More on SBS Aurora Playing Nice With OCS
Filed under: OCS 2007 R2, OCS 2010, SQL Server 2008, Unified Communications
Last week ZDNet UK posted a thorough review of SBS Aurora. It's a pre-release version, so there aren't a whole lot of details. And apparently the entire cloud function was not available yet.
Windows Small Business Server “Aurora” - ZDNet UK
I took a look through anyway, to get an idea of what Aurora can show us so far. And how that will relate to my idea from before - whether or not using Aurora as a lightweight base for OCS works.
Hardware/Software Match-Up
First thing I noted was that Aurora doesn't need brand-new hardware (ZDNet used a dual-core machine with 2GB of RAM). So the hardware needed to set up a basic OCS server won't drive up the bill here.
The snag, if one arises, will be in software support. The code base to support an OCS setup is mostly there - Aurora is based on Windows Server 2008 R2, as well as some code from Microsoft Home Server (for storage management). It includes IIS and SQL Server - both OCS requirements.
It does have its own version of Active Directory, though apparently some of its functions are hidden. Which, if you're setting up a server for a small workgroup, makes some sense. However, this is the snag…
Aurora cannot be added to an existing AD domain. It must create a new one. Microsoft intends Aurora for NEW businesses only. And this is how they make that clear.
Aurora's Management: OK for OCS?
Managing Aurora works through a task-based dashboard, into which you can login remotely through RDS. I don't know whether integrating OCS into this dashboard is feasible (yet), or whether you'd be better off managing OCS separately. This is a wait-and-see.
Another wait-and-see is, sadly, many of Aurora's cloud options. They weren't available to ZDNet for this review. They did report an add-in folder for applications, but nothing was available to test.
A couple likely applications to run cloud-based on Aurora would be email and collaboration (i.e. OCS?).
Small Business Communications: It'll Work
I'm sure there will be an OCS option within SBS Aurora when it's released. Whether that's a plugin to run it directly through the dashboard, or a cloud-based app to connect the two.
I'm also pretty convinced you can run OCS off an Aurora-based server without much extra configuration. Putting these two together essentially creates a one-stop main server and communications center for small businesses.
Have you had a chance to test SBS Aurora? Not sure this Aurora/OCS idea would work? Drop us a comment and let's chat.
Will the New Small Business Server Help Out OCS?
Filed under: OCS 2007 R2, OCS 2010, Unified Communications
A few days ago Microsoft announced two new SBS previews. Named “SBS 7″ and “SBS Aurora” for now, their preview releases will be available at the end of summer. (But only to those who sign up to participate - sign up here if you want to try them out.)
Here's what I can glean from the information out there now. SBS 7 works much like 2008, with new software versions and management/security improvements. Exchange 2007 moved up to Exchange 2010 R1, for example.
Aurora is designed for a smaller user base (25 users max), and is cloud-ready. There's fewer details about the software included, but Microsoft did mention an automated backup/restore and an SDK meant for partners to build add-ins into Aurora.
Now, this is pretty big news by itself. But what I'm wondering is, what does this mean for OCS?
Will We Have Office Communications on Aurora?
From the initial news, it looks like more attention has been paid to remote access on these new versions. SBS 7 is promised a “richer remote access experience;” Aurora is described as delivering “traditional and cloud capabilities.”
Since much of OCS' capabilities are dependent on server access on- and off-site. So I'm not worried.
In fact, Aurora sounds like a great help to small-business OCS use. Think about this…
- It's designed to support up to 25 users. This means a lighter stack, easier to run and to manage (even on older equipment).
- Since Aurora can be accessed as a cloud-based service, building a hosted OCS solution with it becomes that much easier. It may even help with simplifying out-of-the-office connections.
- Presumably, Aurora will be priced lower than SBS 7.
- The software is in development now - during/after primary development on OCS 2010. So you could take advantage of both Aurora's cloud services and OCS 2010's virtual server needs all at once. Small, zippy OCS platform.
There's another article on SBS 7 and Aurora at MCP Magazine, if you want to read more.
We're signing up for the Aurora preview. If you're signing up too, please email us or leave a comment. I'd like to hear you about your Aurora experiences, with and without OCS. This one could be a big help for small businesses considering OCS.
