Two replicated websites

I used to have only one Windows 2000 + IIS server in my intranet with lots
of ISAPI and ASP applications.

As my LAN grew up, I bougth two W2k3 + IIS servers. The idea is keep this
two websites replicated.
I installed Network Load Balancing and my questions are about replication.

When I have to updated them I guess I'll need to:

1) Drainstop SERVER A (NLB command to finish current actitives and stop
working), so B will handle all new traffic. When A it's ready, update web
server files, obviously unloading all ISAPI applications first. When I'm
done start it again

2) Drainstop SERVER B. A receives all new connections with its updated
files. Update servers files in B. Start it again.

So, my questions:
a) Is it correct the way I'm supposed to handle replication?
b) Is there any application to help me automate this tasks? What about
Microsoft Application Center?
c) Do you have any other ideas to implement this? Maybe having a
distributed/replicated file system?

Thanks a lot!

Steve
Fri Sep 16 15:00:30 CDT 2005

Application center is one option to replication content. You could also
look at using robocopy to copy files across all the nodes. Robocopy is part
of the Windows 2003 server resource kit. The third option would be to use
a central machine for content and point the websites to the one central
source or use a NAS (network attached storaged) device to store the content
and point the websites to get their content from this NAS server.

Deploying and Configuring Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 with
Remotely Stored Content on UNC Servers and NAS Devices
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/technologies/webapp/iis/remstorg.mspx

Robocopy
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=323275

Steve Schofield.


"Kirsten" <norep@norep.com> wrote in message
news:uG34jcuuFHA.3152@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
>I used to have only one Windows 2000 + IIS server in my intranet with lots
> of ISAPI and ASP applications.
>
> As my LAN grew up, I bougth two W2k3 + IIS servers. The idea is keep this
> two websites replicated.
> I installed Network Load Balancing and my questions are about replication.
>
> When I have to updated them I guess I'll need to:
>
> 1) Drainstop SERVER A (NLB command to finish current actitives and stop
> working), so B will handle all new traffic. When A it's ready, update web
> server files, obviously unloading all ISAPI applications first. When I'm
> done start it again
>
> 2) Drainstop SERVER B. A receives all new connections with its updated
> files. Update servers files in B. Start it again.
>
> So, my questions:
> a) Is it correct the way I'm supposed to handle replication?
> b) Is there any application to help me automate this tasks? What about
> Microsoft Application Center?
> c) Do you have any other ideas to implement this? Maybe having a
> distributed/replicated file system?
>
> Thanks a lot!
>
>
>