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
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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
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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.
Filed under: Book | Tagged: Harry Brelsford,
SBS
