Introduction to Client/Server Network Setup

Introduction of Networks

A computer network consists of two or more computers intended to share

resources:

A client/server network is a system where one or more computers called clients connect
to a central computer named a server to share or use resources. Each client computer
must use an operating system that allows it to be identified to participate in the network.
Client/Server Networking

A computer network is referred to as client/server if (at least) one of the computers is

used to "serve" other computers referred to as "clients". Besides the computers, other
types of devices can be part of the network:

In a client/server environment, each computer still holds (or can still hold) its (or some)
resources and files. Other computers can also access the resources stored in a
computer, as in a peer-to-peer scenario. One of the particularities of a client/server
network is that the files and resources are centralized. This means that a computer, the
server, can hold them and other computers can access them. Since the server is always
ON, the client machines can access the files and resources without caring whether a
certain computer is ON.
One of the consequences of a client/server network is that, if the server is turned OFF,
its resources and sometimes most of the resources on the network are not available. In
fact, one way to set up a client/server network is to have more than one server. In this
case, each server can play a different role.
Another big advantage of a client/server network is that security is created, managed,
and can highly get enforced. To access the network, a person, called a user must
provide some credentials, such as a username and a password. If the credentials are
not valid, the user is prevented from accessing the network.
The client/server type of network also provides many other advantages such as
centralized backup, Intranet capability, Internet monitoring, etc. In a small network, all
these services can be handled by one server:

In a medium to large network, there can be many servers with each performing a
different task:
In these series of lessons, we will build a Microsoft Windows network (I love Linux and
Apple but at the time of this writing, I want to make lessons simple by dealing with only
a simple network; normally, you can connect a Linux workstation, such as Novell SUSE
Linux, to a Microsoft Windows network; this is extremely easy to do; based on my
experience, there is nothing significant to do; once the network is setup and you
connect the Linux workstation to the network, the Linux computer will find everything on
the network; the Linux OS is so intelligent it would take care of everything).

Client Operating Systems

Introduction

If you purchase new computers in a store or from a web store, the computers will most
likely have an operating system. At the time of this writing, most computers sold in
stores have Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium. Some other computers, such as
netbooks, run Microsoft Windows 7 Starter.

For our network, we will use Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium cannot join a domain-based network (but it can
participate in a peer-to-peer network). If the computer(s) you are planning to use for
your network doesn't (don't) have the Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Microsoft
Windows 7 Ultimate, or Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise operating system, you must
upgrade it. Among the ways you can acquire the upgrade, you can purchase it from a
computer store or a web store. Another option is to get an MSDN subscription.

If you have built your own computer(s) or you acquired (a) "barebone" computer(s),
once it's ready with the necessary hardware parts, you must acquire and install the
operating system.

Note:
You can us an existing computer as server

New Client Operating System Installation

A new installation of operating system (OS) is suitable if:

 You have a computer with no operating system at all

 You have a computer with an operating system but you want to overwrite it
 You have a computer with an operating system but it doesn't support an upgrade
to the OS you want to use

To perform a new installation:

a. Turn the computer on. If you are using a computer without an operating system,
if you receive a message stating "Missing Operating System", or "Strike F1 to
retry boot, F2 for setup utility", don't worry about it at this time
b. On the (DVD) drive, push the buton to open the drive
c. Put the DVD that has the operating system in the drive
d. Restart the computer
e. A few seconds after the computer has started, a message may (should) ask you
to press any key to boot from CD or DVD (to install the operating system) (the
message may display "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD" or something like
that). Press any key to continue. Otherwise:
o If a message of pressing any key to install the operating system doesn't
come up, you should restart the computer. Then, as soon as the black
screen of the computer restarting appears, press a key such as F2 or F8
(this depends on your computer or the manufacturer) to access the BIOS.
Access the Boot Sequence and check the list. If the (DVD) drive is not on
top and if the instructions allow it, move the (DVD) drive to the top of the
sequence. If you cannot move the (DVD) drive to the top, then disable the
drives, such as the hard drive, that come above it. In some cases, you can
select the drive and press the Space bar to remove the check mark from
the selected item. In this case, make sure that only the (DVD) drive has a
check mark next to it. After making changes in the BIOS to make the
computer boot from the (DVD) drive, save and exit the BIOS. Then restart
the computer and follow the instructions on the screen to install the
operating system
o If a message of installation still doesn't come up, make sure the (DVD)
drive is installed appropriately (if you have access to the Internet, you can
also check the following site: http://www.bootdisk.com/ for a boot disks
and options)
o If the computer still doesn't boot from the DVD and if you have access to
the Internet, check the Support site from Microsoft:
http://support.microsoft.com
f. The installation will stall copying files.
The next screen will ask you to select the language. Select one:

