Somepress release action here folks:
SMB Nation 2008: Small Business Server 2008 and EBS 2008 LAUNCH PARTY!
Don’t miss the boat! Be there when Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (EBS) AND Windows Small Business Server 2008 (SBS) are front and center at our event! Right in Microsoft's home town, you can ride the leading edge of this new era with EBS 2008 and SBS 2008!
This is a special time in the SMB technology as Microsoft will be releasing the new EBS 2008 product this fall along with an update to the popular SBS 2008 product family! Join SMB and SBS author Harry Brelsford and over 600 SMB resellers, consultants, and trusted business advisors at this long-standing popular professional conference as you seize this opportunity to master these product releases from both business and technical vantage points.
Over three days you will take it all in:
Meet fellow SMB technology professionals. We call it “peer-to-peer networking” or “Hallway 101”!
Attend non-commercial, academic-content tracks.
BusinessSpeak: Your weekend pocket MBA curriculum for increasing your success as an SMB channel partner. Led by well-respected SBSers.
GeekSpeak: Hosted by acclaimed technical MVPs and other technical gurus – do a DEEP DIVE and go on to THRIVE!
How To: Bona fide, tactile, hands-on knowledge you can use the next day, such as how to hire your first salesperson!
Learn more about Microsoft SMB product stack components, Microsoft Response Point (SMB telephony) and the Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC).
Witness major third-party ISV and sponsor launches and updates: hardware, threat management, security, managed services, virtualization...
SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 Launch Party on Saturday night, including christening the M.V. SBS 2008!
Everyone knows getting a JUMP on new technologies is essential to your successful career as a channel partner. SMB Nation 2008 is UNIQUELY positioned to give you that OPPORTUNITY!
See you in Seattle in early October.
Showing posts with label Small Business Specialists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Small Business Specialists. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
MS Research seeking Managed Services test subjects in Redmond
Call for Managed Service Providers
Microsoft User Research is looking for individuals from companies who provide proactive, outsourced IT services for multiple businesses; these services could include backing up data, installing patches, keeping AV software up-to-date, and management of other IT assets.
It is important for you to know that you do not need to prepare anything to participate. We want to learn from you, the experts, to determine what needs to be improved in our software. We highly value your feedback and will be offering you a gratuity option in appreciation of your time and participation.
If you are interested or know someone who could be interested in participating, please email us at itusable@microsoft.com and include MSP in the subject line. For information on other studies and to learn more about Microsoft's User Research program email us.
cheers...harrybbbb
harry brelsford, ceo at smb nation, www.smbnation.com
Microsoft User Research is looking for individuals from companies who provide proactive, outsourced IT services for multiple businesses; these services could include backing up data, installing patches, keeping AV software up-to-date, and management of other IT assets.
It is important for you to know that you do not need to prepare anything to participate. We want to learn from you, the experts, to determine what needs to be improved in our software. We highly value your feedback and will be offering you a gratuity option in appreciation of your time and participation.
If you are interested or know someone who could be interested in participating, please email us at itusable@microsoft.com and include MSP in the subject line. For information on other studies and to learn more about Microsoft's User Research program email us.
cheers...harrybbbb
harry brelsford, ceo at smb nation, www.smbnation.com
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
SBS 2003 To DO List explored [Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices book excerpt]
howdy - i am harry brelsford (ceo, smb nation at www.smbnation.com) and I am the author of the infamous SBS 2003 purple book. I am posting up a few pages per day until the SBS 2008 product ships - so enjoy in good health.
Today we start our journey to look at the famous To Do List in SBS 2003 and review the Security Best Practices link.
cheers...harrybbbbb
###
To Do List: In Order!
So with the finer points of Server Management console behind us, it’s time to get down tonight! Let’s start by planning the SBS 2003 Methodology ballad. Few things in the deployment of SBS exemplify the notion that SBS is a ready-made network in a box (or SMB consulting practice in a box for us consultants) than the existence and brilliance of the To Do List. We’ll spend tons of time walking through the To Do List here.
But back to the brilliance part. The To Do List has been engineered to be your deployment approach for all of the SBS servers you’ll ever install. You start at the top and work your way to the bottom. This structured approach, whether you install one or 1000 SBS server machines, should be honored. Don’t be like a Boeing IT employee here in Seattle who likes to say, while installing SBS 2003 at her church over a weekend, “I don’t use the To Do List or the Server Management console at Boeing, so we’re not going to use it here on this holy site!” Such pompous thinking is truly short-sighted in successfully deploying SBS 2003 and can result in an unsatisfactory outcome. But BY FOLLOWING THE TO DO LIST, you can be assured of a positive outcome each and every time when you set up SBS 2003. You heard this breaking news here first!
So that said, let’s start at the top and work down the To Do List. You’ll start by noticing the To Do List is divided into Network Tasks and Management Tasks. That’s because the SBS development team, in its wisdom, determined that folks wanted to see it play out that way with task sets divided between network and management.
BEST PRACTICE: Note that you and I will indeed complete the To Do List in order as part of the SPRINGERS methodology. You would expect this. However, I don’t have to walk through the entire To Do List in this chapter; instead, I’ll take you through the first seven links. I leave the Configure Fax, Configure Monitoring, and Configure Backup links to be completed in order in later chapters.
Remember the mantra, mates: Always complete the To Do List in order!
Network Tasks
There are five items under Network Tasks on the To Do List that we’ll walk through right now.
View Security Best Practices
Talk about a future book! You could clearly write a thick tome on security on small business networks, but I’ll leave that for another day. Rather, I point you to this link as a “primer” on top-of-mind security best practices to consider as you move forth in deploying your SBS network. In fact, it’d be good to visit this link with each SBS server you deploy so that you don’t overlook a security best practice. When you select View Security Best Practices, you’ll read details on the following 16 topics:
1. Protecting your network from the Internet by using a firewall
2. Configuring password policies
3. Configuring secure remote access to the network
4. Renaming the Administrator account
5. Implementing an antivirus solution
6. Managing backups
7. Updating your software
8. Running security tools
9. Granting access permissions
10. Educating users
11. Not using your Windows Small Business Server as a workstation
12. Physically securing the server
13. Limiting user disk space
14. Keeping up-to-date on security information
15. Auditing failed logon events and account lockouts
16. Using monitoring tools
BEST PRACTICE: Regarding item #13 above, you would want to know that SBS 2003 implements a disk quota for users in the Add User Wizard. Specifically, for a user the disk space is limited to 1024 MB and a warning is sent at 900 MB. This can be manually modified later.
When you complete reading this list, please close the Small Business Server Help and Information screen that is open and return to the To Do List. Check
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
the Done box next to View Security Best Practices (you check off each To Do List item as its completed, which is a nice touch!).
Today we start our journey to look at the famous To Do List in SBS 2003 and review the Security Best Practices link.
cheers...harrybbbbb
###
To Do List: In Order!
So with the finer points of Server Management console behind us, it’s time to get down tonight! Let’s start by planning the SBS 2003 Methodology ballad. Few things in the deployment of SBS exemplify the notion that SBS is a ready-made network in a box (or SMB consulting practice in a box for us consultants) than the existence and brilliance of the To Do List. We’ll spend tons of time walking through the To Do List here.
But back to the brilliance part. The To Do List has been engineered to be your deployment approach for all of the SBS servers you’ll ever install. You start at the top and work your way to the bottom. This structured approach, whether you install one or 1000 SBS server machines, should be honored. Don’t be like a Boeing IT employee here in Seattle who likes to say, while installing SBS 2003 at her church over a weekend, “I don’t use the To Do List or the Server Management console at Boeing, so we’re not going to use it here on this holy site!” Such pompous thinking is truly short-sighted in successfully deploying SBS 2003 and can result in an unsatisfactory outcome. But BY FOLLOWING THE TO DO LIST, you can be assured of a positive outcome each and every time when you set up SBS 2003. You heard this breaking news here first!
So that said, let’s start at the top and work down the To Do List. You’ll start by noticing the To Do List is divided into Network Tasks and Management Tasks. That’s because the SBS development team, in its wisdom, determined that folks wanted to see it play out that way with task sets divided between network and management.
BEST PRACTICE: Note that you and I will indeed complete the To Do List in order as part of the SPRINGERS methodology. You would expect this. However, I don’t have to walk through the entire To Do List in this chapter; instead, I’ll take you through the first seven links. I leave the Configure Fax, Configure Monitoring, and Configure Backup links to be completed in order in later chapters.
Remember the mantra, mates: Always complete the To Do List in order!
Network Tasks
There are five items under Network Tasks on the To Do List that we’ll walk through right now.
View Security Best Practices
Talk about a future book! You could clearly write a thick tome on security on small business networks, but I’ll leave that for another day. Rather, I point you to this link as a “primer” on top-of-mind security best practices to consider as you move forth in deploying your SBS network. In fact, it’d be good to visit this link with each SBS server you deploy so that you don’t overlook a security best practice. When you select View Security Best Practices, you’ll read details on the following 16 topics:
1. Protecting your network from the Internet by using a firewall
2. Configuring password policies
3. Configuring secure remote access to the network
4. Renaming the Administrator account
5. Implementing an antivirus solution
6. Managing backups
7. Updating your software
8. Running security tools
9. Granting access permissions
10. Educating users
11. Not using your Windows Small Business Server as a workstation
12. Physically securing the server
13. Limiting user disk space
14. Keeping up-to-date on security information
15. Auditing failed logon events and account lockouts
16. Using monitoring tools
BEST PRACTICE: Regarding item #13 above, you would want to know that SBS 2003 implements a disk quota for users in the Add User Wizard. Specifically, for a user the disk space is limited to 1024 MB and a warning is sent at 900 MB. This can be manually modified later.
When you complete reading this list, please close the Small Business Server Help and Information screen that is open and return to the To Do List. Check
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
the Done box next to View Security Best Practices (you check off each To Do List item as its completed, which is a nice touch!).
Monday, June 23, 2008
Power User Console in Windows Small Business Server 2003 [sbs 2003 book excerpt]
hi - I am harry brlesford and the author of Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices (SBS 2003). My goal is to post a few pages per day of my book for you to read and have the entire thing posted by the time SBS 2008 ships.
Today we discuss the Power USer Console!
cheers....harrybbbb Harry Brelsford, CEO at SMB NAtion, www.smbnation.com
###
Power User Console
And just when you thought they’d taken away the Personal Console from SBS 2000 days, I have news for you. If you really must have your “Personal Console,” which is a dumbed-down version of Server Management called Server Management for Power Users, you can find it at the following location:
%System Drive%\Program Files\Microsoft Windows Small Business Server\
Administration\mysbsconsole.msc Personal console, I mean Server Management for Power Users, is automatically launched when a Power User logs on remotely via Terminal Services to perform server management tasks (this is shown in Figure 4-3). Note the Power User is totally locked into using Server Management for Power Users. If said Power User closes this console, they are immediately logged off the SBS server machine. Period.
Figure 4-3
A power user at SPRINGERS logs on to perform server-related work and uses
Server Management for Power Users.
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
Today we discuss the Power USer Console!
cheers....harrybbbb Harry Brelsford, CEO at SMB NAtion, www.smbnation.com
###
Power User Console
And just when you thought they’d taken away the Personal Console from SBS 2000 days, I have news for you. If you really must have your “Personal Console,” which is a dumbed-down version of Server Management called Server Management for Power Users, you can find it at the following location:
%System Drive%\Program Files\Microsoft Windows Small Business Server\
Administration\mysbsconsole.msc Personal console, I mean Server Management for Power Users, is automatically launched when a Power User logs on remotely via Terminal Services to perform server management tasks (this is shown in Figure 4-3). Note the Power User is totally locked into using Server Management for Power Users. If said Power User closes this console, they are immediately logged off the SBS server machine. Period.
Figure 4-3
A power user at SPRINGERS logs on to perform server-related work and uses
Server Management for Power Users.
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Advanced Management Console in SBS 2003 [Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices Book Excerpt]
hey-hey - I am harry brelsford, ceo of SMB Nation and the author of Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices. Each day, I am posting up heaps of my infamous purple book until SBS 2008 ships!
Today we discuss the advanced management console (MMC-based) in SBS 2003!
cheers….harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford, CEO SMB Nation, www.smbnation.com
###
Advanced Management
It is under Advanced Management that the “native tools” you need to interact with SBS 2003 are exposed. For those of you who worked with SBS in the 4.x era, you’ll recall that it was more difficult to utilize the native tools (and some native tools even crippled SBS 4.x!). That, of course, changed in the last two SBS releases, wherein native tools are placed front and center for your benefit. The components of Advanced Management, as listed on the left panel of Figure 4-2, are described below.
Figure 4-2
The focus in this figure is the Advanced Management components.
• Active Directory Users and Computers. Ah, every MCSE certification candidate has likely committed to memory this tool that is the primary interface for managing objects in Active Directory such as users and groups.
BEST PRACTICE: A hands-on lab instructor for whom I have the utmost respect has an interesting take on Active Directory Users and Computers. He believes that it is the primary approach to managing the messaging function on a server computer with Exchange Server 2003 installed. What? I’ll explain this more in Chapter 6, but take a moment to look at the Exchange-related tabs that appear when you view a user object in Active Directory Users and Computers when you’ve selected Advanced Features under the View menu. You’ll see four Exchange-related tabs. Then ask yourself where you do most of your Exchange-related management on a day-to-day basis. I do believe you’ll agree that you do it here, pardner!
• Group Policy Management. Remember that paradigm d’etre we discussed earlier about support for client computer configuration? Yep! That is again manifested by the Group Policy Management page.
• Computer Management (Local). Lots of great reasons to get to know this object, including the ability to manage your hard disks and start and stop services. I’ll explore this tool more in Chapter 11.
• First Organization (Exchange)/SPRINGERSLTD (Exchange). This is System Manager in Exchange Server 2003, where I can’t deny many Exchange-related tasks are performed. Let’s hold off further discussion until Chapter 6.
• POP3 Connector Manager. Hail to Charlie, a senior member of the SBS development team who owns the POP3 Connector Manager in SBS 2003. This allows you to download e-mails from POP3 servers (typically located at your ISP). This is discuss more in Chapter 6.
• Terminal Services Configuration. This tool could be used to modify the default Terminal Services configuration in SBS 2003 (which is in Remote Administration Mode). I’ll discuss Terminal Services more in Chapter 11.
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
• Internet Information Services. Yes - Internet Information Services (IIS) is alive and well in SBS 2003 and the focus in Chapter 10, so I’ll wait until then to dive into the details.
• Migrate Server Settings. This page brings together all the cool settings you can migrate between SBS 2003 servers. This would, of course, benefit an SBM/SBS consultant who has perfect settings that he wants to easily share with customers. More on these settings in Chapter 11 and 12.
BEST PRACTICE: For a real good time, look at the menu shortcuts in the Server Management console. Click Favorites from the upper toolbar and look at the Standard Management and Advanced Management menu items. You might be surprised by what you see, such as the Sessions and Open Files items.
BEST PRACTICE: Don’t forget that the Server Management console in SBS 2003 is based on Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
2.0 and that customization is possible. How? Simply place the Server Management console in Author mode and add a snap-in, such as the SQL Server Enterprise Manager. The location of the Server Manager console on which you would want to perform your modifications is:
%System Drive%\Program Files\Microsoft Windows Small Business Server\Administration\itprosbsconsole.msc
You would right-click the above file and select Author from the secondary menu to make your edits.
By the way, a little SBS culture here. Really, really early looks of SBS 2003 had the console being based on SharePoint technologies (e.g., Windows SharePoint Services). But in the final product, it’s all MMC 2.0, baby!
Today we discuss the advanced management console (MMC-based) in SBS 2003!
cheers….harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford, CEO SMB Nation, www.smbnation.com
###
Advanced Management
It is under Advanced Management that the “native tools” you need to interact with SBS 2003 are exposed. For those of you who worked with SBS in the 4.x era, you’ll recall that it was more difficult to utilize the native tools (and some native tools even crippled SBS 4.x!). That, of course, changed in the last two SBS releases, wherein native tools are placed front and center for your benefit. The components of Advanced Management, as listed on the left panel of Figure 4-2, are described below.
Figure 4-2
The focus in this figure is the Advanced Management components.
• Active Directory Users and Computers. Ah, every MCSE certification candidate has likely committed to memory this tool that is the primary interface for managing objects in Active Directory such as users and groups.
BEST PRACTICE: A hands-on lab instructor for whom I have the utmost respect has an interesting take on Active Directory Users and Computers. He believes that it is the primary approach to managing the messaging function on a server computer with Exchange Server 2003 installed. What? I’ll explain this more in Chapter 6, but take a moment to look at the Exchange-related tabs that appear when you view a user object in Active Directory Users and Computers when you’ve selected Advanced Features under the View menu. You’ll see four Exchange-related tabs. Then ask yourself where you do most of your Exchange-related management on a day-to-day basis. I do believe you’ll agree that you do it here, pardner!
• Group Policy Management. Remember that paradigm d’etre we discussed earlier about support for client computer configuration? Yep! That is again manifested by the Group Policy Management page.
• Computer Management (Local). Lots of great reasons to get to know this object, including the ability to manage your hard disks and start and stop services. I’ll explore this tool more in Chapter 11.
• First Organization (Exchange)/SPRINGERSLTD (Exchange). This is System Manager in Exchange Server 2003, where I can’t deny many Exchange-related tasks are performed. Let’s hold off further discussion until Chapter 6.
• POP3 Connector Manager. Hail to Charlie, a senior member of the SBS development team who owns the POP3 Connector Manager in SBS 2003. This allows you to download e-mails from POP3 servers (typically located at your ISP). This is discuss more in Chapter 6.
• Terminal Services Configuration. This tool could be used to modify the default Terminal Services configuration in SBS 2003 (which is in Remote Administration Mode). I’ll discuss Terminal Services more in Chapter 11.
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
• Internet Information Services. Yes - Internet Information Services (IIS) is alive and well in SBS 2003 and the focus in Chapter 10, so I’ll wait until then to dive into the details.
• Migrate Server Settings. This page brings together all the cool settings you can migrate between SBS 2003 servers. This would, of course, benefit an SBM/SBS consultant who has perfect settings that he wants to easily share with customers. More on these settings in Chapter 11 and 12.
BEST PRACTICE: For a real good time, look at the menu shortcuts in the Server Management console. Click Favorites from the upper toolbar and look at the Standard Management and Advanced Management menu items. You might be surprised by what you see, such as the Sessions and Open Files items.
BEST PRACTICE: Don’t forget that the Server Management console in SBS 2003 is based on Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
2.0 and that customization is possible. How? Simply place the Server Management console in Author mode and add a snap-in, such as the SQL Server Enterprise Manager. The location of the Server Manager console on which you would want to perform your modifications is:
%System Drive%\Program Files\Microsoft Windows Small Business Server\Administration\itprosbsconsole.msc
You would right-click the above file and select Author from the secondary menu to make your edits.
By the way, a little SBS culture here. Really, really early looks of SBS 2003 had the console being based on SharePoint technologies (e.g., Windows SharePoint Services). But in the final product, it’s all MMC 2.0, baby!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Troubleshooting the SBS 2003 Setup - book excerpt
Today we complete chapter 3 of the Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices book with a quick look at troubleshooting the SBS 2003 setup process. As you may recall - I am posting up my book, a few pages per day, unitl SBS 2003 ships!
harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford CEO at smb nation www.smbnation.com
###
Troubleshooting Setup Errors
In your career as an SBS professional, you will possibly have occasion to troubleshoot setup errors. These errors come out of left field, but the Readme.htm document contained on Small Business Server 2003 Setup Disc 1 discusses a surprisingly large number of setup errors and the suggested resolution steps (I discuss this document early in this chapter). Hats off to the SBS development team for shipping this timely resource in time!
You may also want to consult the SBS resources listed in Appendix A to stay current with SBS 2003 setup issues. Heck, don’t hesitate to throw in your own two cents in the discussion group and news list (listserv) mentioned.
And consider simply rerunning the SBS setup, as I discussed earlier, as your first line of attack in curing a problem.
BEST PRACTICE: And don’t forget that a book is outdated the day I type its final words. The technology world changes quickly and you’ll want to visit the Microsoft TechNet page to stay current with all the latest and updated knowledge related to SBS 2003. So no flames, masking as reader replies on Amazon.com, saying that my book doesn’t discuss some future issue you encounter in the Year 2005 with SBS 2003.
Summary
As you reach the end of the SBS server machine setup and installation discussion, remember to go forward keeping a healthy perspective. Often I witness SBS professionals spending hours troubleshooting some setup- or installation-related problem. In many cases, that is not a good use of time. Remember that it often takes less than three hours to do a complete SBS server machine reinstall. Believe me, I’ve done plenty of fresh SBS installs and come out hours ahead. Just a thought!
harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford CEO at smb nation www.smbnation.com
###
Troubleshooting Setup Errors
In your career as an SBS professional, you will possibly have occasion to troubleshoot setup errors. These errors come out of left field, but the Readme.htm document contained on Small Business Server 2003 Setup Disc 1 discusses a surprisingly large number of setup errors and the suggested resolution steps (I discuss this document early in this chapter). Hats off to the SBS development team for shipping this timely resource in time!
You may also want to consult the SBS resources listed in Appendix A to stay current with SBS 2003 setup issues. Heck, don’t hesitate to throw in your own two cents in the discussion group and news list (listserv) mentioned.
And consider simply rerunning the SBS setup, as I discussed earlier, as your first line of attack in curing a problem.
BEST PRACTICE: And don’t forget that a book is outdated the day I type its final words. The technology world changes quickly and you’ll want to visit the Microsoft TechNet page to stay current with all the latest and updated knowledge related to SBS 2003. So no flames, masking as reader replies on Amazon.com, saying that my book doesn’t discuss some future issue you encounter in the Year 2005 with SBS 2003.
Summary
As you reach the end of the SBS server machine setup and installation discussion, remember to go forward keeping a healthy perspective. Often I witness SBS professionals spending hours troubleshooting some setup- or installation-related problem. In many cases, that is not a good use of time. Remember that it often takes less than three hours to do a complete SBS server machine reinstall. Believe me, I’ve done plenty of fresh SBS installs and come out hours ahead. Just a thought!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
SMB Nation Alumni - June 30th deadline
Hey gang - do not forget that the alumni rate for SMB Nation 2008 expires June 30th. It is a huge year with the SBS 2008 and EBS product launches right in the same time zone!
cheers...harrybbbbb
cheers...harrybbbbb
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Ready, SEt, Go - Install SBS 2003 (SBS 2003 Best Practices book excerpt)
Hi gang - I am harry brelsford, the author of the Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices book (SMB Nation Press). I am posting up a few pages a day of my book (aka purple book) and hope to have it completely i the wild by the time SBS 2008 ships! Let me know what you think.
cheers....harrybbbbb
Harry Brelsford CEO SMB Nation www.smbnation.com
# # #
Ready, Set, Go
Make sure you’re familiar and armed with the numerous SBS setup sheets from Chapter 2. If this is your first pass through the book, these sheets, which reflect setup information for SPRINGERS, have been completed for you. If this is your second pass through the book, and you’re installing SBS for real, gather blank setup sheets from my Web site at www.smbnation.com. Much of the information on the setup sheets will be called for in the next section.
You are now ready to install SBS 2003.
BEST PRACTICE: Let’s take a deep breath at this point to reflect and meditate for a moment on exactly what is going on here. The planning and installation presented to date, and the forthcoming setup steps, are based on the viewpoint of SPRINGERS. Why? Because this book has been written with the idea in mind that, if you invest some of your limited time and you follow each step in this book, you will be a bona fide SBSer with a functional network for SPRINGERS. That is the underlying paradigm to how I wrote this book, and as you might imagine, I jealously guard my SPRINGERS methodology for quality assurances purposes.
Now, granted, your situation may be dramatically different if you install more than one SBS network (particularly if you are an SBS consultant). For example, one client site may use an IDE-based disk system on an older computer as the server machine. Another site may use a SCSI-based computer as the server machine. And yet another site may use a SCSI or IDE RAID array hard disk storage system. Variations in SBS implementations will exist, depending on your unique situation. Another area of variation is data migration. You may or may not have data to migrate from another machine, another partition of the existing machine that you are installing SBS on. Talk about an area where things can vary on a case-by-case basis, that area would be in data (some data is comma separated value, some is text, some uses XML, etc.)
So what’s the bottom line? Stick with me and follow this methodology exactly and you’ll have a functional SBS network for SPRINGERS after completing this book (I’m assuming it would take you about a month to complete the book from start to finish). But in the very next breathe, I’m not as tough of an old Angus bull as I first appear. If you are reading this book for pleasure and do not care to follow SPRINGERS rhyme and verse, God be with you and it’s likely you’ll still derive great value from these pages. But back to the SPRINGERS methodology. As an example, I have a printer installed on the SBS
Visit www.smbnation.com for additional SMB and SBS book, newsletter and conference resources.
network later in the chapter, but you might not have a printer in the real world of SBS implementations. While it’s unlikely you don’t have a printer, SBS can be implemented without incident without a printer. Heck, you can even install the Shared Fax Service without a modem attached!
Vary from this specific methodology and you’re on your own. (Sorry, mate!) And again, I do try to accommodate different scenarios as much as possible (such as the upgrade discussion in Appendix B). Thanks!
The first step assumes that you have a server machine that will boot from the CD drive. You are then sufficiently equipped and ready for the next section that commences the step-by-step setup procedure.
cheers....harrybbbbb
Harry Brelsford CEO SMB Nation www.smbnation.com
# # #
Ready, Set, Go
Make sure you’re familiar and armed with the numerous SBS setup sheets from Chapter 2. If this is your first pass through the book, these sheets, which reflect setup information for SPRINGERS, have been completed for you. If this is your second pass through the book, and you’re installing SBS for real, gather blank setup sheets from my Web site at www.smbnation.com. Much of the information on the setup sheets will be called for in the next section.
You are now ready to install SBS 2003.
BEST PRACTICE: Let’s take a deep breath at this point to reflect and meditate for a moment on exactly what is going on here. The planning and installation presented to date, and the forthcoming setup steps, are based on the viewpoint of SPRINGERS. Why? Because this book has been written with the idea in mind that, if you invest some of your limited time and you follow each step in this book, you will be a bona fide SBSer with a functional network for SPRINGERS. That is the underlying paradigm to how I wrote this book, and as you might imagine, I jealously guard my SPRINGERS methodology for quality assurances purposes.
Now, granted, your situation may be dramatically different if you install more than one SBS network (particularly if you are an SBS consultant). For example, one client site may use an IDE-based disk system on an older computer as the server machine. Another site may use a SCSI-based computer as the server machine. And yet another site may use a SCSI or IDE RAID array hard disk storage system. Variations in SBS implementations will exist, depending on your unique situation. Another area of variation is data migration. You may or may not have data to migrate from another machine, another partition of the existing machine that you are installing SBS on. Talk about an area where things can vary on a case-by-case basis, that area would be in data (some data is comma separated value, some is text, some uses XML, etc.)
So what’s the bottom line? Stick with me and follow this methodology exactly and you’ll have a functional SBS network for SPRINGERS after completing this book (I’m assuming it would take you about a month to complete the book from start to finish). But in the very next breathe, I’m not as tough of an old Angus bull as I first appear. If you are reading this book for pleasure and do not care to follow SPRINGERS rhyme and verse, God be with you and it’s likely you’ll still derive great value from these pages. But back to the SPRINGERS methodology. As an example, I have a printer installed on the SBS
Visit www.smbnation.com for additional SMB and SBS book, newsletter and conference resources.
network later in the chapter, but you might not have a printer in the real world of SBS implementations. While it’s unlikely you don’t have a printer, SBS can be implemented without incident without a printer. Heck, you can even install the Shared Fax Service without a modem attached!
Vary from this specific methodology and you’re on your own. (Sorry, mate!) And again, I do try to accommodate different scenarios as much as possible (such as the upgrade discussion in Appendix B). Thanks!
The first step assumes that you have a server machine that will boot from the CD drive. You are then sufficiently equipped and ready for the next section that commences the step-by-step setup procedure.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
And on Sunday - he biked
Hey gang - only a quick post today...weekend warrrior time....out biking with little harry
ciao
harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO
SMB Nation
www.smbnation.com
ciao
harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO
SMB Nation
www.smbnation.com
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Today we start Chapter 3 on Installing SBS 2003
Hi gang - my name is Harry Brelsford and I am the author of the SBS 2003 best practices book featuring Windows Small Business SErver 2003. You can learn more about me at www.smbnation.com. Today we start Chapter 3 of my book. My goal is to post up my entire book before SBS 2008 ships!
Enjoy the read - you Small Busiess Specialist you!
Chapter 3 Small Business Server Installation
The time has come to actually install SBS! The argument could be made that installing SBS is nothing more than swapping four SBS discs and performing a few reboots along the way. However, such an oversimplification of the SBS installation task is incorrect. You have already invested significant time defining what SBS is, performing a needs analysis, and planning in the prior chapters.
BEST PRACTICE: As you might have guessed from the last chapter, you will implement SBS 2003 based on the SPRINGERS methodology. That is how this chapter is constructed, after many hours of editorial design. By way of a disclaimer, let me say that your specific SBS implementation may vary slightly based on machine types, components installed, and so on. Furthermore, after I walk you through the step-by-step installation process under the broad jurisdiction of the SPRINGERS methodology. I then present some advanced setup topics in the second part of the chapter. If you are an advanced SBSer who is interested in these advanced topics, you may look at those now before you start the setup process or, preferably, follow the setup process under the SPRINGERS methodology, and then read the advanced setup topics, taking into account the advanced knowledge that will be imparted for your future real-world SBS setups.
I assume that you are using a new server machine for SBS. If you are using an old server machine that will be redeployed as an SBS server, many of these steps, such as unpacking the server, do not apply. Ditto for same-server machine
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
SBS upgrade scenarios. In the case of SPRINGERS, the firm has purchased the following hardware and software shown in Table 3-1. The following table is used to verify that everything ordered was indeed received.
Table 3-1: SPRINGERS Hardware and Software
Item
Description
Server
HP/Compaq ML-350 Server for SMB/SBS, tape backup unit,1 GB RAM, 60GB HD, 17” VGA Monitor, SCSI-based internal tape backup device, internal CD drive
Modem
US Robotics 56K External
Network AdapterCards
Intel Pro 100+ PCI EthernetBCM5730 Gigabit Ethernet
Printer
HP Color LaserJet 5M with HP JetDirect Card
Other Hardware
APC UPS with PowerChute
Software
Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) version 2003 5-userversion, 5-user SBS client access licenses (CALs) , VeritasBackup Exec Small Business Server Suite (tape backupprogram), Trend OfficeScan Suite.
Miscellaneous
Modem cable, extra CAT5 patch cables, telephone cable,power strip/power tree
BEST PRACTICE: Note that Appendix D contains information on how to set up SBS 2003 on a Compaq laptop (e.g., Evo N800c) using Microsoft Virtual PC or VMWare. This would allow you to have the entire SPRINGERS network on a laptop for learning and demonstration purposes. It’s very cool!
All of this required hardware adheres to the Windows Server 2003 hardware compatibility list (HCL) discussed in Chapter 2. You can find updates to the Windows Server 2003 HCL at www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx. If you are an SBS consultant who regularly installs SBS for different clients, you are encouraged to monitor this site regularly and look for changes to either the
HCL or System Requirements. If you are a business person or otherwise a non-SBS consultant installing SBS as a one-time discrete event, which it typically is for a single system at a single location, just initially verifying the hardware you intend to use for the SBS installation at www.microsoft.com/hcl is sufficient.
Note that you should acquire the most current Windows Server 2003 drivers you will need for the SBS installation. One example of this is to make sure you have on hand any needed SCSI or RAID drivers which will be needed if your SCSI or RAID controller isn’t supported natively by the underlying Windows Server 2003 operating system. At the first step in the character-based setup phase (later in the chapter), you will be provided the opportunity to select the F6 key and provide these mass storage SCSI or RAID controller drivers (a very important step if it applies to you).
If you have a RAID-based system you would need to perform the computer manufacturer’s steps to prepare the hard disks in the RAID array for use by the operating system. In the case of my server, this is accomplished by selecting CTRL-M when instructed by the computer during the character-based POST setup phase of the computer boot cycle. This process will vary by manufacturer and computer model, so kindly use your very best judgment and consult the documentation that accompanied your computer.
Also note that while a SCSI-based tape backup device is the preferred hardware option, non-SCSI tape backup devices are supported via the ATAPI device driver in Windows Server 2003. But be advised that non-SCSI tape devices run much slower than SCSI tape devices. Ouch!
Notes:
Preinstallation Tasks
You need to perform several tasks before the actual setup process commences. Failing to perform these tasks will certainly result in failure.
Unpack and Connect
Assuming that your infrastructure, such as cabling, is in place and the server you have ordered has arrived, it’s time to unpack the server and its components from the shipping boxes. If you haven’t built a computer before from boxes, it’s quite simple. Many name brand servers have color-coded guides so that you know which port the keyboard and mouse attach to. If you are still unsure of yourself, don’t hesitate to hire a computer consultant to help you attach and build the computer. In fact, consider hiring a competent high school or college student who is both computer literate and seeking a few extra dollars. Again, putting together the computer from boxes is quite simple.
After physically building the server, make sure the following items are properly attached to the server box:
• A monitor or screen (be sure to attach the monitor to a power source). In the case of SPRINGERS, this is a 17-inch monitor.
• A keyboard
• A mouse
• A power cable
• External modems (if applicable; your modem might be an internal version, which, by the way, isn’t recommended by myself – nor do I recommend USB modems either)
• A tape backup device (could be internal or external). Remember SCSI-based tape backup devices deliver higher performance.
• Other external devices that connect directly to the server (printers, Zip-or Jaz-type drives, scanners, and so on; and, if applicable, don’t forget to gather the needed drivers before starting setup)
• A network cable (attach the network cable to both the network adapter card port and the wall jack; this connects your server to the network)
• Uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) (you can connect the power cables to the UPS, but do not connect the serial cable from the UPS to the serial port on the server yet; see my BEST PRACTICE next on this matter)
BEST PRACTICE: If you have a UPS, do not attach it to the server at this time. UPS devices are attached to the SBS machine via COM ports (the same type of port used by modems). However, SBS tests each COM port as part of the installation of modems. Granted, modems are now an optional installation component during the setup of SBS (the Shared Fax Service will install without a modem attached). What I’m getting at is this: If you elect to install a modem as part of the SBS setup, an attached UPS can cause the SBS machine to become confused during this installation period. Bottom line: After SBS is installed, you will hook up the UPS.
If you are interested in developing expertise as a hardware technician to supplement your SBS consulting practice or skills as an SBS administrator, you might also consider studying for and taking the A+ certification exam. The A+ certification is oriented towards computer maintenance from a technician point of view. It is a well-regarded designation created and managed by the Computer Technology Industry Association. For more information on the A+ certification, see www.comptia.com.
BEST PRACTICE: Assuming the power is off and unplugged from the computer and external devices, and you are wearing a grounding strip on your wrist to discharge any built-up static electricity (before you touch an electronic component), take a moment to open the SBS machine and reseat all of the adapter cards. It has been my
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
experience that a new server shipped across the country can arrive with loosened cards, cables, and even memory chips! That’s not to be critical of my friends at HP, but such loose cards have wreaked havoc with some of my early SBS installs when the internal network adapter card couldn’t be detected during setup because it had become partially dislodged from its slot. Another experience I have had when working with new computers is that the ribbon cable located inside the server machine (used to connect internal devices to cards or the motherboard) can come loose. If you need to reattach a ribbon cable, remember this rule of thumb: the side of the ribbon cable with the red line always points to the power supply.
After you’ve completed the check on the system, plug in the power to the computer and the devices in order to proceed with the setup. And don’t forget to verify (sorry to be a pest by mentioning this again and again) that you have sufficient power protection through surge protection power strips and UPS.
Enjoy the read - you Small Busiess Specialist you!
Chapter 3 Small Business Server Installation
The time has come to actually install SBS! The argument could be made that installing SBS is nothing more than swapping four SBS discs and performing a few reboots along the way. However, such an oversimplification of the SBS installation task is incorrect. You have already invested significant time defining what SBS is, performing a needs analysis, and planning in the prior chapters.
BEST PRACTICE: As you might have guessed from the last chapter, you will implement SBS 2003 based on the SPRINGERS methodology. That is how this chapter is constructed, after many hours of editorial design. By way of a disclaimer, let me say that your specific SBS implementation may vary slightly based on machine types, components installed, and so on. Furthermore, after I walk you through the step-by-step installation process under the broad jurisdiction of the SPRINGERS methodology. I then present some advanced setup topics in the second part of the chapter. If you are an advanced SBSer who is interested in these advanced topics, you may look at those now before you start the setup process or, preferably, follow the setup process under the SPRINGERS methodology, and then read the advanced setup topics, taking into account the advanced knowledge that will be imparted for your future real-world SBS setups.
I assume that you are using a new server machine for SBS. If you are using an old server machine that will be redeployed as an SBS server, many of these steps, such as unpacking the server, do not apply. Ditto for same-server machine
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
SBS upgrade scenarios. In the case of SPRINGERS, the firm has purchased the following hardware and software shown in Table 3-1. The following table is used to verify that everything ordered was indeed received.
Table 3-1: SPRINGERS Hardware and Software
Item
Description
Server
HP/Compaq ML-350 Server for SMB/SBS, tape backup unit,1 GB RAM, 60GB HD, 17” VGA Monitor, SCSI-based internal tape backup device, internal CD drive
Modem
US Robotics 56K External
Network AdapterCards
Intel Pro 100+ PCI EthernetBCM5730 Gigabit Ethernet
Printer
HP Color LaserJet 5M with HP JetDirect Card
Other Hardware
APC UPS with PowerChute
Software
Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) version 2003 5-userversion, 5-user SBS client access licenses (CALs) , VeritasBackup Exec Small Business Server Suite (tape backupprogram), Trend OfficeScan Suite.
Miscellaneous
Modem cable, extra CAT5 patch cables, telephone cable,power strip/power tree
BEST PRACTICE: Note that Appendix D contains information on how to set up SBS 2003 on a Compaq laptop (e.g., Evo N800c) using Microsoft Virtual PC or VMWare. This would allow you to have the entire SPRINGERS network on a laptop for learning and demonstration purposes. It’s very cool!
All of this required hardware adheres to the Windows Server 2003 hardware compatibility list (HCL) discussed in Chapter 2. You can find updates to the Windows Server 2003 HCL at www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx. If you are an SBS consultant who regularly installs SBS for different clients, you are encouraged to monitor this site regularly and look for changes to either the
HCL or System Requirements. If you are a business person or otherwise a non-SBS consultant installing SBS as a one-time discrete event, which it typically is for a single system at a single location, just initially verifying the hardware you intend to use for the SBS installation at www.microsoft.com/hcl is sufficient.
Note that you should acquire the most current Windows Server 2003 drivers you will need for the SBS installation. One example of this is to make sure you have on hand any needed SCSI or RAID drivers which will be needed if your SCSI or RAID controller isn’t supported natively by the underlying Windows Server 2003 operating system. At the first step in the character-based setup phase (later in the chapter), you will be provided the opportunity to select the F6 key and provide these mass storage SCSI or RAID controller drivers (a very important step if it applies to you).
If you have a RAID-based system you would need to perform the computer manufacturer’s steps to prepare the hard disks in the RAID array for use by the operating system. In the case of my server, this is accomplished by selecting CTRL-M when instructed by the computer during the character-based POST setup phase of the computer boot cycle. This process will vary by manufacturer and computer model, so kindly use your very best judgment and consult the documentation that accompanied your computer.
Also note that while a SCSI-based tape backup device is the preferred hardware option, non-SCSI tape backup devices are supported via the ATAPI device driver in Windows Server 2003. But be advised that non-SCSI tape devices run much slower than SCSI tape devices. Ouch!
Notes:
Preinstallation Tasks
You need to perform several tasks before the actual setup process commences. Failing to perform these tasks will certainly result in failure.
Unpack and Connect
Assuming that your infrastructure, such as cabling, is in place and the server you have ordered has arrived, it’s time to unpack the server and its components from the shipping boxes. If you haven’t built a computer before from boxes, it’s quite simple. Many name brand servers have color-coded guides so that you know which port the keyboard and mouse attach to. If you are still unsure of yourself, don’t hesitate to hire a computer consultant to help you attach and build the computer. In fact, consider hiring a competent high school or college student who is both computer literate and seeking a few extra dollars. Again, putting together the computer from boxes is quite simple.
After physically building the server, make sure the following items are properly attached to the server box:
• A monitor or screen (be sure to attach the monitor to a power source). In the case of SPRINGERS, this is a 17-inch monitor.
• A keyboard
• A mouse
• A power cable
• External modems (if applicable; your modem might be an internal version, which, by the way, isn’t recommended by myself – nor do I recommend USB modems either)
• A tape backup device (could be internal or external). Remember SCSI-based tape backup devices deliver higher performance.
• Other external devices that connect directly to the server (printers, Zip-or Jaz-type drives, scanners, and so on; and, if applicable, don’t forget to gather the needed drivers before starting setup)
• A network cable (attach the network cable to both the network adapter card port and the wall jack; this connects your server to the network)
• Uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) (you can connect the power cables to the UPS, but do not connect the serial cable from the UPS to the serial port on the server yet; see my BEST PRACTICE next on this matter)
BEST PRACTICE: If you have a UPS, do not attach it to the server at this time. UPS devices are attached to the SBS machine via COM ports (the same type of port used by modems). However, SBS tests each COM port as part of the installation of modems. Granted, modems are now an optional installation component during the setup of SBS (the Shared Fax Service will install without a modem attached). What I’m getting at is this: If you elect to install a modem as part of the SBS setup, an attached UPS can cause the SBS machine to become confused during this installation period. Bottom line: After SBS is installed, you will hook up the UPS.
If you are interested in developing expertise as a hardware technician to supplement your SBS consulting practice or skills as an SBS administrator, you might also consider studying for and taking the A+ certification exam. The A+ certification is oriented towards computer maintenance from a technician point of view. It is a well-regarded designation created and managed by the Computer Technology Industry Association. For more information on the A+ certification, see www.comptia.com.
BEST PRACTICE: Assuming the power is off and unplugged from the computer and external devices, and you are wearing a grounding strip on your wrist to discharge any built-up static electricity (before you touch an electronic component), take a moment to open the SBS machine and reseat all of the adapter cards. It has been my
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
experience that a new server shipped across the country can arrive with loosened cards, cables, and even memory chips! That’s not to be critical of my friends at HP, but such loose cards have wreaked havoc with some of my early SBS installs when the internal network adapter card couldn’t be detected during setup because it had become partially dislodged from its slot. Another experience I have had when working with new computers is that the ribbon cable located inside the server machine (used to connect internal devices to cards or the motherboard) can come loose. If you need to reattach a ribbon cable, remember this rule of thumb: the side of the ribbon cable with the red line always points to the power supply.
After you’ve completed the check on the system, plug in the power to the computer and the devices in order to proceed with the setup. And don’t forget to verify (sorry to be a pest by mentioning this again and again) that you have sufficient power protection through surge protection power strips and UPS.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Starting Chapter 2 of SBS 2003 Best Practices Book
Hello again - readers of my blog know that I am posting several pages per day of my purple book (the introductory SBS 2003 book) and make the content WILD for your consumption.
Today we start chapter two. Enjoy and keep checkig back!
harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO, SMB Nation
www.smbnation.com
Chapter 2 Small Business Server Design and Planning
Welcome to Chapter 2, where you will proceed with specific planning tasks, all of which increasingly work forward to the actual hands-on activity of implementing SBS 2003. You are also introduced to Springer Spaniels Limited, the blessed sample company in this book.
Planning is considered an upstream function in a technology project. It tends to be less hands-on and more general than the actual setup and maintenance tasks that follow, these last two task areas being known as a downstream function. While it is easy to consider planning as an intuitive process that doesn’t require much of a time commitment from the SBSer or business person, such an assumption is a fallacy. Indeed, planning is typically considered to be the best use of time in a technology implementation. In fact, you really can’t escape planning. You can perform it upstream at the start of the technology implementation in an orderly and well-behaved way, or you can perform your planning it downstream—the hard way—when you find your self re-installing SBS multiple times, realizing with each passing installation that you’d like to change the way you did things. Ouch!
Springer Spaniels Limited
First off, let’s take a moment to meet Springer Spaniels Limited (SPRINGERS), the company for which you’ll implement a complete and successful SBS-based networking solution throughout the remainder of the book. You will often hear me refer to the SPRINGERS methodology when I walk you through steps in a setup sequence. Understand that the context of my references to the SPRINGERS methodology is this: While there are numerous ways SBS can be implemented
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
(for example, partition sizes can vary after the minimum requirements are met, company names and Internet domain names will most certainly vary, etc.), by following the SPRINGERS methodology, you will find the experience very educational, consistent, and even fun!
There are some very important reasons to work with an imaginary company the first pass through this book. It has been my experience with SBS (and life in general) that you know much more after you’ve done something once. It’s another way of saying that hindsight is 20/20, a well-accepted old saw.
Such is the case with SBS. Typically, you set up SBS based on some assumptions that are made early in the planning process. Such assumptions might include the domain name you create, and so on. But fast-forward in the process, perhaps a few weeks. More than once an SBS administrator has commented to me that, now that she knows what SBS really is, she would have set it up differently. Those observations about getting it right are analogous to creating the chart of accounts when installing accounting software. You make some early decisions that you have to live with the rest of your life.
Now back to SPRINGERS. By using this company for the remainder of the book, you have the chance to learn SBS, warts and all, before installing it for real. These methods also allow you to avoid the scenario mentioned previously, wherein weeks after your “real” SBS install, you might lament that you would have done a few things differently if you had the chance to do it over again. With SPRINGERS, I’m providing you that chance at a very low cost.
By completing the activities in the remaining chapters, you will learn what works for you and what doesn’t. When you go to install SBS for real, with live company data, you will have your feet on much more solid ground. That will result in a successful SBS install for you and your organization.
SPRINGERS, for these purposes, is a small company with 10 users and 30 employees. Please note that not every employee uses a computer (many clean kennels and so forth). The company breeds, raises, and shows prize-winning springer spaniels. SPRINGERS is headquartered on Bainbridge Island, Washington, on a converted apple orchard. The SPRINGERS operations and prize Springer Spaniels named Brisker and Jaeger are to be seen in the photo section in the middle of the book. SPRINGERS has six departments in addition to the executive offices, as shown in Figure 2-1.
Visit www.smbnation.com for additional SMB and SBS book, newsletter and conference resources.
Figure 2-1
Springer Spaniels Limited (SPRINGERS) organizational chart.
As you will see, SPRINGERS benefits from SBS in many ways, including its robust built-in Internet connectivity. How? Since canine breeders everywhere are worried about genetic variety in breeding (that is, they want to avoid inbreeding), the Internet is used to find suitable breeding partners. And I’m not talking about anonymous Internet chat rooms full of lonely Springer Spaniels looking for love in all the wrong places. Rather, SPRINGERS intends to search sophisticated and legitimate breeding databases around the world (if you are not aware, the Springer Spaniel breed is well-respected for its diversity in breeding, which is a kind way of saying the breed hasn’t been ruined by inbreeding).
SPRINGERS also benefits from other easy-to-use SBS features, such as the Server Management console that will be featured in detail in Chapter 4. As the chapters pass in this book, I will divulge more details of SPRINGERS as needed. Periodically, you will enter SPRINGERS information into SBS to complete exercises if you are following this book chapter and verse. It’s the well-planned SPRINGERS methodology that is the foundation and backbone of this book.
Not surprisingly, I do want to tip my hat of acknowledgement to those of you who may not follow the exact steps of the SPRINGERS methodology, as you may be using this book as a quick primer to sharpen your SBS 2003 skills
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
before building your own server (or the server of a client if you are a consultant). Right on! And for those of you who aren’t dog lovers and find it hard to get excited about Springer Spaniels, I can appreciate that too. This book isn’t a monument to dogs or the Springer Spaniel breed; rather the dogs and SPRINGERS serve as a convenient metaphor for telling a story and teaching you SBS 2003. So no e-mail from non-dog lovers please!
BEST PRACTICE: Now is a great time to start your own needs analysis for your SBS project. A needs analysis typically involves looking at the ebbs and flows of business activity in your firm, often for the first time. Start by creating your own organizational chart similar to Figure 2-1. From that, you may discover that your company and SBS users are organized in ways that might not have been apparent. I have found that, early in the SBS planning process, many people use the SBS computer project as an opportunity to reorganize their businesses. In fact, an SBS consultant is often a management
consultant as well.
SBS Project Management
You should never undertake an SBS project without sufficient planning. In fact, I typically spend a day or more with an SBS client doing nothing more than planning for the new SBS network. I can’t emphasize enough how important planning is with an SBS implementation. These upfront hours are certainly some of the best you spend.
An SBS project can be divided into five phases. These phases, which will be described in detail, follow:
1 Planning Phase: The logical and physical design of the SBS network occurs here as well as some early expectation management to avoid future disappointments.
2 Server Installation Phase: The SBS server is installed.
3 Workstation Installation Phase: The workstations are installed and configured.
4 Follow-up Phase: Over the course of several weeks, new SBS features are introduced. This mirrors the layout of this book as later
Visit www.smbnation.com for additional SMB and SBS book, newsletter and conference resources.
chapters present additional SBS features as well as general troubleshooting, user support, and network optimization.
5. Celebration Phase: Projects create stress, and an SBS installation is no different. Phase five is an opportunity to not only release some tension but also solicit feedback from SBS network stakeholders. This phase applies to both in-house SBS installations as well as those SBSers serving as consultants.
Planning Phase
For anyone considering SBS, the earliest planning exercises involve identifying and communicating why you want to implement SBS in your organization. That can be accomplished by answering the following questions. You will note that appropriate responses from SPRINGERS have been entered.
Early Planning Questions
I’ve got a secret for you about planning. To be honest, planning is very much about asking questions about the firm’s existing and future situation with respect to technology and then actively listening to the responses given. It’s harder than it looks. You might well find it easy to ask a lot of questions, but are the questions appropriate or effective? Do you have good listening skills and incorporate the client’s feedback into your planning process?
Here are some sample planning questions to get things going:
Q: List the three reasons you plan to use SBS.
A: (1) Ultimately to install our accounting system, Great Plains Dynamics, using Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (which is included with SBS 2003 premium edition). (2) To have a secure and robust Internet connection for communications (e-mail) and Web-based research purposes. (3) To lower our information system costs by performing much of the ongoing administration ourselves via the friendly SBS Server Management console.
Q: What is the time frame for implementing SBS?
A: We intend to set up, install, troubleshoot, and train everyone on the network over a 10-week period starting in four weeks when the new computer equipment arrives. (And after you’ve finished reading this book!)
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
Q: How have you arranged for training for the new SBS network?
A: The SBS consultant will train those responsible for network administration. The SBS administrators will show the users how to log on, print, and save information. These users will also attend three half-day training sessions on the following topics: Windows XP Pro, Office Systems 2003, and Outlook.
Q: What roadblocks or problems can you identify today that might make the SBS project more difficult to complete?
A: First and foremost would be staff turnover. If our accountant leaves, not only would we have lost the individual we’ve identified as the SBS administrator, but we will have also lost our Great Plains Dynamics talent. To combat this potential problem, we plan to have the receptionist assist with the SBS setup and administration so she can act as a backup SBS administrator in an emergency. A second possible problem is the bank financing for our computer equipment purchase. We anticipate that the lending process will take only two weeks and the equipment will arrive roughly two weeks later. With the SBS deployment being a critical path item, any bank financing to pay for the work would delay the start of the SBS installation.
Existing Network Layout
Early on in the planning process, it is incumbent on SBS consultants and small-business owners alike to know exactly what they have when it comes to computer hardware and software. This baseline measurement allows you to determine what must be ordered, replaced, repaired, and so on. This information is typically gathered by inventorying the network and presenting your findings in a spreadsheet table or a network diagram. My preference has been to use a network diagram because its graphical display facilitates ease of understanding.
These network diagrams are typically drawn by hand, or with a network diagramming software application such as Microsoft’s Visio, resulting in a schematic or drawing of your existing network. More information on Visio is
available at www.microsoft.com. Visio can be purchased for under $500 USD retail or as part of the Microsoft Action Pack ($299 USD). Such a drawing might look similar to the drawing created for SPRINGERS in Figure 2-2.
Figure 2-2
Existing network for SPRINGERS.
Today we start chapter two. Enjoy and keep checkig back!
harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO, SMB Nation
www.smbnation.com
Chapter 2 Small Business Server Design and Planning
Welcome to Chapter 2, where you will proceed with specific planning tasks, all of which increasingly work forward to the actual hands-on activity of implementing SBS 2003. You are also introduced to Springer Spaniels Limited, the blessed sample company in this book.
Planning is considered an upstream function in a technology project. It tends to be less hands-on and more general than the actual setup and maintenance tasks that follow, these last two task areas being known as a downstream function. While it is easy to consider planning as an intuitive process that doesn’t require much of a time commitment from the SBSer or business person, such an assumption is a fallacy. Indeed, planning is typically considered to be the best use of time in a technology implementation. In fact, you really can’t escape planning. You can perform it upstream at the start of the technology implementation in an orderly and well-behaved way, or you can perform your planning it downstream—the hard way—when you find your self re-installing SBS multiple times, realizing with each passing installation that you’d like to change the way you did things. Ouch!
Springer Spaniels Limited
First off, let’s take a moment to meet Springer Spaniels Limited (SPRINGERS), the company for which you’ll implement a complete and successful SBS-based networking solution throughout the remainder of the book. You will often hear me refer to the SPRINGERS methodology when I walk you through steps in a setup sequence. Understand that the context of my references to the SPRINGERS methodology is this: While there are numerous ways SBS can be implemented
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
(for example, partition sizes can vary after the minimum requirements are met, company names and Internet domain names will most certainly vary, etc.), by following the SPRINGERS methodology, you will find the experience very educational, consistent, and even fun!
There are some very important reasons to work with an imaginary company the first pass through this book. It has been my experience with SBS (and life in general) that you know much more after you’ve done something once. It’s another way of saying that hindsight is 20/20, a well-accepted old saw.
Such is the case with SBS. Typically, you set up SBS based on some assumptions that are made early in the planning process. Such assumptions might include the domain name you create, and so on. But fast-forward in the process, perhaps a few weeks. More than once an SBS administrator has commented to me that, now that she knows what SBS really is, she would have set it up differently. Those observations about getting it right are analogous to creating the chart of accounts when installing accounting software. You make some early decisions that you have to live with the rest of your life.
Now back to SPRINGERS. By using this company for the remainder of the book, you have the chance to learn SBS, warts and all, before installing it for real. These methods also allow you to avoid the scenario mentioned previously, wherein weeks after your “real” SBS install, you might lament that you would have done a few things differently if you had the chance to do it over again. With SPRINGERS, I’m providing you that chance at a very low cost.
By completing the activities in the remaining chapters, you will learn what works for you and what doesn’t. When you go to install SBS for real, with live company data, you will have your feet on much more solid ground. That will result in a successful SBS install for you and your organization.
SPRINGERS, for these purposes, is a small company with 10 users and 30 employees. Please note that not every employee uses a computer (many clean kennels and so forth). The company breeds, raises, and shows prize-winning springer spaniels. SPRINGERS is headquartered on Bainbridge Island, Washington, on a converted apple orchard. The SPRINGERS operations and prize Springer Spaniels named Brisker and Jaeger are to be seen in the photo section in the middle of the book. SPRINGERS has six departments in addition to the executive offices, as shown in Figure 2-1.
Visit www.smbnation.com for additional SMB and SBS book, newsletter and conference resources.
Figure 2-1
Springer Spaniels Limited (SPRINGERS) organizational chart.
As you will see, SPRINGERS benefits from SBS in many ways, including its robust built-in Internet connectivity. How? Since canine breeders everywhere are worried about genetic variety in breeding (that is, they want to avoid inbreeding), the Internet is used to find suitable breeding partners. And I’m not talking about anonymous Internet chat rooms full of lonely Springer Spaniels looking for love in all the wrong places. Rather, SPRINGERS intends to search sophisticated and legitimate breeding databases around the world (if you are not aware, the Springer Spaniel breed is well-respected for its diversity in breeding, which is a kind way of saying the breed hasn’t been ruined by inbreeding).
SPRINGERS also benefits from other easy-to-use SBS features, such as the Server Management console that will be featured in detail in Chapter 4. As the chapters pass in this book, I will divulge more details of SPRINGERS as needed. Periodically, you will enter SPRINGERS information into SBS to complete exercises if you are following this book chapter and verse. It’s the well-planned SPRINGERS methodology that is the foundation and backbone of this book.
Not surprisingly, I do want to tip my hat of acknowledgement to those of you who may not follow the exact steps of the SPRINGERS methodology, as you may be using this book as a quick primer to sharpen your SBS 2003 skills
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
before building your own server (or the server of a client if you are a consultant). Right on! And for those of you who aren’t dog lovers and find it hard to get excited about Springer Spaniels, I can appreciate that too. This book isn’t a monument to dogs or the Springer Spaniel breed; rather the dogs and SPRINGERS serve as a convenient metaphor for telling a story and teaching you SBS 2003. So no e-mail from non-dog lovers please!
BEST PRACTICE: Now is a great time to start your own needs analysis for your SBS project. A needs analysis typically involves looking at the ebbs and flows of business activity in your firm, often for the first time. Start by creating your own organizational chart similar to Figure 2-1. From that, you may discover that your company and SBS users are organized in ways that might not have been apparent. I have found that, early in the SBS planning process, many people use the SBS computer project as an opportunity to reorganize their businesses. In fact, an SBS consultant is often a management
consultant as well.
SBS Project Management
You should never undertake an SBS project without sufficient planning. In fact, I typically spend a day or more with an SBS client doing nothing more than planning for the new SBS network. I can’t emphasize enough how important planning is with an SBS implementation. These upfront hours are certainly some of the best you spend.
An SBS project can be divided into five phases. These phases, which will be described in detail, follow:
1 Planning Phase: The logical and physical design of the SBS network occurs here as well as some early expectation management to avoid future disappointments.
2 Server Installation Phase: The SBS server is installed.
3 Workstation Installation Phase: The workstations are installed and configured.
4 Follow-up Phase: Over the course of several weeks, new SBS features are introduced. This mirrors the layout of this book as later
Visit www.smbnation.com for additional SMB and SBS book, newsletter and conference resources.
chapters present additional SBS features as well as general troubleshooting, user support, and network optimization.
5. Celebration Phase: Projects create stress, and an SBS installation is no different. Phase five is an opportunity to not only release some tension but also solicit feedback from SBS network stakeholders. This phase applies to both in-house SBS installations as well as those SBSers serving as consultants.
Planning Phase
For anyone considering SBS, the earliest planning exercises involve identifying and communicating why you want to implement SBS in your organization. That can be accomplished by answering the following questions. You will note that appropriate responses from SPRINGERS have been entered.
Early Planning Questions
I’ve got a secret for you about planning. To be honest, planning is very much about asking questions about the firm’s existing and future situation with respect to technology and then actively listening to the responses given. It’s harder than it looks. You might well find it easy to ask a lot of questions, but are the questions appropriate or effective? Do you have good listening skills and incorporate the client’s feedback into your planning process?
Here are some sample planning questions to get things going:
Q: List the three reasons you plan to use SBS.
A: (1) Ultimately to install our accounting system, Great Plains Dynamics, using Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (which is included with SBS 2003 premium edition). (2) To have a secure and robust Internet connection for communications (e-mail) and Web-based research purposes. (3) To lower our information system costs by performing much of the ongoing administration ourselves via the friendly SBS Server Management console.
Q: What is the time frame for implementing SBS?
A: We intend to set up, install, troubleshoot, and train everyone on the network over a 10-week period starting in four weeks when the new computer equipment arrives. (And after you’ve finished reading this book!)
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
Q: How have you arranged for training for the new SBS network?
A: The SBS consultant will train those responsible for network administration. The SBS administrators will show the users how to log on, print, and save information. These users will also attend three half-day training sessions on the following topics: Windows XP Pro, Office Systems 2003, and Outlook.
Q: What roadblocks or problems can you identify today that might make the SBS project more difficult to complete?
A: First and foremost would be staff turnover. If our accountant leaves, not only would we have lost the individual we’ve identified as the SBS administrator, but we will have also lost our Great Plains Dynamics talent. To combat this potential problem, we plan to have the receptionist assist with the SBS setup and administration so she can act as a backup SBS administrator in an emergency. A second possible problem is the bank financing for our computer equipment purchase. We anticipate that the lending process will take only two weeks and the equipment will arrive roughly two weeks later. With the SBS deployment being a critical path item, any bank financing to pay for the work would delay the start of the SBS installation.
Existing Network Layout
Early on in the planning process, it is incumbent on SBS consultants and small-business owners alike to know exactly what they have when it comes to computer hardware and software. This baseline measurement allows you to determine what must be ordered, replaced, repaired, and so on. This information is typically gathered by inventorying the network and presenting your findings in a spreadsheet table or a network diagram. My preference has been to use a network diagram because its graphical display facilitates ease of understanding.
These network diagrams are typically drawn by hand, or with a network diagramming software application such as Microsoft’s Visio, resulting in a schematic or drawing of your existing network. More information on Visio is
available at www.microsoft.com. Visio can be purchased for under $500 USD retail or as part of the Microsoft Action Pack ($299 USD). Such a drawing might look similar to the drawing created for SPRINGERS in Figure 2-2.
Figure 2-2
Existing network for SPRINGERS.
Out of office assistant
Hey gang - if you e-mail right now - you will see that I have an out of office assistant invoked so that I can write my next book...call it discpline!
