Advise on Small Business Server 2003 Setup....

[bjassin]

Quick question for the server gurus. I am about to setup a server with Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition and I have a question about the network setup. It will be connected to a DSL modem. The server has 2 ethernet connectors and I have two ways of setting it up:

Option 1: Connect the DSL modem directly to the server and then run a cable from the server to the switch where all the client computers will be connected to. All of the IP address and and gateway information will be controlled by the server. So each of the ethernet ports of the server are being used--one to connect to the DSL modem and the other to connect to the switch.

Option 2: Connnect the DSL modem to a Router and then connect the router to a switch where the server and all the other client computers will connect to. The IP address and gateway information will be controlled by the router. Only one ethernet port of the server is being used--a connection from the server to the switch.

Which option will be better to management of the network and the server easier in the future?

With option 2, a lot of the security concerns disappear because the internet access is being filtered by the router. I am not sure whether option 2 is even possible or feasable with a server setup.

Thanks for your help.

BJ

 

[RebateMonger]

The recommended way of connecting a Small Business Server 2003 is to use two network cards and pass all the internal client connections through the Server. Only when you use this configuratiion can you turn on the SBS firewall. This configuration is the only one that will give you full control of your network traffic if you later decide to install ISA Server 2004, either as a Firewall or to monitor or control your outgoing traffic.

The SBS Server provides DHCP, DNS, WINS, and NAT for the entire network. Install a switch on the Internal NIC to distribute the Internet to the client PCs. SBS will forward DNS requests for Internet domains to your ISP's DNS server.

You are welcome to use the router in front of the SBS Server. If you don't have ISA Server, then I'd recommend it. Use a static IP address on the SBS server and forward any necessary TCP ports (usually 25, 80, 443, 444, 3389 and 4125) to the Server. This is how all of my current SBS installs are set up and is how the majority of SBS consultants do so.

When setting up the Server, you'll need to connect a switch to the internal NIC for the install to continue. Don't have the external NIC connected to the Internet until installation is completed, and, preferably, SBS SP1 has been installed.

Pay CLOSE attention to the networking configuration questions. Be sure you understand what they are asking. Also, be sure to NOT name your domain with the same name as your Internet domain name. Use the SBS-recommended option of xxxxx.local, rather than xxxxxx.com. If you ignore this, your client PCs won't be able to see the company's web site.

 

[bjassin]

Thanks for your help. I just sent you a PM.

BJ