Re: First Grade Basics Needed

From: Lanwench [MVP - Exchange] (lanwench_at_heybuddy.donotsendme.unsolicitedmail.atyahoo.com)
Date: 01/20/05 

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 20:21:24 -0500

rju wrote:
> We've purchased a Dell server for our small law office, 8 users,
> Standard SBS, I'm the guy who will set it up and maintain it.
>
> I took it home and played around with it. I feel I can follow the
> Wizards. I can read all the books I have. However, I feel I need more
> of the very simple BASIC information, which seems VERY hard to find,
> either online or in books. Even the books for dummies.
>
> I figured out the server doesn't need logging in--you just hit the
> button and it starts up the services. Then you attach the
> workstations. Great. I just wish someone had told me this, because I
> wasted a day and a half on this!

This is true of nearly any server - nobody is expected to log in or sit at
the console. Services run automatically in the background.
>
> Apparently, SBS doesn't work well with my home dial up--it doesn't
> share. Apparently, (I could be wrong) ICS only shows up for dial up
> when there are TWO networks cards in the machine. This is a minor
> point, because we'll be using DSL in the office. But again I wish
> someone had told me this.

I wouldn't use ICS for love or money even on a peer to peer network. If you
have only one NIC, and have broadband in the office, get a hardware firewall
appliance - I like Sonicwalls myself. So it's

<internet router/modem> --- <firewall> --- <Ethernet switch/hub> --- <LAN>
>
> Now I'm trying to figure out logins for workstations. You log in with
> your full name: Guy@ourplace.lan.

Not necessarily - you can also log in as GUY to the domain YOURPLACE.

> You get into your account. Fine.
> But what do you do when the server is down? I thought at first you
> log into it through the Netbios name. Is this right? Is that what the
> name is for? I know I can log in locally, but does not get me into my
> domain account, where all my stuff is. How does this work with
> laptops?

Cached credentials in Windows NT-based operating systems have existed at
least since NT3...once you've logged into the domain once on that particular
workstation, it will remember you & give you access, & your domain profile.

Users should not have local accounts at all, nor should they know the admin
credentials for the workstations.

However, when the server is down in the office (and I'd really prefer "if
the server is down" - servers should not be down often!) nobody will be able
to get to their files, as all data really should be stored on the server -
not on the workstations. Laptop users should either use offline files
(native to Win2k/XP Pro) or (better in my opinion) something third party
like www.centered.com 's SecondCopy 2000 to sync data. And re Exchange - if
you use OL2003, set up the profiles with cached mode, so there's a local
copy of Exchange data.
>
> Now that the server is back in the office, when I logged in though
> netBIOS (at home, with a machine no longer connected to the server),
> it created a new account, instead of putting me into the user account
> I expected to be in. Where is my original account? I need to be sure
> that my users can work on their computers at all times, even if the
> server is down. I don't want to straighten out my home computer, I
> want to know what to tell my users to do in the event of problems.

1. Don't have problems often 2) logging into any workstation to which you
have previously logged in does not create a new account (it can't) or new
profile. Not sure what you did. Had you removed the computer from the
domain?

As I said, if the server is down, nobody can get to their server-resident
data, so you have larger problems than someone's ability to log in. Although
they ought to be able to log in using the aforementioned cached credentials.
>
> I would really like to know if is there some resource for information
> that I can tell my users? What they can expect, what they should do
> in case of problems, etc?

What to expect? That their network runs well.
In case of problems, they should contact you, or whomever is doing tech
support, with specific details.

>
> I know these are very basic questions, but the price of these things
> are coming down and you are going to get more and more of theese
> questions.

True enough - but note that this is not something anyone should jump into
lightly. If you don't know what you're doing, you'll end up with very angry
users and lost data. You might want to look into getting a consultant to
help you with the setup - you can learn about it at the same time, and learn
how to do basic admin stuff you'll need. With very good server hardware, a
good installation, proper maintenance/backups, antivirus & security, your
server should pretty much hum along on its own for the most part.
>

> Thanks