Building the Lab

  • Article

Once you have designed and documented your lab, have your project subteams review the plan to ensure that all the necessary conditions have been addressed. When the lab plan has been approved, you can start acquiring and installing the hardware and software.

If you plan to rebuild the lab periodically as your testing focus changes, consider using tools or products such as SMS to manage the lab changes. Also consider using the Remote OS Installation feature to help you rapidly make changes to the client computer configurations in the lab. For more information about using Remote OS Installation to automate client computer installations, see "Automating Client Installation and Upgrade" in this book. Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI) and Windows Script Host can help you quickly create, delete, or change users, groups, and organizational units in your lab environment.

As you build and rebuild the lab, document in chronological order every change you make to servers and client computers. This documentation can help you resolve problems and understand why a specific computer behaves as it does over time. It can also help you reverse recent changes to solve a short-term problem.

Building the lab involves the following steps:

  • Acquire hardware and software, including administrative tools.
    You can either purchase or redeploy equipment. Which you do depends on your budget and the lab model you select. In either case, it is important to obtain equipment that adequately tests your deployment and that mirrors your production equipment.
    Make sure the hardware you use is on the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). You can also contact your vendors to find out if your products are ready for Windows 2000. Make sure your vendors actively support Windows 2000 with your hardware.
    Use the same models from the same vendors as the hardware and software you will use in your production environment. This guideline applies to:

    • Hubs, switches, routers, and bridges

    • Network adapters

    • Server computer hardware and operating systems

    • Client computer hardware and operating systems

  • Install and configure network components. Label all network cables.

  • Test all network connections.
    Testing the network before you install the servers makes it easier to locate and solve problems.

  • Install and configure all servers.
    If you are redeploying servers, you might need to upgrade them to accommodate Windows 2000 Server. Use the same memory, disk capacity, and CPU speed that you plan to deploy. Be sure to check for viruses and defragment the hard disks.
    Install the appropriate operating system, either Windows 2000 Server or the operating system from which you plan to upgrade. Partition the hard disks in the same way you plan to partition them during deployment.
    If you are upgrading your domain controllers, back up the servers before you upgrade them. Test the backups and store them in a safe place. By making reliable backups, you avoid intruding on your production environment if your upgrade process changes or fails or if you need to restore to the original state.
    If you are purchasing new equipment, burn in the components for two or three days to be sure they are working properly.

  • Install application software when you are ready to include it in testing. Install all server-based applications such as Microsoft® BackOffice® and business applications that are in your production environment.
    Build or load copies of the associated databases. Install the administrative tools that you use or plan to use.

  • Install tools for testing and administration. If you are planning to verify network traffic or test performance, you might want to include a hardware sniffer or a software sniffer.

  • If you are implementing Terminal Services, install a representative set of applications so you can test concurrent users.

  • Install and configure all client computers.

  • If you plan to create backups for restoring baseline configurations, set up the baseline configurations and make the backups.
    For example, if you plan to upgrade Windows 95 to Windows 2000 Professional instead of performing a clean installation, back up a Windows 95 client computer that is loaded with your standard set of applications.
    The baseline configurations should include all the service packs that are supported in your environment. Be sure to test and document the restore process.

  • Test the individual components in the lab to isolate problems that are not related to Windows 2000 Server and deployment.
    When testing starts, you will want to spend your time debugging deployment problems, not fixing problems with the lab.

  • If you need to provide connectivity to the production network, configure and test routers to isolate the lab from production.