With my home server stable and running FlexRAID. I decided to install the following:
- System Center 2012 Configuration Manager and Endpoint Protection
- System Center 2012 Data Protection Manager
They see like simple installs but could not be further from the truth. Data Protection Manager was easily the most complex Windows application I ever installed.
I started with System Center 2012 CM & EP which required me to promote my home server into a domain controller. That was easy. Installing SQL Server 2012 for System Center 2012’s needs was easy as well.
Data Protection Manager though? It was a special piece of software which required a special “Reporting Server” function from SQL Server 2012 along with a bunch of domain groups and users. It also didn’t appreciate the fact that services weren’t running with domain users.
I didn’t understand what each of the perquisites but thankfully the installer was smart enough to recognize what I was missing and point me in the right direction. I was also aided by useful Microsoft provided installation guides. Needless to say none of this was as simple as pressing “Next”, “Next”, “Next”.
So why did I want to install all this? I wanted to use CM in order to publish the applications and OS that my brother and I use. I wanted Data Protection Manager as a backup utility for my Windows clients. I have a Time Machine instance running with NAS4Free in a Hyper-V VM and the Windows side of the house is completely barren. And what better way to learn about enterprise software than to install it for yourself?
In the midst of all these installs, I had to switch from a 60GB to 120GB SSD. I tried to use Clonezilla but after half a dozen attempts with different USB loaders and ISOs, I tried Parted Magic which worked right off the bat. I was having issues with Clonezilla’s version of Linux; it just didn’t want to boot up. Funnily enough, Parted Magic had a copy of Clonezilla embedded inside which I used to accomplish the disk cloning.
The cloning was a success. All I had to do was use Microsoft’s automated system to reactivate my copy of Windows Server 2012.
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Despite all this home server stuff, I did have time for games. I’m making my way through The Last of Us which is living up to expectations. I’m also tending to my town in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. I’m loving the hell out of it as well.
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