Forward!
harrybbbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO
SMB Nation
www.smbnation.com
Forward!
harrybbbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO
SMB Nation
www.smbnation.com
Friday, May 16, 2008
Webinar Friday - hurry
thought you might like to know :)
Harry Brelsford
www.smbnation.com
Hey gang - my monthly HP/MS FLP SMB channel partner webinar starts in under 90-mins if you want to pop in.
Hewre is the link: https://www119.livemeeting.com/lrs/8000064431/Registration.aspx?pageName=7j6btbj66xb8lrzj
And here is the description:
’s Time For A Paradigm Shift with Robert Cohen May 16, 2008 at 8:00AM PST (UTC-7)Breaking News! Jack Richard from HP Houston will be presenting at mid-point in the Webinar about the new HP Operation ProLiant initiative and giving away two (2) $100 USD Amazon Gift Certificates to a pair of lucky listeners!The IT Industry has changed the way the world does business. Now, it’s time to change how the IT industry does business, beginning by building a foundation around: communication; trust; collaboration; effective deployment of human resources; and partner enablement. Vendors sell products. SMBs buy solutions. VARs bridge the gap.In the SMB marketplace where VARs play a pivotal role, the need for Vendors to respect VARs as Trusted Business Advisors rather then pigeon holing them as an extended sales force is essential. This presentation will discuss why a paradigm shift is essential and what the ChannelLine Advisory Council is doing to help facilitate the shift and make the Channel more effective for all stakeholders.Robert Cohen, President and Business Editor, Integrated mar.com CorporationRobert Cohen, a passionate and enthusiastic channel advocate, is the founder of the ChannelLine Advisory Council as well as president and business editor of Integrated mar.com, publishers of Channel Advisor, eChannelLine and ConnectIT. Since 1980, he has worked with 350 IT vendors, distributors and resellers in developing and implementing strategic go-to-market programs, using a variety of direct, channel and hybrid models.Since 1980, Integrated mar.com has worked with 350 Vendors to help them leverage the 51st to 7,500th largest VARs in North America, through engagement, enablement, collaboration and maintaining activities. This has resulted in these Vendors obtaining more than their fair share of the $172 billion of IT solutions sold to the elusive SMB market.
Harry Brelsford
www.smbnation.com
Hey gang - my monthly HP/MS FLP SMB channel partner webinar starts in under 90-mins if you want to pop in.
Hewre is the link: https://www119.livemeeting.com/lrs/8000064431/Registration.aspx?pageName=7j6btbj66xb8lrzj
And here is the description:
’s Time For A Paradigm Shift with Robert Cohen May 16, 2008 at 8:00AM PST (UTC-7)Breaking News! Jack Richard from HP Houston will be presenting at mid-point in the Webinar about the new HP Operation ProLiant initiative and giving away two (2) $100 USD Amazon Gift Certificates to a pair of lucky listeners!The IT Industry has changed the way the world does business. Now, it’s time to change how the IT industry does business, beginning by building a foundation around: communication; trust; collaboration; effective deployment of human resources; and partner enablement. Vendors sell products. SMBs buy solutions. VARs bridge the gap.In the SMB marketplace where VARs play a pivotal role, the need for Vendors to respect VARs as Trusted Business Advisors rather then pigeon holing them as an extended sales force is essential. This presentation will discuss why a paradigm shift is essential and what the ChannelLine Advisory Council is doing to help facilitate the shift and make the Channel more effective for all stakeholders.Robert Cohen, President and Business Editor, Integrated mar.com CorporationRobert Cohen, a passionate and enthusiastic channel advocate, is the founder of the ChannelLine Advisory Council as well as president and business editor of Integrated mar.com, publishers of Channel Advisor, eChannelLine and ConnectIT. Since 1980, he has worked with 350 IT vendors, distributors and resellers in developing and implementing strategic go-to-market programs, using a variety of direct, channel and hybrid models.Since 1980, Integrated mar.com has worked with 350 Vendors to help them leverage the 51st to 7,500th largest VARs in North America, through engagement, enablement, collaboration and maintaining activities. This has resulted in these Vendors obtaining more than their fair share of the $172 billion of IT solutions sold to the elusive SMB market.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
More from Chapter 1 of the SBS 2003 book
Here is another batch of pages from chapter one:
You’ll learn much more about this e-mail messaging solution in Chapter 6.
START HERE BLOGGER
Table 1-1: SBS Components at a Glance
Component
Description
Server or Client Component
Windows
Microsoft’s 32-bit network operating system.
Server
Server 2003
An operating system controls the basicfunctions of a computer, including security,storage, printing, user management, remotecommunications, and so on. Supports ActiveDirectory, Terminal Services in remoteadministration mode (discussed below),Group Policy for homogeneous WindowsServer 2003 networks, disk quotas, advancedsecurity such as encrypted file system (EFS).Windows Server 2003 is necessarilydiscussed across many chapters in this book.Your greatest interaction with WindowsServer 2003 will be during the initial setupand configuration of the SBS network.
Microsoft
E-mail messaging application used for
Server
Exchange
communication and collaboration. Supports
Server 2003
Outlook Web Access (OWA) Discussed inChapter 6.
Windows SharepointServices
An intranet portal and basic documentmanagement program discussed in Chapter 7.
Server
Microsoft SQL Server 2000
Powerful database application offered inpremium edition of SBS 2003. Discussed inChapter 14.
Server
Microsoft Internet Security andAcceleration (ISA)Server2000
Firewall gateway application with thecapability to store or cache frequentlyaccessed Web pages and part of the premiumedition of SBS 2003. Discussed in Chapter13. Note the SBS 2003 standard edition security approach of Network AddressTranslation (NAT) and the Basic Firewall,provided by Routing and Remote AccessService (RRAS), is discussed in Chapter 5.
Server
Microsoft Internet Information Server 6.0
Internet server application that provides coreSBS support for Web-related management.Discussed in Chapter 10.
Server
Shared Fax Service
A powerful faxing application discussed inChapter 9.
Server
Microsoft Front Page2003
An application that creates Web pages andcan be used for desktop publishing. A single-license version can be installed on the server machine. FrontPage 2003 is discussed inChapter 11.
Server
Additional Goodies
VALUEADD and SUPPORT folders contain useful tools and sample software.
Server
SBS ManagementConsole
GUI-based management console, calledServer Management, using powerful yetfriendly administrative wizards. ServerManagement provides a central location toaccomplish tasks. The Server Managementconsole is discussed all across the book and specifically in Chapter 4. Note the ServerManagement console houses the infamousSBS To Do List.
Server
Microsoft ManagementConsole 2.0 (MMC)
Provides the framework for creatingmanagement consoles to perform taskmanagement. The SBS consoles are based onthe MMC. Discussed in Chapter 4.
Server
Server-based Wizards
Include the Add User and Computer Wizard,E-mail and Internet Connection Wizard, device and peripheral management. Alsoinclude numerous Windows 2000 Wizards. Wizards are discussed across the book.
Server
Health Monitor
Provides real-time network monitoring ofcritical performance variables. Has the abilityto generate alerts. Discussed in Chapter 12.
Server
Server Status Reports
A tool that can be configured to send reports onsystem operations and third-party applicationsvia e-mail or fax. Discussed in Chapter 12.
Server
Server Status View
Provides a view of critical event, performancecounters, and services. Discussed in Chapter 12.
Server
Microsoft Connector for POP3 Mailboxes
Created with great pride by the SBSdevelopment team to allow small businesses touse existing POP3 e-mail services withExchange Server 2003. POP3 accounts aremapped to internal e-mail accounts. Discussedin Chapter 6.
Server
Windows Terminal Services
Terminal Services is a multi-session solution in Windows Server 2003 that facilitates remote management of the SBS server by thetechnology consultant. Similar to remotecontrol applications such as PCAnywhere orVNC. Discussed in Chapter 4 and 11.
Server
Online Guide
Robust online help for SBS administrators.
Server
Internet Explorer 6.x(IE)
Internet browser for navigating both the Internetand intranets. Installed on both the SBS server machine and SBS client’s machine. Discussed across the book (for example, client computerson the SBS network are now added via IE) andin Chapter 10.
Client/Server
Default PageInternet
Connects IE to the CompanyWeb as the default.Discussed in Chapters 7 and 10.
Client/Server
Microsoft Outlook 2003
Client-based e-mail, client scheduling, andcontact management application. Discussed inChapter 6.
Client
SBS Fax Sharing Client
Faxing functionality and capabilities. Discussedin Chapter 9.
Client
SBS Firewall Client
Client-side ISA Server functions (WinSockredirector). Discussed in Chapter 13 as part ofthe premium SBS discussion.
Client
SBS Zen Crowd
Meanwhile, continuing with my broad definition of SBS, there is another group of SBSers who view SBS as a state of mind. While SBS is a full member of the Windows Server 2003 computing family, these folks view SBS as special, unique, and their life calling. As you might say in Texas, these folks “GET IT” when it comes to SBS. For them, unique SBS tools, such as the Server Management console, are what life is all about.
The Big B Crowd: Small BUSINESS Server
Another view on defining SBS is looking at it from a business perspective: that is, how does SBS support the mission of the business to be efficient and successful? The SBS wheel in Figure 1-1 addresses this point of view.
Figure 1-1
The SBS wheel allows you to view SBS using a business analytical framework for gaining perspective on core SBS applications.
The left side of the wheel predominately speaks toward server-side components, such as Windows Server 2003, Exchange Server 2003, and the like. The lower portion of the wheel speaks to the management function via the SBS Server Management Console. The right side of the wheel speaks to the client-side applications, such as Microsoft Outlook 2003.
The “business”of SBS continues in a moment in the Finder, Minder, Grinder section on core business operations.
Converters
Finally, as part of the goal to define and segment the SBS customer population, consider the following. There are the conversion candidates for SBS:
• Linux Losers
• Peer-to-peer upgraders
• Windows NT and other Microsoft Servers
• Novell NetWare converters
• The soon-to-be newly networked: VIRGINS!
Linux Losers
So shareware’s not your bag, at least when it comes to running a bona fide business operation. And the Linux user experience is just a tad too much on the bit twiddler side, eh? No hard feelings. Welcome back to SBS. And by the way, ever since the Microsoft FUSION conference in Anaheim, California, in July 2001 and forward, the Microsoft SBS team has gone to great lengths to compare (and compete) SBS to Linux. Turns out, according to a Microsoft study, the argument that Linux is free is misleading. When considering the total cost of operations in a computer network (labor, hardware, training, and operating system), the operating system is only 3 % of the total costs.
Peer-To-Peer Upgraders
As you may or may not know, peer-to-peer networks are workstations that have been cabled together into a quick-and-dirty network. This is a significant SBS customer group, because two factors are driving the upgrade decision: pain and
Visit www.smbnation.com for additional SMB and SBS book, newsletter and conference resources.
gain. Peer-to-peer networks traditionally suffer from poor performance (that’s the pain part) and many small businesses can easily see the gain a true client/ server network such as SBS can deliver (that’s, of course, the gain part).
Windows NT and Other Microsoft Servers
Considered the low hanging fruit in the small business space, those firms running Windows NT-based networks are more than overdue to upgrade to SBS. A big part of Microsoft message and efforts with SBS 2003 centers on moving folks on NT-based systems up to SBS 2003. The performance gains alone justify the conversion.
Soon-To-Be Newly Networked: VIRGINS!
These are the last frontiers in networking left today. Networking consultants, acting as explorers, seek out this type of SBS customer with a vengeance. Why? Because we can put our stamp on their successful network, and it’s likely this type of client hasn’t yet had a negative networking experience (or negative experience with their network consultant). Great SBS customers if you can find them.
Novell NetWare Converters
This is perhaps historically one of the touchiest and most-difficult SBS customer groups to work with for several reasons. I know, I know, you’re saying that NetWare is dead. Not so quick, my Missouri cousin! Why is it so many small businesses are running good old NetWare 3 even to this day? Granted, NetWare isn’t the dominant force it once was, but it’s a huge source of billable hours for me: converting NetWare to SBS. NetWare sites are prime to go to SBS 2003 in order to enjoy broad industry support for LOB applications.
Finder, Minder, Grinder
With respect to how SBS supports core business operations, let me take a moment to speak about the three major functions of nearly any small business: finder, minder, and grinder.
BEST PRACTICE: I have a book called SMB Consulting Best Practices (ISBN: 1-887542-11-6) that is totally dedicated to viewing the SMB space and SBS specifically from the finder, minder, grinder perspectives. So I’ll only touch on the business stuff here and encourage you to follow-up with my other text, which is more of a “pocket MBA” for SBSers!
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
Finder
A finder is a rainmaker: the person who markets and “gets” or develops business for the firm. In many firms, it is the owner, CEO, or president; in others, it is a salesperson. Whoever has this important responsibility can directly benefit from SBS in many ways.
There is electronic-based commerce. Electronic-based commerce includes everything from basic e-mail communications to elaborate Web pages that provide direct updates to your accounting system or electronic data interchange (EDI) with Microsoft BizTalk.
BEST PRACTICE: Late breaking news! BizTalk will actually run on SBS 2003! In fact, teams at Microsoft are looking at making BizTalk part of SBS 2003 in some fashion.
At a minimum, a salesman in the early 21st century can benefit from using Internet e-mail, a feature supported by SBS with the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and Outlook 2003. A finder can benefit from Outlook in other ways as well. Outlook provides contact management and scheduling capabilities in addition to serving as an e-mail client. Outlook is discussed in Chapter 6. You will learn basic Outlook functionality, such as e-mail and using Company contacts, under Public Folders in SBS 2003. You will even learn how to run Outlook over the Internet, via Outlook Web Access (OWA). This allows you to check your SBS-based e-mail from a late-model Web browser from any Internet-connected PC in the world! Saying you’re disconnected while vacationing in the Australian Outback is no longer an excuse with Outlook-based technologies.
So I end the finder section with a real world example. I know a CEO of the landscaping company in Issaquah, Washington, who uses SBS to increase his company’s sales. His idea is to fax “spring cleaning” notices to past landscaping clients. SBS does this very well with its fax server support. Broadcast faxing is a breeze, and as an added bonus, this CEO found that he could fax directly to the names listed in the company-wide Outlook contact list. I’ll talk more about faxing in Chapter 9.
What’s really been said in this finder section is that SBS can offer you a competitive advantage over your competition.
Minder
There’s one law of business that I’ve never seen broken: For every finder, there is at least one minder. Minders serve as office managers, administrators, COOs, and all-around nags. Bless ‘em, because we need ‘em. SBS was designed with minders in mind (please don’t mind the pun!). Typically, when I’ve deployed SBS from a minder’s perspective, it has been to implement a piece of industry-specific line of business (LOB) software. You will see in Figure 1-1 that I listed LOB applications. One such LOB application is BenchTop, a very powerful service management software application implemented on the SBS system at a client site I consult to. BenchTop, which uses premium SBS’s SQL Server application for its engine, is very much a minder tool. This application brings control to the workflow and allows the manager (aka the “minder”) to compile performance metrics specific to his industry. The minder at this site unknowingly benefits from SBS because SQL Server is included as part of the premium SBS bundle. All the minder knows is that BenchTop makes his job easier and he is more productive.
Also falling into the minder category with SBS is the whole business planning cycle plus cultural and organizational reengineering. Here’s what I mean. When SBS is introduced into an organization like a small business, it often upsets the apple cart in a good way. Managers start thinking “We’re gonna do things differently around here and we need a fresh business plan.” And the collaboration of Outlook and Windows Sharepoint Services will improve communication and improve organization outcomes, etc. It’s a management revolution inside each box of SBS! To some extent I make this point again in the grinder section that follows next.
Grinder
Grinders are the worker bees. These are the people who are typically task-oriented and look at the SBS infrastructure as a support system that makes them more productive. Grinders benefit from SBS in two distinct ways.
First, LOB applications such as BenchTop that run on top of premium SBS’s SQL Server allow the repair staff to enter important job and task information. This helps track the flow of goods in the system and effectively lowers cost by allowing better control. Another business application that uses SQL Server is
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
Great Plains from Microsoft, a robust accounting application. I’ve had tremendous success installing this on SBS machines, and I can attest that the worker bees—typically accounting clerks, bookkeepers (and yes, beekeepers)— have been able to complete their work in an efficient and reliable manner. Most important, in both cases with BenchTop and Great Plains, the grinders trust that SBS allows them to better do their work. Such has not always been the case with worker bees, known for coining such pithy phrases as “The #@%$!&* computer network is not working again!” in the early days of computer networking (and during the first two releases of SBS in the late 1990s—OUCH!).
Second, basic communication applications, such as Outlook e-mail, contacts, and scheduling, have allowed grinders to improve the quality of their work, which translated into greater productivity for the firm. Many times SBS is introduced into business environments that have no prior network or e-mail service, often fundamentally changing how people do their work and, in its own way, reengineering workflow. The improvement in e-mail communications is but one example. Throughout this book many more business workflow improvements are presented hither and yon.
SBS Philosophy 101
It is difficult to overlook the sheer numbers of small businesses that could benefit from an SBS-type networking solution. Such was the idea behind SBS. Microsoft recently found SMB religion and has made SBS a cornerstone of its push into this relatively virgin small business space. The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to measuring the number of small businesses. Although you can easily say that there are only 1,000 companies in the Fortune 1000 list, conversely you might be surprised to know that there are over 22 million small businesses in the United States, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Can’t you just see the marketing wheels at Microsoft turning and the marketing staff dreaming of an SBS installation at every small business? You betcha.
In this section, I’ll present SBS philosophy from three views: that of the small business, the SBS consultant, and Microsoft.
The Small Business
Understanding that small businesses are fundamentally different from larger enterprises, the SBS product literally sells itself when positioned by SBS consultants as a tool to help small business run better, with less effort, and, ultimately, more easily. You could say that SBS is nothing more than a return to the original LAN paradigm that both Apple Computer and Novell rode in the 1980s. This LAN paradigm, with a few modifications to accommodate SBS, is anchored by these key tenets:
• Sharing: The major justification for implementing SBS in the small business is the ability to share information. Sharing information, such as cost accounting data at the construction company, allows staff to work together with less redundancy (multiple entries are eliminated). Owners get better information about their operations. Staff works together as a team.
• Security: Like the enterprise, small businesses demand that reasonable levels of security be provided to protect sensitive information from competition and from loss or casualty. SBS provides regular Windows Server 2003-based security (and there’s a lot of security features there, let me tell ya) in the standard SBS edition, plus the security afforded by Microsoft ISA Server in the premium SBS edition.
• Cost Effectiveness: Relatively speaking, SBS is cheap. The standard version of SBS, a very popular option, can be purchased on the street starting for under $600 USD. In fact, there are some major hardware manufacturers that have seen fit to send you out the door with the standard SBS edition and a capable server for $1,000 USD! Man is that a change from the not-too-distant days past of $5,000 server machines for the small business. So tack on a few $500 USD capable workstations and another $1,000 USD for necessities (virus protection suite, hubs, wireless cards, etc.) and you’re up and running on a pauper’s payroll, not that of the prince! Note you might find you will need a mid-range server when you look closely at your needs. Such a server runs $1,500 USD standalone as of this writing.
BEST PRACTICE: When amortized, for accounting purposes, over the typical five-year holding period seen in many small businesses (versus the more aggressive three-year holding period typically seen at the enterprise-level), SBS is really cost-effective. After the basic installation, allowance for training (say, a one-time $500 USD per user outlay) and technology consulting fees, an SBS network easily costs less than $500 USD per user per year. THIS IS $1.38 USD PER USER PER DAY, FRIEND! (Yes, I’m shouting for emphasis.) That’s less than my subscriptions to the USA Today and Wall Street Journal newspapers! That’s less than my first cappuccino!
If you’ve ever worked at the enterprise level, you’d be viewed as kooky if you told someone you had lowered your annual IT costs per user to less than $500 (more likely at the enterprise-level it would be over $5,000 USD per user per year).
• Efficiency: After an initial period of negative productivity (measured in hours) while everyone is learning the new SBS network and its powers, company-wide productivity for the firm quickly soars to a level exceeding pre-SBS days. One example of this is the use of broadcast e-mails and faxes instead of making lots of telephone calls.
• Better Work, New Work: This includes fewer mistakes because of better communications, such as e-mail with staff, vendors, and customers; better scheduling with Outlook’s calendar, etc.; and new work, such as winning new contracts because your work is of higher quality (proposals with accurate financial information derived from staff, and so on). In fact, as an SBS site starts using more and more SBS features, I’ve seen these small businesses dramatically increase their business. Back at the ranch, oops, I mean the previously mentioned landscaping company client, you will recall that SBS's faxing capabilities are used to fax “Spring planting announcements” to its clients resulting in increased sales. Small businesses, enlightened by the powers of SBS, have also been known to enter into new business areas, knowing they have the network infrastructure to back up promises. Need more
convincing? A small construction company I worked with, confident that SBS-based e-mail and remote communications solutions wouldn’t fail them, took on work in other cities.
• Bottom Line: How does SBS sum up? Properly implemented, SBS can help small businesses enjoy higher-quality work and get more work finished with the fewer resources:
Land — Office space is used more efficiently, as older office machines, file cabinets, and the like are eliminated. Hell, with the Remote Web Workplace feature I’ll explain in Chapter 8, the whole darn office space can nearly be eliminated and everyone sent to Starbucks coffee shops to use Wi-Fi to do their business!
Labor — Existing staff works more efficiently, allowing owners to squeeze out more productivity. But fear not that SBS will result in staff
downsizing. I’ve worked with a variety of SBS sites and have never seen a layoff or firing related to SBS. In fact, the opposite tends to occur. Small businesses get excited very quickly with SBS when they understand it and see it working. In short order, additional (and unplanned) work requests roll in. For example, several of my small business clients who barely knew what the Internet was prior to the SBS installation call back and ask for Web home page development assistance. I typically refer an intern from the local college to these clients, allowing them to save on Web page development costs and giving a starving college kid the chance to earn some money. And guess what! More often than not the college intern becomes a full-time employee, actually increasing headcount at the client site as a result of the SBS implementation.
Capital — Not to understate the initial capital investment in getting an SBS network up and running, but, after that outlay is made, the general consensus is that SBS delivers a positive return on investment (ROI) by increasing the firm’s productivity and mitigating additional large capital outlays for the foreseeable future. One example of this is the reduced wear and tear on photocopiers. A client of mine who has
aggressively exploited SBS features now stores documents electronically and faxes directly to vendors. By doing so, this customer found it could forego the purchase of a new, expensive photocopier.
SBS Consultant
To paraphrase from my SMB Consulting Best Practices book, SBS is a “consulting practice in a box.” It’s a structured setup with an assured positive outcome; it’s a To Do List and a Server Management console that is used at each site; and it’s about making every customer implementation exactly the same to contribute to consulting success. SBS is a consultant’s dream, and I’ll leave it there as my other tome uses over 600 pages to express these sentiments.
Microsoft
So what does Microsoft think? Well, Microsoft extends this SBS paradigm specifically by adding these design goals:
• Ease of Use/Simplicity: The idea was to make everything easy, easy, easy. And when compared to the old command-line interface of NetWare
3.x (which a surprisingly high number of small businesses are still running, having foregone the opportunity to upgrade to NetWare 4.x, 5.x), you could say that SBS is easier to manage and use. For example, Dawn, who works at an athletic club I’ve assisted, took many years (appropriately so) to master NetWare. When Dawn was confronted with the decision to upgrade to the newly released NetWare 5.0, I loaned her a training machine that had SBS installed. One week later, Dawn was confident and had even confirmed that her narrow market vertical applications would run on SBS. Not surprisingly, Dawn and her firm became another SBS success story.
But easy is in the eye of the beholder. Whereas Dawn was coming from a more complex networking environment, allowing her to enjoy the ease of SBS when compared to NetWare, SBS has sometimes fallen short for small businesses that have never been networked. These firms, accustomed to working manually with file cabinets, fax machines, and basic word processing, are often disappointed with SBS initially when
they (a) can’t believe installing a network is so difficult and (b) don’t understand why servers don’t work perfectly all the time (for example, blue-screen crashes or applications stop responding). So take Microsoft’s SBS ease of use argument with a grain of salt.
However, if it is usability that you are measuring, clearly SBS wins when compared to other NOSs such as NetWare and Linux. With its superior graphical user interface (GUI), SBS encourages even those on-site power users unaccustomed to managing a network server to feel comfortable using the Start button, menus, mouse, and so on. Score one for SBS for high usability. Of course, I’m assuming the SBS consultant has asked for and approved the power user’s help.
• Making Decisions for the Customer: In the context of having an automated setup and implementation process (“just add water”), SBS (in Microsoft’s view) reduces the research, engineering, and guesswork that goes into making the networking decision. Microsoft correctly asserts that users do not have to decide whether the SBS machine should be a domain controller (it should, because it controls the operations of the network) and whether to install Active Directory. Active Directory is the directory services database used to store user and computer account information.
• Designed for Success: This point speaks to the SBS consoles I’ve previously discussed. The idea is that SBS administrators should enjoy a “simple, stupid” networking management experience and not really have to perfectly plan what they intend to do. Adding a user is a click away in the Server Management console. Simple.
BEST PRACTICE: Here again, I must interject a few clarifying comments regarding the pro-Microsoft comments. For new users and NetWare administrators coming over to SBS (such as Dawn), I’ve found the SBS cool tools—such as the management console and wizards—are great and really aid the SBS learning process. So on that count, Microsoft is correct with its ease of use, automatic
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
decision making, and successful design assertions. But for old-school Windows Server gurus with headstrong ways of doing things, the SBS consoles are sometimes more of an enemy. These Windows Server gurus begrudgingly use the SBS Server Management console (interestingly, the native tools are exposed in the Server Management console, removing the need to drop down and use the Administrative Tools folder). I’ll say it now and most assuredly say it again: Do everything from the SBS Server Management console (and its wizards).
Microsoft has another view of SBS with its Go To Market (GTM) methodology (visit www.microsoft.com/partner and select Windows Server under the Server family product on the left). GTM is a four-step methodology:
Learn About It. Microsoft views its partners’ success with SBS as a function of how much knowledge they have about the product. Microsoft offers SBS hands-on labs (online
and in-person), Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC)
courses specific to SBS and other training tools. Sell It! There is no shortage of resources when it comes to supporting your SBS sales efforts. Logos, canned PowerPoint presentations, and the like are all accessible from the Microsoft Partner site referenced above.
Build On It! Here the idea is to add value by bundling SBS with additional services and products. For example, you might implement the Microsoft Great Plains solution on top of SBS as your package. You might also sell and deploy a LOB application such as those discussed earlier in the chapter.
Deploy It! Ah, the good stuff—installing and configuring SBS. This is considered the most fun part of the entire SBS equation by many.
You’ll learn much more about this e-mail messaging solution in Chapter 6.
START HERE BLOGGER
Table 1-1: SBS Components at a Glance
Component
Description
Server or Client Component
Windows
Microsoft’s 32-bit network operating system.
Server
Server 2003
An operating system controls the basicfunctions of a computer, including security,storage, printing, user management, remotecommunications, and so on. Supports ActiveDirectory, Terminal Services in remoteadministration mode (discussed below),Group Policy for homogeneous WindowsServer 2003 networks, disk quotas, advancedsecurity such as encrypted file system (EFS).Windows Server 2003 is necessarilydiscussed across many chapters in this book.Your greatest interaction with WindowsServer 2003 will be during the initial setupand configuration of the SBS network.
Microsoft
E-mail messaging application used for
Server
Exchange
communication and collaboration. Supports
Server 2003
Outlook Web Access (OWA) Discussed inChapter 6.
Windows SharepointServices
An intranet portal and basic documentmanagement program discussed in Chapter 7.
Server
Microsoft SQL Server 2000
Powerful database application offered inpremium edition of SBS 2003. Discussed inChapter 14.
Server
Microsoft Internet Security andAcceleration (ISA)Server2000
Firewall gateway application with thecapability to store or cache frequentlyaccessed Web pages and part of the premiumedition of SBS 2003. Discussed in Chapter13. Note the SBS 2003 standard edition security approach of Network AddressTranslation (NAT) and the Basic Firewall,provided by Routing and Remote AccessService (RRAS), is discussed in Chapter 5.
Server
Microsoft Internet Information Server 6.0
Internet server application that provides coreSBS support for Web-related management.Discussed in Chapter 10.
Server
Shared Fax Service
A powerful faxing application discussed inChapter 9.
Server
Microsoft Front Page2003
An application that creates Web pages andcan be used for desktop publishing. A single-license version can be installed on the server machine. FrontPage 2003 is discussed inChapter 11.
Server
Additional Goodies
VALUEADD and SUPPORT folders contain useful tools and sample software.
Server
SBS ManagementConsole
GUI-based management console, calledServer Management, using powerful yetfriendly administrative wizards. ServerManagement provides a central location toaccomplish tasks. The Server Managementconsole is discussed all across the book and specifically in Chapter 4. Note the ServerManagement console houses the infamousSBS To Do List.
Server
Microsoft ManagementConsole 2.0 (MMC)
Provides the framework for creatingmanagement consoles to perform taskmanagement. The SBS consoles are based onthe MMC. Discussed in Chapter 4.
Server
Server-based Wizards
Include the Add User and Computer Wizard,E-mail and Internet Connection Wizard, device and peripheral management. Alsoinclude numerous Windows 2000 Wizards. Wizards are discussed across the book.
Server
Health Monitor
Provides real-time network monitoring ofcritical performance variables. Has the abilityto generate alerts. Discussed in Chapter 12.
Server
Server Status Reports
A tool that can be configured to send reports onsystem operations and third-party applicationsvia e-mail or fax. Discussed in Chapter 12.
Server
Server Status View
Provides a view of critical event, performancecounters, and services. Discussed in Chapter 12.
Server
Microsoft Connector for POP3 Mailboxes
Created with great pride by the SBSdevelopment team to allow small businesses touse existing POP3 e-mail services withExchange Server 2003. POP3 accounts aremapped to internal e-mail accounts. Discussedin Chapter 6.
Server
Windows Terminal Services
Terminal Services is a multi-session solution in Windows Server 2003 that facilitates remote management of the SBS server by thetechnology consultant. Similar to remotecontrol applications such as PCAnywhere orVNC. Discussed in Chapter 4 and 11.
Server
Online Guide
Robust online help for SBS administrators.
Server
Internet Explorer 6.x(IE)
Internet browser for navigating both the Internetand intranets. Installed on both the SBS server machine and SBS client’s machine. Discussed across the book (for example, client computerson the SBS network are now added via IE) andin Chapter 10.
Client/Server
Default PageInternet
Connects IE to the CompanyWeb as the default.Discussed in Chapters 7 and 10.
Client/Server
Microsoft Outlook 2003
Client-based e-mail, client scheduling, andcontact management application. Discussed inChapter 6.
Client
SBS Fax Sharing Client
Faxing functionality and capabilities. Discussedin Chapter 9.
Client
SBS Firewall Client
Client-side ISA Server functions (WinSockredirector). Discussed in Chapter 13 as part ofthe premium SBS discussion.
Client
SBS Zen Crowd
Meanwhile, continuing with my broad definition of SBS, there is another group of SBSers who view SBS as a state of mind. While SBS is a full member of the Windows Server 2003 computing family, these folks view SBS as special, unique, and their life calling. As you might say in Texas, these folks “GET IT” when it comes to SBS. For them, unique SBS tools, such as the Server Management console, are what life is all about.
