Possible IT work, please give some pointers

[karolpl2004]

Well, i dont get many breaks in my life but here it goes. Im a contractor by day and computer geek by night. Im getting an offer to do a little maintenance here and there for an office regarding some IT work. I would really appreciate some pointers.. I actually managed to "sneak" a proposal from a company that is doing upgrades for this "Company" i want to do work for. I am mostly a hardware guy, so servers and networks bigger than residential are for me. what i would really appreciate if someone who can point me in the direction. Here is the "IT company's proposal":
*COMPANY* Technical Refresh Proposal
2
1. Overview
THE COMPANY is a full service title insurance, escrow, and closing services provider in Northern
Illinois. COMPANY has grown rapidly because of the top quality service provided by attorneys and
mortgage brokers, to ensure their clients receive excellent value from real estate transactions. COMPANY is
currently looking at a technical refresh of their existing information technology infrastructure and
systems. The focus for this technical initiative is to increase performance and reliability in the current
networking environment while automating certain tasks by utilizing innovative technology solutions.
2. Challenge
SOME COMPUTER Solutions would like to provide COMPANY with the following proposal. The
service initiatives recommended in this proposal would provide a technical refresh of the existing
networked hardware infrastructure while increasing performance and stability by consolidating the
current server environment to a more robust virtual server solution. This will not only provide an
increase in processing capability, memory and available disk space it will also offer levels of
redundancy to minimize downtime and maximize efficiency.
The consolidation combines the majority of the critical servers into 1 physical platform that is
covered under a manufacturer’s warranty for 3 years with a response time of 4 hours. IT COMPANY
would also recommend the implementation of an industry proven DR strategy that would minimize
down time to an acceptable RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective). The
existing backup strategy would be a key factor in establishing this action plan. COMPANY currently
uses a SonicWall CDP 3440i Network Storage Server to backup data from the Exchange Server & Pro
Forms Server.
4. Objectives and Scope of Work
The objective of this proposal is to provide a viable solution to provide an increase in
performance and reliability for the existing server and infrastructure environment. The current
environment consists of a ML350 G6 server running VMware ESXi as a virtual host. There are 2 virtual
guests on this server Active Directory Domain Controller (ATC-DC) running Server 2003 and
Application/ Terminal Server, ProForms remote application and QuickBooks remote application (ATCAPP).
FILESERVER1 is a PC running Server 2003 this is the print and fax server and also acts as the
backup domain controller. FILESERVER2 is a ML310 G3 currently out of warranty acting as the
ProForms and QuickBooks primary server. FILESERVER3 is a DL320 G5 currently out of warranty
running Server 2003 64bit. This server currently runs Exchange Server version 2007.
The premise of the technical refresh would be to transition the current application servers and
domain controller to a virtual environment on a physical platform that is able to increase performance
and provide redundancy. This would also include having the hardware covered under a warranty that
guarantees hardware replacement within a 4 to 6 hour window.
Our plan would be to covert FILESERVER2 (ProForms & QuickBooks) and FILESERVER3
(Exchange) to a virtual Hyper-V environment on the new server. We would covert the following
VMware servers ATC-DC & ATC-APP to Hyper –V virtual servers. At this point the only physical
server would be FILESERVER1 which is the fax and print server running on a PC. We can then
redeploy the current FILESERVER3 and transition FILESERVER1 over to it for faxing purposes.
COMPANY Corporation Technical Refresh Proposal
3
This hardware would also allow us to create a secondary Virtual Host where we can create a
repository for virtual images. This would provide us with a level of replication in the instance of a
hardware failure to the new server. We would also recommend an upgrade to the existing SonicWall
CDP 3440i Network Storage Server including off-site replication. This would be part of our overall
disaster recovery strategy. We would approach this as a phased approach to be as efficient as possible
and minimize disruption or down time.
IT COMPANY. is a full-service Authorized Solutions Provider certified in a variety
of innovative products and services from some of the top hardware and software companies. We have
the proven ability to provide robust, scalable network solutions for enterprise environments, as well as
small and medium sized environments by offering customized solutions to suit your specific business
needs.
These are the main objectives in this proposal:
• Implement new physical server as the primary 2012 Virtual Host
• Conversion of ATC-DC & ATC-APP VMware guests to a Hyper-V Server Environment
