Using IT Procedures to Increase Availability and Scalability

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

The following sections introduce best practices for optimizing your Windows Server 2003 deployment for high availability and scalability. A well-planned deployment strategy can increase system availability and scalability while reducing the support costs and failure recovery times of a system. Figure 6.3 displays the process for deploying your servers and network infrastructure in a fault-tolerant manner that also provides manageability.

Figure 6.3   Using IT Procedures to Increase Availability and Scalability

To aid in this planning, Microsoft recommends the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). MOF is a flexible, open-ended set of guidelines and concepts that you can adapt to your specific operations needs. Adopting MOF practices provides greater organization and contributes to regular communication between your IT department, your end users, and other departments in your company that might be affected. For complete information about MOF and how to implement it in your organization, see the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) link on the Web Resources page at https://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources.