Request for comments about what buying and upgrading benefits me and a strategy.

[IT_Architect]

Scenario 1:  I have two hosts.  Each have a Windows 2003 Server Std. VM (which were free at the time at the data center) on each host, with one UNIX host on one side and two on the other.  The Windows 2003 Server Std. machines use their schedulers to run scripts on the UNIX machines to report on needed updates, when volumes are getting full, several other parameters, and project NFS volumes to cross backup the UNIX hosts to the opposite host's Windows NFS share via ghetto-vcb.

1.  Question:  What would it cost, what would I buy, and is it it a one-time purchase to be able to backup from datastore1 on one machine to datastore1 on the other?  The issue that would solve for me is I would be able to copy over -thin and have it end up its size rather than provisioned size.  I don't want buy another host and server operating system just to run some kind of management console.

2.  Question:  I'm on ESXi 6.0, I like the Windows client, and everything works fine.  I hear the web client isn't too irritating.  Will it do everything the Windows client can do now or do you need both?

3.  Question:  Since I'm half thinking of moving to 7.0, what issues or changes do you see in store for me by moving to 7.0 in this scenario?

Scenario 2:  I'm setting up an office for someone who is currently on SBS 2008 and who has MSSQL Std. installed on the domain controller, which from a configuration, security, maintenance standpoint, results in too many considerations during maintenance and upgrades.  My thought there is running ESXi 7.0 on a Dell Server with iDRAC Enterprise installed, with 2 VMs, one for Server Standard, and the other for MSSQL.

The following is more of a request for comment:
1.  Take one of their obsolete computers and monitors and put it on the server room where they can RDP to the Windows VMs and serve as a target host for remote admin of the network.  That way I don't depend on the servers being up to see the network and can access the iDRAC.  Adding to that, they need to log into their server console to do line-of-business software updates.  This workstation in the server room would also enable to fulfill that role by enabling them to RDP into the server to perform those updates.

2.  For backup, the VMs can use ShadowProtect to backup to a LAN appliance they have which has removable mirror drives that they rotate off site.  However, I would also like to be able to take a copy of the VMs also either through something like I'm doing or a better way that you might suggest.

Summary:  I don't mind buying something if it makes sense.

Thanks!