uninstall isa server ??? > Small Business Server Support Forum

Unanswered Active Topics

Forums Search

Forums > Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 & 2000 > ISA Server 2004

Subject: uninstall isa server ???

Prev Next

You are not authorized to post a reply.

Author

Messages

Jo Lambrecht User is Offline

Belgium
Member since
5/24/2005

Platinum Membership
Posts: 164

9/29/2008 05:12 PM
Hi, i have a "maybe" an odd question ? Can i uninstall ISA server on my SBS-premium machine without breaking something ? Why : all of my customers use SBS premium editions (as i tought that was (is) the best version) Setting up and configuring those servers went fine and they are working verry good. i'm a SBS adept, i love it. The only problem always comes out of the one same corner, ISA server. Okay, isa is not my strongest point, but if a customer has a problem, i dive into it for a couple of days and everything is solved. I have done that know for a couple of programs. Problems always come with external software (banking programs, online accounting software, social security software, etc...), second big problem with those software appl. is that you don't get any support from the makers of it. And if i mean no support, it is NO support. As i have 2 customers who want to install again, new "special" software, i see the cloud hanging. I really don't want to invest again several days and nights to "try" to solve those issues. So i want to make a radical decision. I would like to deïnstall isa-server on those 2 servers and put some kind of hardware firewall in front of it, instead The question know is : Will my exchange server still work ? Outlook Web access ? External Company website ? my RDP session to the server ? in other words all the things you normaly configure troughtout ICW ? others toughts about my isa-situation, or maybe your opinion about all of this is also appreciated, Regards, Jo

Mariette Knap User is Offline

The Netherlands
Member since
3/24/2005

Forum Admins
Posts: 12890

9/29/2008 06:04 PM

Jo,

I have not seen one issue with ISA that could not be solved. If you really cannot solve it your self you can always ask for one the MVP's on this site to help you with remote support. We do have a ISA MVP...Amy Babinchak.

Mariëtte Knap Smallbizserver.Net Administrator

Mission accomplished. We have joined the branch office to our SBS 2003 Headquarters and have the same user experience on the branch office as we have on our local network at the Headquarters. Want to know how? Signup up for a subscription and get instant access to the article series 'How to add an additional Domain Controller from a remote office to the SBS domain'

Jo Lambrecht User is Offline

Belgium
Member since
5/24/2005

Platinum Membership
Posts: 164

9/29/2008 06:20 PM
Marina, maybe i will do that. (ask for help to someone with knowledge, like Amy) But i wanted some opinions and toughts about my idea, and if it can be done ? (uninstalling without breaking) Regards, Jo

Mariette Knap User is Offline

The Netherlands
Member since
3/24/2005

Forum Admins
Posts: 12890

9/29/2008 07:00 PM

It is me...Mariette :-)

Yes, you can accomplish everything you mentioned without ISA and two network adapters and an external Firewall. Just run the CEICW and make the choices you normally also make when with ISA. After that you will need to open/forward the appropriate ports on the 3rd party Firewall. Remember that ISA is one of the few Firewalls that integrate with your AD.

Mariëtte Knap Smallbizserver.Net Administrator

Amy Babinchak User is Offline

Michigan, United States
Member since
5/23/2005

Microsoft MVP
Posts: 204

9/29/2008 07:58 PM
Jo, Mariette is right. There's no problem that can't be solved in ISA. In fact the Live Logging feature makes it easier to solve problems than with many other firewalls. I always find the logging to be lacking. You may find that the "open a port" type firewalls are easier to manage but they are also much less secure. If your customers are concerned about the safety of application access and online banking then it is worth the time to learn how to do it right in ISA. If you are set upon replacing ISA. Yes, you can uninstall. But if you are going to put into place an external hardware firewall I would suggest moving to a single NIC. Otherwise you will end up with RRAS enabled on the SBS server still. If you choose this route, disable or remove the external NIC and keep the internal NIC as the remaining network card. Run the CEICW and select the check box at the beginning that says you have only 1 NIC. This will result in the cleanest configuration for an external firewall. Mariette's other point is also important. AD integration is an important feature for outbound security of the network. USA prices for such a replacement for ISA would be USA $1000-$3000 as opposed to USA $300 for a simple firewall. I'm sure the pricing isn't the same where you are but the ratio's probably are. The point is a "real" business firewall with features somewhat comparable to ISA is not going to be inexpensive and you will be billing your client for your time to remove ISA and install and configure the new hardware firewall. Seems better to me to keep ISA and spend the money configuring it to best secure your clients network.

Amy Babinchak for ThirdTier.net Need additional help? http://www.thirditer.net

You are not authorized to post a reply.

Forums > Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 & 2000 > ISA Server 2004 > uninstall isa server ???

ActiveForums 3.7