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Microsoft

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

By Rick Vanover January 28, 2011, 1:22 AM PST

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Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Download Small Business Server 2011

Download Small Business Server 2011

ntI’ve not used Small Business Server (any version) much over the years, but it is one of the first server series of products to be released on the 2011 server platform. This caused me to take the plunge to Small Business Server recently in my lab to go through the configuration.

n

ntSmall Business Server 2011 is a big download at 6.5 GB. Keep in mind this is more than just an operating system, as a number of critical applications are included in the distribution.

n

ntIf you are considering Small Business Server 2011, check this TechNet page for what is new in this release. You can download a trial of Small Business Server from the TechNet Evaluation Center.

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Extract files from .ISO file

Extract files from .ISO file

ntThe Small Business Server 2011 installation starts much like a Windows Server 2008 R2 system. In fact, you may not notice it is a different product at first glance.

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ntThe most notable difference is when files are extracted from the large DVD-ROM .ISO file. This would be a good time to go get some coffee!

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Select clean install

Select clean install

ntAfter the long series of installation copy and extraction, the option to perform a clean install or server migration is presented. This is an important option, should the migration path be selected; there are 21 days permitted to have the source server running Windows SBS to run concurrently with the new server. For this example, I’ll select the clean install.

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Configure time zone

Configure time zone

ntThe time zone configuration is the next decision point of the installation process. This is important at this part of the Small Business Server configuration for root certificate configuration.

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Configure networking options

Configure networking options

ntThe networking options are the next area of configuration during the Small Business Server 2011 setup. The options are rather limited, but nonetheless the most critical parts of the configuration process. The Small Business Server functions as a domain controller as well, so the networking configuration is critical. Further, the next step of the wizard would use this configuration.

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Choose when to get updates

Choose when to get updates

ntThe installation has the option to go online and get updates for Small Business Server 2011. Depending on your preference and state of network configuration, this step may not be possible at this point. The safe bet is to perform updates after the installation.

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Input organizational information

Input organizational information

ntBasic organizational information is collected in the next step of the Small Business Server 2011 configuration wizard. According to the hotlink on the bottom of the page, this is a pre-loading of configured information for features such as FAX capabilities rather than a registration step with Microsoft.

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Enter server name and domain name values

Enter server name and domain name values

ntThe next step in the Small Business Server 2011 configuration is to start putting system-related details into the wizard. The server name and domain name values are very important, as they cannot be changed after the installation is finished. This inconvenient requirement puts the decision process on the administrator for a relevant nomenclature.

n

ntMy recommendation is to make the both of these names generic. Should virtual machines be in use, consider using this blog post as a framework for virtual machine nomenclature.

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Set up admin account

Set up admin account

ntA network administrator account is then added to the installation. This follows the basic configuration of a user account in terms of password complexity and accepted characters. In the figure above, u201cadmin-u201c was pre-pended to the username to use an alias for the specified user. This implies that a normal username of firstname.lastname would also be created for day-to-day use.

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Configuration wizard summary

Configuration wizard summary

ntA useful summary of the configuration wizard is presented before the final steps are configured on the Small Business Server 2011. Curiously, I had to click the link at the bottom that says, u201cWhy can’t I change the name or internal domain name later?u201d The help file explains how the Small Business Server 2011 is running Active Directory Domain Services, which is consistent with domain controllers in the other Windows environments. It is a better practice to promote and demote domain controllers rather than rename them. The same practice applies here, except that it would be an additional installation and more complicated migration.

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Implement the configuration

Implement the configuration

ntThe installation then implements the configuration that was specified during the wizard. This step isn’t as long as the file extraction steps before the wizard, but nonetheless takes some time.

n

ntThis example is a VMware vSphere virtual machine running the E1000 virtual network interface. This is important as it will natively be able to connect to Ethernet networks and get to services such as Windows Update. The VMXNET3 interface may not be able to be used until VMware Tools are installed.

Install and configure Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

Administrative interface

Administrative interface

ntAfter a generally uninteresting series of configuration and reboot activities, the server is ready to go! You may have to log in as the username and password configured in the previous step. From here, the Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard Console is the administrative interface for everything on the server. Small Business Server 2011 introduces a number of changes and is the first Windows Server product so tightly integrated with cloud technologies. If you are a candidate for upgrading Small Business Server to the new version, now is the time to go for the evaluation!

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By Rick Vanover
Rick Vanover is an IT Infrastructure Manager for Alliance Data in Columbus, Ohio. Rick's IT certifications include VMware VCP, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 MCITP, Windows Server 2003 MCSA and others. \ \ Previous experiences included working for De
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