g. The next screen presents the language you selected:

Click Next
h. The next screen indicates that the installation is ready:

Click Install Now

i. The next screen allows you to select the version (32 bits or 64 bits):

j. Make your selection and click Next

k. The next screen shows the license agreement:

Read it. If you agree, click "I accept the license terms"
l. Click Next
m. If the computer had an operating system already, the next screen allows you to
upgrade or perform a new installtion:
 Click Custom (advanced)
n. The next screen allows you to specify the partition where to install the operating
system.
After making your selection, click Next.
The installation will start copying files. This may take a while

o. When file copying is over, the computer would reboot.

When the computer comes back on, a screen will ask you to provide a user
name. Type it and press Tab.
You may be asked for a Product Key, which you must enter. After typing the
product key, click Next
p. You must also provide a name for the computer. Accept the default given name
or change it
q. Click Next
r. The next screen asks you to optionally provide password. You can skip it for now
(On a small network, O personnally don#039;t provide that password).
Otherwise, type the password, press Tab, and type it again.
Click Next
s. The next screen asks you to protect your computer:
 Click the first option
t. The next screen asks you to specify your Time Zone, the date and the time

u. After making your selections, click Next.

You should receive a welcome message that leads to the computer's desktop

Upgrading the Client Operating System

At the time of this writing, most computers sold in stores run Microsoft Windows 7 Home
Premium. In fact, if you just go a computer store and decide to purchase computers for
your network, that's the operating system the computer may have.

If you already have one (or more) computer(s) that you plan to use as workstation(s), it
(they) may be running a previous operating system such as Microsoft Windows XP or
Windows Vista. If you purchased a regular computer in a store, it may run Microsoft
Windows 7 Home Premium.

For our network, we will use Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium cannot join a domain-based network (but it can
participate in a peer-to-peer network). If the computer(s) you are planning to use for
your network doesn't (don't) have one of those operating systems, you should upgrade
it. Among the ways you can acquire the upgrade, you can purchase it from a computer
store or a web store. Another option is to get an MSDN subscription.

To upgrade from Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium to Microsoft Windows 7

Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise:

a. Start the computer and access its desktop (if necessary, log in)
b. Open the DVD drive, insert the disc, and close the drive. A window titled
AutoPlay should come up
 If this window doesn't come up, start Windows Explorer and access the DVD
drive
c. Click Run Setup.exe (from the AutoPlay window) or double-click setup (from
Windows Explorer)
d. A security dialog box titled User Account Control should come up, asking you
whether you will allow the installation to make changes to the computer. Read
the text and click Yes.
A window will come up, asking you to select the language the computer will use
(this installation uses Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate)

e. Click the desired language. Another window will come up to confirm the language
you selected:
f. Click Next. Another window comes up to indicate that the installation is ready to
start:
g. Click Install Now. The next dialog box would ask you to check the updates

h. Click the option to check updates.

The next dialog box allows you to select the type of platform you want to use 32
bits or 64 bits:

i. Make your selection and click Next.

The next dialog box presents the license agreement:

j. Read it and, if you agree, click the bottom check box. Otherwise, stop the
installation

k. If you agreed with the license, click Next.