• Migrate ATC-DC domain controller over to a Server 2008 R2 Platform
• Convert FILSERVER2 to a Hyper-V Virtual guest Server
• Convert FILSERVER3 to a Hyper-V Virtual guest Server
• Redeploy existing FILSERVER3 to a secondary Virtual Host
• Convert FILSERVER1 Fax to DL320 and optional DC over to guest on second Virtual Host
• Setup repository for virtual images on the secondary host server.
• Create a DR action plan that incorporates replication of virtual servers, utilizes the CDP
3440i Network Storage Server and off site backup strategy to provide a network environment
that has an acceptable recovery time frame.
IT COMPANY will provide the afore mentioned services in a phased approach.
The following is a breakdown of the phases with the specific task lists
Phase 1- New Server Implementation
Conversion of Domain Controller & Application Server
• Installation and configuration of new server hardware
• Configuration of Server 2012 Virtual Host
• Conversion of existing ATC-DC & ATC-APP to Hyper-V Virtual Server
• Confirm conversion of all existing applications
• Test all desktops to assure for network access
COMPANY Technical Refresh Proposal
4
• Test all applications for full functionality
• Configure and test existing backup solution for full functionality
Phase 2- Conversion of Exchange Server & ProForm & QuickBook Server
• Conversion of FILESERVER3 Exchange Server to a Hyper-V virtual server
• Conversion of FILESERVER2 to a Hyper-V virtual server
• Test system for full functionality on existing infrastructure
• Confirm conversion of all existing applications
• Test all desktops to assure for network access
• Test all applications for full functionality
• Configure and test existing backup solution for full functionality
Phase 3- Redeployment of ML350 G6 server as a Secondary Host
• Configuration of a secondary Virtual Host
• Migrate FILSERVER1 over to the ML320 server with modem, and optionally move DC.
• Test all desktops to assure for network access
• Configure and test existing backup solution for full functionality
• Setup virtual disk image repository
5. Estimated Hardware & Service Costs*
Technical Services Hourly Rate Qty Cost
Technical Refresh –New Server Deployment
New Server Implementation –Conversion of Domain Controller &
Application Server - (Sr. Systems Engineer) 12 to 16 Hours
Conversion of Exchange Server & ProForm & QuickBook
Server-(Sr. Systems Engineer) 12 to 16 Hours
Redeployment of ML350 G6 server as a Secondary Host
(Sr. Systems Engineer) 12 to 16 Hours
$ 110.00 48 $5,280.00
Total Estimated : $5,280.00
*Note: Labor quote is an estimate. IT COMPANY will only be billed for actual time worked.
Total Service Labor Investment-$5,280.00-Estimate*
COMPANY Technical Refresh Proposal
5
Server Hardware Options *
*Provided for cost estimates – equipment quotes will be finalized outside proposal.
ML 350 Gen-8 Performance Server – Full Redundancy
Qty 2-2.5 Ghz Hex Core Processors- 32 GB RAMQty
6- 300 GB Hard Drives- Raid 5 - 1.5 TB of Usable Disk Space
1
HP ProLiant ML350p Gen8 Performance
Server - rack-mountable - 5U - 2-way - 2 x Xeon E5-2640 / 2.5 GHz - RAM 16
GB - SAS - hot-swap 2.5" - no HDD - DVD-Writer - Matrox G200 - Gigabit LAN -
Monitor : none.
646678-001 1 Yes $5,911.00 $5,911.00
2
HP Low Power kit Memory - 8 GB - DIMM 240-pin - DDR3L - 1333 MHz / PC3-
10600 - CL9 - registered - ECC - Smart Buy
647897-S21 2 Yes $84.00 $168.00
3
HP Enterprise
Hard drive - 300 GB - hot-swap - 2.5" SFF - SAS - 10000 rpm - Smart Buy -
with HP SmartDrive carrier
652564-S21 6 Yes $25.00 $1,512.00
4
HP ProLiant Essentials Integrated Lights-Out Advanced Pack
License + 1 Year 24x7 Support - 1 server - for ProLiant DL320 G6, DL360 G7,
DL380 G7, DL385 G7, DL580 G7, DL585 G7, DL980 G7, ML110 G7
512485-B21 1 Yes $332.00 $332.00
Server 2008 R2 Licensing Option
5
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard
License - 2 processors - MOLP: Open Business - Single Language P73-05762 2 Yes $798.00 $1,596.00
6
Microsoft Windows Server 2012
License - 1 user CAL - MOLP: Open Business - Single Language
R18-02709 15 Yes $33.00 $495.00
Priority Hardware Support Upgrade-Optional
7
Electronic HP Care Pack 4-Hour 24x7 Same Day Hardware Support
Extended service agreement - parts and labor - 3 years - on-site - 24x7 –
4h
U4545E 1 No $848.00 $848.00
Virtual Backup Software – Optional for image recovery
8 Shadow Protect Virtual 3 pack Licenses- 3 Virtual Machines SP-V3P 1 Yes $1,250.00 $1,250.00
External NAS Option – Network Storage
9
Buffalo Technology - LS-WXL - NETWORK STORAGE SERVER - 480 MBPS -
ETHERNET;FAST ETHERNET;GIGABIT ETHE
LSWX4.0TL/
R1
1 Yes $304.00 $304.00
SonicWall CDP Storage Server Upgrade Options
10
Dell SonicWALL CDP 210
NAS - 1 TB - HD 1 TB x 1 - Ethernet 10/100 - with 1 year Dynamic Support 8X5
01-SSC-
9418
1
Yes
$1,661.00 $1,661.00
11
Dell SonicWALL CDP Microsoft Applications License
License - 1 application - for CDP 210, 220, 5040B, 6080B
01-SSC-
9318
1
Yes
$511.00 $511.00
12
Dell SonicWALL Recovery Manager for Exchange
License - 50 additional mailboxes - for CDP 210, 220, 5040B, 6080B
01-SSC-
9380 1
Yes
$129.00 $129.00
13
Dell SonicWALL CDP Offsite Data Backup Service
Subscription license ( 1 year ) - 10 GB capacity - for CDP 1440i, 220, 2440i,
3440i, 4440i, 5040B, 6080B
01-SSC-
6341
1
Yes
$155.00 $155.00
Tax


