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Adding a Win2K Server

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by dilligaffer

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I am a new Lan Admin for a mid-sized company. We just migrated some very antiquated Novell servers to an all Dell Win2K Advanced server shop. Question is this we need to add another app server to the existing LAN - our setup is pretty simple - one Domain - 8 Servers. This last server will store inventory for one of our REvenue Centers. How difficult is it to add a server, joing the domain and allow access. Thus far I have not built a server - we outsourced this function as I was simply here to manage the servers and apps (and all our applications are new).

Any advice is greatly appreciated otherwise I may get cold feet and outsource this again.

kmk

3 replies

by timwalsh

Adding a member server to a Win2K domain is no different than adding a workstation. The exact same process is used. Access is determined by Group Policy and access permissions set on the application and appropriate data files.

The process of building a server is really no different than building any other PC. The differences are usually your choice of components (you would want more robust, server-class components that you don't normally see in a desktop computer).

Having said that, if you have little or NO experience building computers, you probably don't want to learn on something as important as a server that will be hosting a critical application.

Also consider that if you build your own, and you have problems, you are stuck tring to figure out what is wrong and dealing with all the separate component manufacturers to resolve the problem. If you go with a name-brand vendor (Dell, IBM, Compaq, whatever), you have one belly-button the push (the server vendor's) to get a problem resolved.

If you DO have a lot of experience building PCs, and troubleshooting them, you can often experience some cost savings by building your own.

Hope this helps.

by dilligaffer

Actually I may have misled this discussion I won't be building the server but configuring a server (Dell to be specific) to run on the existing LAN running 8 Dell servers. My concern is how difficult is it to setup an app server? I've loaded servers(just installed the OS) before but never to the point of completing the whole process of configuring them on the network. I don't want to get into a messy situation where I need help and it costs us more to back out of my mistakes then it would haveto hand it to a vendor. Plus the vendor setup the entire network here so he's not going to be offering help for free......

kmk

by lordinfidel

When I think of an apps server, I think of something like terminal services.

Where you install the applications on the server, then your end users use terminal services to connect to the server and run the app like they are sitting in front of the server.

OR... Are you talking about a file server, where the data for the programs are stored, but the application itself is installed on the end users system. And the app runs on the end users machine but retrieves the data from a central location..?

If it's the latter, there is really nothing to it.
Literally.......

My advice would then be, make sure you create 2 partitions: 1 is your root drive (c:- no one should have access to it) and your Data Drive.

Format all drives NTFS!
The root of your data drives permissions should be local admins and system = full control. remove everyone else. Then create your subfolders and add permissions to your folders as needed. Do not use share permissions, leave share permissions aseveryone=full. Only use NTFS permissions, and only use groups from the domain. The local admin/system accounts will propagate down thru the folders.

For additional tips/tricks on how to secure your boxes and such. I've published some of my install notes on my personal site:
http://www.directionweb.com/how-to/index.txt

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