times that Network-based PSTs is really, really bad. I've also experienced that badness first hand on one of my file servers. So, my only option is to ditch the POP3 function and go with IMAP, which will download the user's email each time Outlook is open. But two issues arise: One, the users are limited to only 90 days of email, which is bad. Two, Outlook needs a pst to open and to store contacts/calendar information. Right now I have a small PST file set up over the network on each Outlook user's home folder for the contacts/calendar. I'm hoping that since the files are small and not as used this will work long enough to find a good solution. Right now, the majority of "farm" users are using webmail to workaround the issues. My current setup will not last. I need to find a way to either not use the PST files at all or find a way to reliably provide access to PSTs without killing my network. I thought about using a logon/logoff script to copy the PSTs to/from the network shares, but I'm afraid that it'll be too slow (my users like to have 1gb+ PSTs) and it won't handle non-logoff situations well (like a sudden reboot). Does anyone have any suggestions, workarounds, or solutions? Anyone dealing with this issue now or found a way to deal with it? I really appreciate your help and suggestions on this. Thanks, Seth ~ Upgrade to Next Generation Antispam/Antivirus with Ninja! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbelt-software.com/SunbeltMessagingNinja.cfm> ~ ~ Upgrade to Next Generation Antispam/Antivirus with Ninja! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbelt-software.com/SunbeltMessagingNinja.cfm> ~