The Big B Crowd: Small BUSINESS Server
Another view on defining SBS is looking at it from a business perspective: that is, how does SBS support the mission of the business to be efficient and successful? The SBS wheel in Figure 1-1 addresses this point of view.
Figure 1-1
The SBS wheel allows you to view SBS using a business analytical framework for gaining perspective on core SBS applications.
The left side of the wheel predominately speaks toward server-side components, such as Windows Server 2003, Exchange Server 2003, and the like. The lower portion of the wheel speaks to the management function via the SBS Server Management Console. The right side of the wheel speaks to the client-side applications, such as Microsoft Outlook 2003.
The “business”of SBS continues in a moment in the Finder, Minder, Grinder section on core business operations.
Converters
Finally, as part of the goal to define and segment the SBS customer population, consider the following. There are the conversion candidates for SBS:
• Linux Losers
• Peer-to-peer upgraders
• Windows NT and other Microsoft Servers
• Novell NetWare converters
• The soon-to-be newly networked: VIRGINS!
Linux Losers
So shareware’s not your bag, at least when it comes to running a bona fide business operation. And the Linux user experience is just a tad too much on the bit twiddler side, eh? No hard feelings. Welcome back to SBS. And by the way, ever since the Microsoft FUSION conference in Anaheim, California, in July 2001 and forward, the Microsoft SBS team has gone to great lengths to compare (and compete) SBS to Linux. Turns out, according to a Microsoft study, the argument that Linux is free is misleading. When considering the total cost of operations in a computer network (labor, hardware, training, and operating system), the operating system is only 3 % of the total costs.
Peer-To-Peer Upgraders
As you may or may not know, peer-to-peer networks are workstations that have been cabled together into a quick-and-dirty network. This is a significant SBS customer group, because two factors are driving the upgrade decision: pain and
Visit www.smbnation.com for additional SMB and SBS book, newsletter and conference resources.
gain. Peer-to-peer networks traditionally suffer from poor performance (that’s the pain part) and many small businesses can easily see the gain a true client/ server network such as SBS can deliver (that’s, of course, the gain part).
Windows NT and Other Microsoft Servers
Considered the low hanging fruit in the small business space, those firms running Windows NT-based networks are more than overdue to upgrade to SBS. A big part of Microsoft message and efforts with SBS 2003 centers on moving folks on NT-based systems up to SBS 2003. The performance gains alone justify the conversion.
Soon-To-Be Newly Networked: VIRGINS!
These are the last frontiers in networking left today. Networking consultants, acting as explorers, seek out this type of SBS customer with a vengeance. Why? Because we can put our stamp on their successful network, and it’s likely this type of client hasn’t yet had a negative networking experience (or negative experience with their network consultant). Great SBS customers if you can find them.
Novell NetWare Converters
This is perhaps historically one of the touchiest and most-difficult SBS customer groups to work with for several reasons. I know, I know, you’re saying that NetWare is dead. Not so quick, my Missouri cousin! Why is it so many small businesses are running good old NetWare 3 even to this day? Granted, NetWare isn’t the dominant force it once was, but it’s a huge source of billable hours for me: converting NetWare to SBS. NetWare sites are prime to go to SBS 2003 in order to enjoy broad industry support for LOB applications.
Finder, Minder, Grinder
With respect to how SBS supports core business operations, let me take a moment to speak about the three major functions of nearly any small business: finder, minder, and grinder.
BEST PRACTICE: I have a book called SMB Consulting Best Practices (ISBN: 1-887542-11-6) that is totally dedicated to viewing the SMB space and SBS specifically from the finder, minder, grinder perspectives. So I’ll only touch on the business stuff here and encourage you to follow-up with my other text, which is more of a “pocket MBA” for SBSers!
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
Finder
A finder is a rainmaker: the person who markets and “gets” or develops business for the firm. In many firms, it is the owner, CEO, or president; in others, it is a salesperson. Whoever has this important responsibility can directly benefit from SBS in many ways.
There is electronic-based commerce. Electronic-based commerce includes everything from basic e-mail communications to elaborate Web pages that provide direct updates to your accounting system or electronic data interchange (EDI) with Microsoft BizTalk.
BEST PRACTICE: Late breaking news! BizTalk will actually run on SBS 2003! In fact, teams at Microsoft are looking at making BizTalk part of SBS 2003 in some fashion.
At a minimum, a salesman in the early 21st century can benefit from using Internet e-mail, a feature supported by SBS with the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and Outlook 2003. A finder can benefit from Outlook in other ways as well. Outlook provides contact management and scheduling capabilities in addition to serving as an e-mail client. Outlook is discussed in Chapter 6. You will learn basic Outlook functionality, such as e-mail and using Company contacts, under Public Folders in SBS 2003. You will even learn how to run Outlook over the Internet, via Outlook Web Access (OWA). This allows you to check your SBS-based e-mail from a late-model Web browser from any Internet-connected PC in the world! Saying you’re disconnected while vacationing in the Australian Outback is no longer an excuse with Outlook-based technologies.
So I end the finder section with a real world example. I know a CEO of the landscaping company in Issaquah, Washington, who uses SBS to increase his company’s sales. His idea is to fax “spring cleaning” notices to past landscaping clients. SBS does this very well with its fax server support. Broadcast faxing is a breeze, and as an added bonus, this CEO found that he could fax directly to the names listed in the company-wide Outlook contact list. I’ll talk more about faxing in Chapter 9.
What’s really been said in this finder section is that SBS can offer you a competitive advantage over your competition.
Minder
There’s one law of business that I’ve never seen broken: For every finder, there is at least one minder. Minders serve as office managers, administrators, COOs, and all-around nags. Bless ‘em, because we need ‘em. SBS was designed with minders in mind (please don’t mind the pun!). Typically, when I’ve deployed SBS from a minder’s perspective, it has been to implement a piece of industry-specific line of business (LOB) software. You will see in Figure 1-1 that I listed LOB applications. One such LOB application is BenchTop, a very powerful service management software application implemented on the SBS system at a client site I consult to. BenchTop, which uses premium SBS’s SQL Server application for its engine, is very much a minder tool. This application brings control to the workflow and allows the manager (aka the “minder”) to compile performance metrics specific to his industry. The minder at this site unknowingly benefits from SBS because SQL Server is included as part of the premium SBS bundle. All the minder knows is that BenchTop makes his job easier and he is more productive.
Also falling into the minder category with SBS is the whole business planning cycle plus cultural and organizational reengineering. Here’s what I mean. When SBS is introduced into an organization like a small business, it often upsets the apple cart in a good way. Managers start thinking “We’re gonna do things differently around here and we need a fresh business plan.” And the collaboration of Outlook and Windows Sharepoint Services will improve communication and improve organization outcomes, etc. It’s a management revolution inside each box of SBS! To some extent I make this point again in the grinder section that follows next.
Grinder
Grinders are the worker bees. These are the people who are typically task-oriented and look at the SBS infrastructure as a support system that makes them more productive. Grinders benefit from SBS in two distinct ways.
First, LOB applications such as BenchTop that run on top of premium SBS’s SQL Server allow the repair staff to enter important job and task information. This helps track the flow of goods in the system and effectively lowers cost by allowing better control. Another business application that uses SQL Server is
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
Great Plains from Microsoft, a robust accounting application. I’ve had tremendous success installing this on SBS machines, and I can attest that the worker bees—typically accounting clerks, bookkeepers (and yes, beekeepers)— have been able to complete their work in an efficient and reliable manner. Most important, in both cases with BenchTop and Great Plains, the grinders trust that SBS allows them to better do their work. Such has not always been the case with worker bees, known for coining such pithy phrases as “The #@%$!&* computer network is not working again!” in the early days of computer networking (and during the first two releases of SBS in the late 1990s—OUCH!).
Second, basic communication applications, such as Outlook e-mail, contacts, and scheduling, have allowed grinders to improve the quality of their work, which translated into greater productivity for the firm. Many times SBS is introduced into business environments that have no prior network or e-mail service, often fundamentally changing how people do their work and, in its own way, reengineering workflow. The improvement in e-mail communications is but one example. Throughout this book many more business workflow improvements are presented hither and yon.
SBS Philosophy 101
It is difficult to overlook the sheer numbers of small businesses that could benefit from an SBS-type networking solution. Such was the idea behind SBS. Microsoft recently found SMB religion and has made SBS a cornerstone of its push into this relatively virgin small business space. The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to measuring the number of small businesses. Although you can easily say that there are only 1,000 companies in the Fortune 1000 list, conversely you might be surprised to know that there are over 22 million small businesses in the United States, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Can’t you just see the marketing wheels at Microsoft turning and the marketing staff dreaming of an SBS installation at every small business? You betcha.
In this section, I’ll present SBS philosophy from three views: that of the small business, the SBS consultant, and Microsoft.
The Small Business
Understanding that small businesses are fundamentally different from larger enterprises, the SBS product literally sells itself when positioned by SBS consultants as a tool to help small business run better, with less effort, and, ultimately, more easily. You could say that SBS is nothing more than a return to the original LAN paradigm that both Apple Computer and Novell rode in the 1980s. This LAN paradigm, with a few modifications to accommodate SBS, is anchored by these key tenets:
• Sharing: The major justification for implementing SBS in the small business is the ability to share information. Sharing information, such as cost accounting data at the construction company, allows staff to work together with less redundancy (multiple entries are eliminated). Owners get better information about their operations. Staff works together as a team.
• Security: Like the enterprise, small businesses demand that reasonable levels of security be provided to protect sensitive information from competition and from loss or casualty. SBS provides regular Windows Server 2003-based security (and there’s a lot of security features there, let me tell ya) in the standard SBS edition, plus the security afforded by Microsoft ISA Server in the premium SBS edition.
• Cost Effectiveness: Relatively speaking, SBS is cheap. The standard version of SBS, a very popular option, can be purchased on the street starting for under $600 USD. In fact, there are some major hardware manufacturers that have seen fit to send you out the door with the standard SBS edition and a capable server for $1,000 USD! Man is that a change from the not-too-distant days past of $5,000 server machines for the small business. So tack on a few $500 USD capable workstations and another $1,000 USD for necessities (virus protection suite, hubs, wireless cards, etc.) and you’re up and running on a pauper’s payroll, not that of the prince! Note you might find you will need a mid-range server when you look closely at your needs. Such a server runs $1,500 USD standalone as of this writing.
BEST PRACTICE: When amortized, for accounting purposes, over the typical five-year holding period seen in many small businesses (versus the more aggressive three-year holding period typically seen at the enterprise-level), SBS is really cost-effective. After the basic installation, allowance for training (say, a one-time $500 USD per user outlay) and technology consulting fees, an SBS network easily costs less than $500 USD per user per year. THIS IS $1.38 USD PER USER PER DAY, FRIEND! (Yes, I’m shouting for emphasis.) That’s less than my subscriptions to the USA Today and Wall Street Journal newspapers! That’s less than my first cappuccino!
If you’ve ever worked at the enterprise level, you’d be viewed as kooky if you told someone you had lowered your annual IT costs per user to less than $500 (more likely at the enterprise-level it would be over $5,000 USD per user per year).
• Efficiency: After an initial period of negative productivity (measured in hours) while everyone is learning the new SBS network and its powers, company-wide productivity for the firm quickly soars to a level exceeding pre-SBS days. One example of this is the use of broadcast e-mails and faxes instead of making lots of telephone calls.
• Better Work, New Work: This includes fewer mistakes because of better communications, such as e-mail with staff, vendors, and customers; better scheduling with Outlook’s calendar, etc.; and new work, such as winning new contracts because your work is of higher quality (proposals with accurate financial information derived from staff, and so on). In fact, as an SBS site starts using more and more SBS features, I’ve seen these small businesses dramatically increase their business. Back at the ranch, oops, I mean the previously mentioned landscaping company client, you will recall that SBS's faxing capabilities are used to fax “Spring planting announcements” to its clients resulting in increased sales. Small businesses, enlightened by the powers of SBS, have also been known to enter into new business areas, knowing they have the network infrastructure to back up promises. Need more
convincing? A small construction company I worked with, confident that SBS-based e-mail and remote communications solutions wouldn’t fail them, took on work in other cities.
• Bottom Line: How does SBS sum up? Properly implemented, SBS can help small businesses enjoy higher-quality work and get more work finished with the fewer resources:
Land — Office space is used more efficiently, as older office machines, file cabinets, and the like are eliminated. Hell, with the Remote Web Workplace feature I’ll explain in Chapter 8, the whole darn office space can nearly be eliminated and everyone sent to Starbucks coffee shops to use Wi-Fi to do their business!
Labor — Existing staff works more efficiently, allowing owners to squeeze out more productivity. But fear not that SBS will result in staff
downsizing. I’ve worked with a variety of SBS sites and have never seen a layoff or firing related to SBS. In fact, the opposite tends to occur. Small businesses get excited very quickly with SBS when they understand it and see it working. In short order, additional (and unplanned) work requests roll in. For example, several of my small business clients who barely knew what the Internet was prior to the SBS installation call back and ask for Web home page development assistance. I typically refer an intern from the local college to these clients, allowing them to save on Web page development costs and giving a starving college kid the chance to earn some money. And guess what! More often than not the college intern becomes a full-time employee, actually increasing headcount at the client site as a result of the SBS implementation.
Capital — Not to understate the initial capital investment in getting an SBS network up and running, but, after that outlay is made, the general consensus is that SBS delivers a positive return on investment (ROI) by increasing the firm’s productivity and mitigating additional large capital outlays for the foreseeable future. One example of this is the reduced wear and tear on photocopiers. A client of mine who has
aggressively exploited SBS features now stores documents electronically and faxes directly to vendors. By doing so, this customer found it could forego the purchase of a new, expensive photocopier.
SBS Consultant
To paraphrase from my SMB Consulting Best Practices book, SBS is a “consulting practice in a box.” It’s a structured setup with an assured positive outcome; it’s a To Do List and a Server Management console that is used at each site; and it’s about making every customer implementation exactly the same to contribute to consulting success. SBS is a consultant’s dream, and I’ll leave it there as my other tome uses over 600 pages to express these sentiments.
Microsoft
So what does Microsoft think? Well, Microsoft extends this SBS paradigm specifically by adding these design goals:
• Ease of Use/Simplicity: The idea was to make everything easy, easy, easy. And when compared to the old command-line interface of NetWare
3.x (which a surprisingly high number of small businesses are still running, having foregone the opportunity to upgrade to NetWare 4.x, 5.x), you could say that SBS is easier to manage and use. For example, Dawn, who works at an athletic club I’ve assisted, took many years (appropriately so) to master NetWare. When Dawn was confronted with the decision to upgrade to the newly released NetWare 5.0, I loaned her a training machine that had SBS installed. One week later, Dawn was confident and had even confirmed that her narrow market vertical applications would run on SBS. Not surprisingly, Dawn and her firm became another SBS success story.
But easy is in the eye of the beholder. Whereas Dawn was coming from a more complex networking environment, allowing her to enjoy the ease of SBS when compared to NetWare, SBS has sometimes fallen short for small businesses that have never been networked. These firms, accustomed to working manually with file cabinets, fax machines, and basic word processing, are often disappointed with SBS initially when
they (a) can’t believe installing a network is so difficult and (b) don’t understand why servers don’t work perfectly all the time (for example, blue-screen crashes or applications stop responding). So take Microsoft’s SBS ease of use argument with a grain of salt.