So mainly... my general question is, if im to spend my free time doing something usefull, what should i start on learning? From my understanding its "hyper-v virtual server environment" but what else is there for me to follow up on? Also prices on the actual hardware are a bit high in my opinion but not much i can say at the moment. The owner of COMPANY wants to get this stuff installed by the IT COMPANY, but if something happens, he would rather call me than them, so i want to be prepared. I would really appreciate any input.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Well dude I don't want to be discouraging but what they are really looking for here is a Sys Admin with a fair amount of both VMWare and Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V experience amongst more general things like network management. Frankly, starting to try and learn enough on your own NOW to be able to perform all these tasks and duties adequately is quite a tall order.

Though there are free trials available for both ESXi and Sever 2012...

 

[EarthDog]

Well dude I don't want to be discouraging but what they are really looking for here is a Sys Admin with a fair amount of both VMWare and Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V experience amongst more general things like network management. Frankly, starting to try and learn enough on your own NOW to be able to perform all these tasks and duties adequately is quite a tall order.

Though there are free trials available for both ESXi and Sever 2012...

This...

 

[karolpl2004]

time to go back to school! anyone can recommend any campuses in chicago land?

 

[brandonwh64]

Honestly what wrigley said is right. Go back to school or get certificate courses and another thing that can help employment chances is experience... experience! If it takes doing internships or volunteer work on IT projects DO IT cause that stuff goes a long way to show a company what you have done in the working environment. I have these issues when I first got out of college cause I had a college degree but not much real world work experience. They look at experience first then college second.

 

[Geekoid]

ESXi is shockingly easy to use, but you do need to know a lot about the hardware and plan everything well. No idea why they'd move from VMware to something like Hyper-V. They look like an HP shop, so you'll need to know your DL's from your ML's. Luckily, HP do pretty good kit (unlike Dell). The SonicWalls are also pretty easy to use, but again you'll need to know your way around a TCP/IP stack and be happy with things like IPSEC and NAT. Microsoft do a whole range of courses with regards to the AD/DC stuff - around £800 a shot for a few days training. All in all you could probably start from scratch and have enough training and experience in around 24 months.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

time to go back to school! anyone can recommend any campuses in chicago land?

