Setting up a server

[marvin]

Hi

 

I am new to this and was wondering if you could help please!!!

 

We have a server 2003 setup which is the domain controller, has DNS settings, DHCP, Network drives, AD accounts and does the printing handling and all pcs connected do that server.

 

I have a small machine i would like to setup on windows 200 server so that i can setup a local intranet as i can't on the 2003 server as we handle exchange on there too as i forgot to mention!!!!

 

What is the best way for me to set up this server? Do i join it to the domain as i would connect other machines on the network? And do i need to add its settings to the existing server so that i can map all drives as usual?

 

All new to me so please any help would be much appreciated.

[Hightower]

How many machines/users does that server handle?! The best way to do it in my eyes is to get a book from a well known online bookstore - you can pick them up for about a fiver.

[marvin]

The server handles around 200 users and we have around 100 machines. Like i said it also handles exchange and SIMS.net on it too!!!

 

What books do you recommend? What is the best way to set this up? Obviously i dont want to touch the server we have at the moment as it works fine but i just want another one setup for intranet use and play around with really.

 

Thanks

[Gibson335]

The first thing I would suggest is to reconsider the entire configuration. Putting Exchange on your PDC is a very bad idea in both theory and, very often, in practice. The two simply aren't meant to go together. Adding SIMS to the mix is another notion that would fill me with dread. If at all possible, load-balance those items on 3 different servers. If you can't, the best advice I can give is to pray long and often.

[Jamman960]

I would add it as a normal machine(domain member) and install iis, you won't need to change any settings on the other server at all although you could add custom DNS entrys so that you can access it via different names i.e the server could be called "server2" but with a DNS alias it could appear as intranet.domain.whatever.

[Scruff]

You run all of that on one machine ?!? if that all works satisfactorily well done that man!

 

If all you're doing is running an internal webserver (Apache/IIS) on the new machine then there is very little to do, you could probably just add it to your stictest OU and you'd also want to set windows firewall to block most things apart from the port that webserver is listening on.

 

But then it'd be best to set up some specific GPO's for the machine.

 

disclaimer: very brief and quick explanation, probably missing things

 

Scruff

 

p.s I don't know anything about SIMS but if it runs on SQL server then you need to get exchange off that machine as they both fight for all free memory in a horrific p*ssing match

[Stuart_C]

I would tend to Echo TonyJF's comments.

We have about 2.5 times your users and computers. I'm running two domain controllers, one file/print/dhcp and the other Intranet/Proxy/E-mail (though not exchange). I've also got a seperate server for SIMS .net. The SIMS server is a member server NOT a domain controller. Having had SIMS.net on the proxy server I know it's not a very good situation.

 

For a server you want to play with I'd probably suggest NOT having it as a domain controller. I'd also suggets that you get some kind of server imaging software so that if you make a mistake it's easy to restore the server.

 

Also through by being frugal with my budgets I've managed to squeeze in a 4th server. This again in a member server and is there for me to "play" with, provide a bit of extra storage, and most importantly allow me to install all the "lovely" edicational applications that "Have to be installed on a server" that I don't want to install on my DC and break it.

[Stuart_C]

p.s I don't know anything about SIMS but if it runs on SQL server then you need to get exchange off that machine as they both fight for all free memory in a horrific p*ssing match

 

Yep it's SQL server based...

[dhicks]

What is the best way for me to set up this server?

 

With a Linux install disk - Windows is for sissies :-) If you just want something to share files from, then maybe something like OpenNAS (search for other threads) would be most suitable.

 

--

David Hicks

[Michael]

I have to admit, that is a lot all for one server, but if it works fast enough and reliably then I'd leave well alone.

 

You can add another server, just like you would a workstation. This is then referred to as a member server. You could then make it a secondary DC or simply leave it as a member server. Member servers generally speaking are used for file hosting and as a print server.

 

However if you wish to conduct experiments, then I recommend you don't add any server to the existing network. It's much more logical to get two machines, install Windows Server on them and link them using a switch, but completely separate from your existing network.

[Stuart_C]

 

However if you wish to conduct experiments, then I recommend you don't add any server to the existing network. It's much more logical to get two machines, install Windows Server on them and link them using a switch, but completely separate from your existing network.

 

Virtual PC also works well for "Play" networks

[gshaw]

For messing about definitely keep well away from the live networks!

 

I've just set a new one up in the back after cooking the previous test network (old Athlon64s running very hot and packed close together is not a good idea )

 

Using a dual core PC running XP x64 as host OS with oodles of RAM and Microsoft Virtual Server (free download) connected up to an old switch. Perfect for testing new stuff out and demo-ing new features... well worth doing