However, if it is usability that you are measuring, clearly SBS wins when compared to other NOSs such as NetWare and Linux. With its superior graphical user interface (GUI), SBS encourages even those on-site power users unaccustomed to managing a network server to feel comfortable using the Start button, menus, mouse, and so on. Score one for SBS for high usability. Of course, I’m assuming the SBS consultant has asked for and approved the power user’s help.
• Making Decisions for the Customer: In the context of having an automated setup and implementation process (“just add water”), SBS (in Microsoft’s view) reduces the research, engineering, and guesswork that goes into making the networking decision. Microsoft correctly asserts that users do not have to decide whether the SBS machine should be a domain controller (it should, because it controls the operations of the network) and whether to install Active Directory. Active Directory is the directory services database used to store user and computer account information.
• Designed for Success: This point speaks to the SBS consoles I’ve previously discussed. The idea is that SBS administrators should enjoy a “simple, stupid” networking management experience and not really have to perfectly plan what they intend to do. Adding a user is a click away in the Server Management console. Simple.
BEST PRACTICE: Here again, I must interject a few clarifying comments regarding the pro-Microsoft comments. For new users and NetWare administrators coming over to SBS (such as Dawn), I’ve found the SBS cool tools—such as the management console and wizards—are great and really aid the SBS learning process. So on that count, Microsoft is correct with its ease of use, automatic
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
decision making, and successful design assertions. But for old-school Windows Server gurus with headstrong ways of doing things, the SBS consoles are sometimes more of an enemy. These Windows Server gurus begrudgingly use the SBS Server Management console (interestingly, the native tools are exposed in the Server Management console, removing the need to drop down and use the Administrative Tools folder). I’ll say it now and most assuredly say it again: Do everything from the SBS Server Management console (and its wizards).
Microsoft has another view of SBS with its Go To Market (GTM) methodology (visit www.microsoft.com/partner and select Windows Server under the Server family product on the left). GTM is a four-step methodology:
Learn About It. Microsoft views its partners’ success with SBS as a function of how much knowledge they have about the product. Microsoft offers SBS hands-on labs (online
and in-person), Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC)
courses specific to SBS and other training tools. Sell It! There is no shortage of resources when it comes to supporting your SBS sales efforts. Logos, canned PowerPoint presentations, and the like are all accessible from the Microsoft Partner site referenced above.
Build On It! Here the idea is to add value by bundling SBS with additional services and products. For example, you might implement the Microsoft Great Plains solution on top of SBS as your package. You might also sell and deploy a LOB application such as those discussed earlier in the chapter.
Deploy It! Ah, the good stuff—installing and configuring SBS. This is considered the most fun part of the entire SBS equation by many.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A few pages a day of my SBS 2003 book
Hey gang - I thought I would start to post a few pages a day from my SBS 2003 Best Practices book and get the good stuff out in the wild! Enjoy the read and come back daily!
Here is my first attempt :)
Chapter 1 Welcome to Small Business Server
Howdy and welcome to Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, better known as SBS. SBS, now in its fourth major revision, solidifies Microsoft’s position in the small business space. In past editions of my SBS books, I wrote that Microsoft was starting to “get there” technically with early SBS versions and beginning to understand the small business space. With SBS 2003, such historical talk is exactly that: legacy chatter. It’s time to look forward and not only appreciate the product maturity, but also appreciate its repositioning into two versions (standard and premium) with pricing that best meets the needs of different types of small businesses.
With the SBS 2003 release, it’s safe to say it’s NOW time—to borrow from crowd chants at NBA (National Basketball Association) games. It’s NOW time to go forth and implement SBS 2003 without the hesitations you justifiably had with the younger SBS versions.
SBS clearly represents Microsoft’s strongest commitment to the small business market, which, as you will see later in the chapter, represents the largest computing market when measured by sheer number of businesses. With a single Microsoft networking product such as SBS, it is possible to “right-size” a small business networking solution, and all with one reasonably priced and powerful personal computer known as a server.
BEST PRACTICE: This will be one of the only “before SBS” points in this book. But, before SBS, trying to implement Microsoft’s default business networking solution at a small business site was a frustrating exercise in budget creep, much like placing too big of an engine in a small car! I share this point with you because folks who look at implementing the full complement of Microsoft Server products at
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
a small business today are in many ways demonstrating pre-SBS
Neanderthal business ways. Enough said. Go forth with SBS!
A properly set-up SBS network can improve the way you run your business (or the way your clients run their businesses if you’re an SBS/SMB consultant), help lower computing costs, and, perhaps most important, make it easier for you, the technology consultant or SBS administrator, and your users to use and enjoy computers.
Defining SBS
Exactly what is SBS? Actually, there is more than one answer to that question. I like to think of defining SBS as akin to being a tax attorney: everyone’s situation is different and tax codes can be interpreted differently by different people. Note this section speaks towards both the standard and premium editions of SBS. Specific SBS constituencies, further described below, include:
• Cost-effective, cost-efficient crowd
• Larger-than-life image crowd
• SBS feature creatures
• SBS Zen crowd
• The Big B crowd: Small BUSINESS Server
• Converters and others
BEST PRACTICE: As you delve deeper into this book, there is no better time to expand on my comment in passing above about the standard and premium editions of SBS. The premium edition most closely resembles the predecessor SBS 2000 release in both price and bundled features and applications. It includes everything! The standard edition is much cheaper and doesn’t include Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 (ISA) or SQL Server 2000.
Table 1-1 below defines the components, and the premium edition
is discussed much more in Section Four.
Cost-Effective, Cost-Efficient Crowd
SBS provides a cheap, robust, reliable, and easy-to-manage small business networking solution. The small business crowd wants to work with business applications, send and receive e-mail, print, and make sure the data is backed up and protected from viruses. Properly deployed, SBS scores high marks in these respects. SBS offers a cost-effective way of bundling full Microsoft Server applications and the Windows Server 2003 operating system. Here the emphasis in on bang-for-buck, and SBS is viewed as just a different Microsoft stock keeping unit (SKU).
Larger-Than-Life Image Crowd
Presenting a larger-than-life image is the goal of some SBS clients who use SBS to look more impressive and bigger than their small business size warrants. With a high-speed Internet connection and SBS, these businesses look and act as if they are much larger entities. More than once, customers who’ve conducted business with these small businesses, thinking they’re engaging in transactions with a larger firm, are surprised to learn it’s been just three buddies, a pizza, and an SBS network all along. And get out your digital camera, for when these customers visit such an SBS site, a photograph of the look on their faces when they discover the firm that appeared to be a big-time organization is just an incredibly efficient small business is priceless.
Another take on the larger-than-life crowd is keeping up with the Joneses. SBS is sexy and allows you to use and show off the latest Microsoft Servers products. You too can be part of the hip, happenin’ SBS crowd on your block.
SBS Feature Creatures
Many view SBS as a set of mini-Microsoft Servers or “mini-me” (to quote from the popular Austin Power movie) and like to fully exploit SBS applications, such as Microsoft Exchange 2003 and SQL Server 2000. This group, the SBS feature creatures, are going to be most interested in Table 1-1, which is divided, as much as possible, into the server-side (the powerful computer that typically resides in a closet) and the client-side (user workstations) components. Almost
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
to a fault, this group is sometimes more interested in SBS as a technology rather than as a device for running a more sophisticated and efficient business. That is a dangerous and ominous warning sign to beware, as any college business professor will tell you. Anytime you start to get more excited about the technology instead of your core business, then please set the book down and take a slight break. While the SBS technology is cool, it’s still just a business tool.
Each SBS component is discussed further in later chapters in this book, so don’t worry if you don’t understand, much less master, each one right now. Such comfort levels and expertise will be developed over the next several hundred pages and in your career as an SBSer. For example, each server component is defined in great detail in its own chapter. Take Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. You’ll learn much more about this e-mail messaging solution in Chapter 6.
Here is my first attempt :)
Chapter 1 Welcome to Small Business Server
Howdy and welcome to Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, better known as SBS. SBS, now in its fourth major revision, solidifies Microsoft’s position in the small business space. In past editions of my SBS books, I wrote that Microsoft was starting to “get there” technically with early SBS versions and beginning to understand the small business space. With SBS 2003, such historical talk is exactly that: legacy chatter. It’s time to look forward and not only appreciate the product maturity, but also appreciate its repositioning into two versions (standard and premium) with pricing that best meets the needs of different types of small businesses.
With the SBS 2003 release, it’s safe to say it’s NOW time—to borrow from crowd chants at NBA (National Basketball Association) games. It’s NOW time to go forth and implement SBS 2003 without the hesitations you justifiably had with the younger SBS versions.
SBS clearly represents Microsoft’s strongest commitment to the small business market, which, as you will see later in the chapter, represents the largest computing market when measured by sheer number of businesses. With a single Microsoft networking product such as SBS, it is possible to “right-size” a small business networking solution, and all with one reasonably priced and powerful personal computer known as a server.
BEST PRACTICE: This will be one of the only “before SBS” points in this book. But, before SBS, trying to implement Microsoft’s default business networking solution at a small business site was a frustrating exercise in budget creep, much like placing too big of an engine in a small car! I share this point with you because folks who look at implementing the full complement of Microsoft Server products at
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
a small business today are in many ways demonstrating pre-SBS
Neanderthal business ways. Enough said. Go forth with SBS!
A properly set-up SBS network can improve the way you run your business (or the way your clients run their businesses if you’re an SBS/SMB consultant), help lower computing costs, and, perhaps most important, make it easier for you, the technology consultant or SBS administrator, and your users to use and enjoy computers.
Defining SBS
Exactly what is SBS? Actually, there is more than one answer to that question. I like to think of defining SBS as akin to being a tax attorney: everyone’s situation is different and tax codes can be interpreted differently by different people. Note this section speaks towards both the standard and premium editions of SBS. Specific SBS constituencies, further described below, include:
• Cost-effective, cost-efficient crowd
• Larger-than-life image crowd
• SBS feature creatures
• SBS Zen crowd
• The Big B crowd: Small BUSINESS Server
• Converters and others
BEST PRACTICE: As you delve deeper into this book, there is no better time to expand on my comment in passing above about the standard and premium editions of SBS. The premium edition most closely resembles the predecessor SBS 2000 release in both price and bundled features and applications. It includes everything! The standard edition is much cheaper and doesn’t include Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 (ISA) or SQL Server 2000.
Table 1-1 below defines the components, and the premium edition
is discussed much more in Section Four.
Cost-Effective, Cost-Efficient Crowd
SBS provides a cheap, robust, reliable, and easy-to-manage small business networking solution. The small business crowd wants to work with business applications, send and receive e-mail, print, and make sure the data is backed up and protected from viruses. Properly deployed, SBS scores high marks in these respects. SBS offers a cost-effective way of bundling full Microsoft Server applications and the Windows Server 2003 operating system. Here the emphasis in on bang-for-buck, and SBS is viewed as just a different Microsoft stock keeping unit (SKU).
Larger-Than-Life Image Crowd
Presenting a larger-than-life image is the goal of some SBS clients who use SBS to look more impressive and bigger than their small business size warrants. With a high-speed Internet connection and SBS, these businesses look and act as if they are much larger entities. More than once, customers who’ve conducted business with these small businesses, thinking they’re engaging in transactions with a larger firm, are surprised to learn it’s been just three buddies, a pizza, and an SBS network all along. And get out your digital camera, for when these customers visit such an SBS site, a photograph of the look on their faces when they discover the firm that appeared to be a big-time organization is just an incredibly efficient small business is priceless.
Another take on the larger-than-life crowd is keeping up with the Joneses. SBS is sexy and allows you to use and show off the latest Microsoft Servers products. You too can be part of the hip, happenin’ SBS crowd on your block.
SBS Feature Creatures
Many view SBS as a set of mini-Microsoft Servers or “mini-me” (to quote from the popular Austin Power movie) and like to fully exploit SBS applications, such as Microsoft Exchange 2003 and SQL Server 2000. This group, the SBS feature creatures, are going to be most interested in Table 1-1, which is divided, as much as possible, into the server-side (the powerful computer that typically resides in a closet) and the client-side (user workstations) components. Almost
Visit www.microsoft.com/technet for the latest updates for any Microsoft product.
to a fault, this group is sometimes more interested in SBS as a technology rather than as a device for running a more sophisticated and efficient business. That is a dangerous and ominous warning sign to beware, as any college business professor will tell you. Anytime you start to get more excited about the technology instead of your core business, then please set the book down and take a slight break. While the SBS technology is cool, it’s still just a business tool.
Each SBS component is discussed further in later chapters in this book, so don’t worry if you don’t understand, much less master, each one right now. Such comfort levels and expertise will be developed over the next several hundred pages and in your career as an SBSer. For example, each server component is defined in great detail in its own chapter. Take Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. You’ll learn much more about this e-mail messaging solution in Chapter 6.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
SBS 2008 to drop client-side backup
Mark Crall reports that:
Microsoft on Friday announced it won't be including client PC backup functionality when it releases Small Business Server 2008 to manufacturing in the second half of the year, but will consider adding the feature to future versions.Chris Almida, a program manager with the Windows Small Business Server team, made the announcement at SBS Migration's IT Pro 2008 Conference in New Orleans, where many of Microsoft's Small Business Specialist partners are gathered this weekend.
Microsoft on Friday announced it won't be including client PC backup functionality when it releases Small Business Server 2008 to manufacturing in the second half of the year, but will consider adding the feature to future versions.Chris Almida, a program manager with the Windows Small Business Server team, made the announcement at SBS Migration's IT Pro 2008 Conference in New Orleans, where many of Microsoft's Small Business Specialist partners are gathered this weekend.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Are you at the IT Pro Conference in NOLA?
Hope you are enjoying a great few days at Jeff Middleton's conference in New Orleans! If you are - please intorduce yourself to Chris Bangs at our booth. He is from NOLA and enjoying a weekend back home while working the show. He is a geek so he will fit right in!
Anyways - enjoy the ride - looks like a great conference. And as for me? I am home for Mothers Day weekend...time to be a Dad!
harrybbbbb
Anyways - enjoy the ride - looks like a great conference. And as for me? I am home for Mothers Day weekend...time to be a Dad!
harrybbbbb
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Back to Work
As I sit here waiting for my first cup of coffee, I realize that I should savor this moment. It is the morning of January 2nd and it is time to get back to work! The new year should come at us fast and furious with new product launches from Microsoft and the surrounding SMB ecosystem.
Happy New Year....forward!
harrybbbbb
Happy New Year....forward!
harrybbbbb
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Global Concerns and Stable Markets
Today's assassination of Benzair Bhutto in Pakistan, on the surface, won't affect your billable hours today as a Small Business Specialist. However - as you elevate into the world of thinking business and "BusinessSpeak" - I would encourage you to tune in business TV channels such as CNBC or Fox Business and watch how the markets are reacting.
Eveything is tied together and today's unforutnate events should be viewd in both a global context and your appreciation for stable markets. Investor and owners like stable markets....trust me!
:)
harrybbbb
Eveything is tied together and today's unforutnate events should be viewd in both a global context and your appreciation for stable markets. Investor and owners like stable markets....trust me!
:)
harrybbbb
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
One up, One down - the whacky world of SMB events...
Hey gang - my good friends at ChannelPro regret to report that they have cancelled their SMB channel day at CES in Las Vegas on January 9th.
The good news is that we are about to open registration for our SMB 2.0 workshops (two day format) for NYC, Toronto and Europe in JUST A FEW HOURS! Visit www.smbnation.com later tonight :)
So fear not - you have a place to go....
Thanks!
harrybbbb
The good news is that we are about to open registration for our SMB 2.0 workshops (two day format) for NYC, Toronto and Europe in JUST A FEW HOURS! Visit www.smbnation.com later tonight :)
So fear not - you have a place to go....
Thanks!
harrybbbb
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