Frankly, not sure offhand about places to physically attend that aren't the larger schools such as IIT or UIC though there definitely are some in such a big area as this. CBT Nuggets is one of the better online resources and pretty affordable too.

 

[karolpl2004]

thanks for all the input. im very good in hardware, its just the software i need to work on.

 

[Zen_]

I would buy a couple books on networking, Windows server, Linux, and databases that have labs, setup a few VMs at home, and get cracking. It's not impossible to teach yourself if you are persistent and reasonably intelligent. The only truly difficult concepts at first are the intricacies of protocol stacks and how they all tie together (endless acronyms), and understanding relational databases is also not easy at first.

 

[GSquadron]

I am totally against school on that.
There is no need at all for school, you can have a much better experience learning from internet.
Start from video tutorials and end up with books like 1000 pages or so.
I wouldn't like to get this kind of job, even if i knew everything needed, because they want a lot and its like using you

 

[Aquinus]

I am totally against school on that.
There is no need at all for school, you can have a much better experience learning from internet.
Start from video tutorials and end up with books like 1000 pages or so.
I wouldn't like to get this kind of job, even if i knew everything needed, because they want a lot and its like using you

It's called doing your job. Obviously you've never been a system admin or a developer but some very big projects can come your way and easily take a lot of time to complete. There are a lot of things in CompSci and IT that you really want to go to school for. It's incredibly helpful for you to have someone experienced who knows what they're talking about to answer your questions and to correct you when you misunderstand a topic. So many topics build on top of each other and misunderstand just a couple can make you misunderstand everything else that uses it.

So, since you've haven't don't this, I wouldn't talk about that which you have not done. So don't recommend something if you can't support it in any way.

My recommendation is that either way you will need the experience and the schooling is a huge plus. Don't just get certified, get a degree and if hardware is your thing, go IT, not Comp Sci. If you want to be a developer more than a sys admin, then you want Comp Sci. These two fields are in demand and will make you money if you are good at it and try hard, so it's worth the schooling and any subsequent debt accrued because of it, but don't let it get out of hand.

Try to get something close to the job you want while you're in school, it's what I did and worked out pretty well. I'm still with the same company and it's working out well. Internships are really good at getting your food in the door into something you're interested in because the climate changes depending on what industry/service you're working for. For example, I work in education which is a lot different than say, working for an investment firm. Not just with software, but the kinds of people you have to interact with.

Either way, I digress. Get the education and look for that job early. They're out there.

The US has a growing demand for skilled labor as well, and nothing says skill to an employer more than a degree in Computer Science or Information Technology, unless you have almost a decade of experience, that's a different story.

 

[RCoon]

Go get your Microsoft MCSA certification, then go out and buy a prospective server machine, a nas box, a small switch and a bunch of unsuspecting users (say your brother, mother, or dog, whichever owns a pc)
next, spend the next few years of your life fucking around with Windows Server 2008 R2/2012 and learn to be a systems administrator, because thats essentially what you'll be doing!

 

[caleb]

I am totally against school on that.
There is no need at all for school, you can have a much better experience learning from internet.
Start from video tutorials and end up with books like 1000 pages or so.
I wouldn't like to get this kind of job, even if i knew everything needed, because they want a lot and its like using you

I disagree totally. There is nothing like getting knowledge out of a live person.
Internet creates programmers that don't even know the basics of maths etc.
Best option is to work and study at once. This really worked good for me. I'm so lazy I would never finish univ without my job..

Regarding the job offer It sounds to me that its more of a project rather than 1 man job or you really need to fit 100% with experience for their needs.

BTW : siema chicago polska

 

[brandonwh64]

I am totally against school on that.
There is no need at all for school, you can have a much better experience learning from internet.
Start from video tutorials and end up with books like 1000 pages or so.
I wouldn't like to get this kind of job, even if i knew everything needed, because they want a lot and its like using you

LOL I could imagine a hiring manager looking over a resume showing he learned all his "skills" on reddit HAHAHA

 

[Aquinus]

LOL I could imagine a hiring manager looking over a resume showing he learned all his "skills" on reddit HAHAHA

"...Next!"