The next dialog box deals with existing files, if any:
l. Two options are presented to you:

o If you are installing Microsoft Windows 7 Professions, if you have files in the
computer and you want to keep them, click Upgrade. If you don't care about
existing files, click the second option
o If you are installing Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise, you cannot
upgrade from Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium. Therefore, you must click
the second option

The next option asks you to specify the partion where you will install the
operating system (OS)

m. After selecting (or creating and selecting) the partition, click Next.
If you had selected the option to install a new copy of the OS and if there are files
already on the partition, a warning message box will inform you that the files will
be moved to a folder named Windows.old. In this case, click OK.
The installation will start copying files:
This may take a while

The computer will reboot

n. When the files have been copied and the computer reboots, it will ask that you
type a user name and a name for the computer.
Type a user name, press Tab, and type a name for the computer
o. Click Next
p. The next screen asks you to provide a password for the user name you just
entered. This is not required, especially if you are creating a small network (I
personnally leave it empty).
After typing or not typing a password, click Next
q. The next screen may ask you to type a product key. After typing it, click Next
r. The next screen asks you to protect your computer. In most cases, you should
click Use Recommended Settings
s. The next screen asks you to specify the Time Zone and the current time (and
date) on the computer.
After making the selections, click Next.
You should then receive a Welcome message and other messages, then the
desktop appears

Server Operating System Installation

Introduction

A client server network is a system where a computer named a server is used to

provide resources to other computers named clients. A server is a computer that can
participate in a client/server network to hold resources and items that other computers
would need:
A server is primarily a regular computer. To create a client/server network, first identify
the computer that you will use as the server. You can use an existing computer or
purchase a new one. When planning the server, if you plan to use one of your (existing)
computers as the server, check its hardware and make sure it meets the necessary
hardware requirements.

If you have a computer with no operating system because either you got/built it
("barebone"•) without an operating system or you bought a server that came without an
operating system (or you removed the operating system for example by formatting the
hard drive or you created two or more partitions on the hard drive)), make sure it meets
the necessary hardware requirements.

You will also need a monitor attached to the server. If you will not work closely with the
server, that is, if you will not "watch" the server all day long, the type of monitor you
connect to it may not be important. A monitor that can handle a 1024 x 768 resolution
will be fine.

Server Operating System

As its name implies, the role of a server is to serve. To perform this job, it must be
loaded with a special operating system (OS), such as Microsoft Windows Server 2008.
That's the one we will use.

If you already have a computer that has an operating system whose version is lower
than the one you want to use (Microsoft Windows Server 2008), you may have to
upgrade it. Otherwise, you may have to get the OS and install it. You may have a
computer with an operating system but that OS cannot be upgraded into Microsoft
Windows Server 2008.

To get an operating system, you have many options:

 You can purchase a computer that has the operating system already. In this
case, if you order the computer from a web store, you must indicate that you
want it to have the OS already, which would be installed by the manufacturer
 You can acquire and install the OS. You can purchase the OS from the operating
system publisher (either buy the OS from Microsoft or purchase an MSDN
Subscription), from a software dealer, or a web store

To install Microsoft Windows Server 2008:

a. Start the computer. You may receive a message stating that the operating
system is missing or something like that
b. Open the DVD drive
c. Put the disc in the drive, and close it
d. Restart the computer. You should receive a message stating Press Any Key To
Boot From CD or DVD
e. Press any key to start the installation.
(If your computer already has an operating system, start it. Open the DVD drive,
put the DVD in it, and close its door. If the operating system cannot be upgraded,
a message box and display and let you know)
f. At one time, a window will come up, asking you to select the language. Click the
desired language, such as My Language is English
g. The next screen will display details of the selected language:

Click Next
h. Click Install Now

i. The next screen will ask what version of the operating system you want to install.
For our example, we click Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Enterprise with
Service Pack 1
j. To continue, click Next
k. The next screen will show the Microsoft Software License Terms. Read it. Since
it is long, to navigate up and down, you can press Page Up or Page Down. After
reading it, if you accept the terms of the license, click I Accept The License
Terms

l. Click Next.
m. If you don't like what it says, press ESC and stop the installation.
n. The next screen asks you to upgrade or perform a new installation. For our
example, we will perform a new installation

o. The next screen asks you to select the partition you want to use to install the
operating system. In most cases, you should create partitions. For example, if
you have only one partition but it is large and you want to create various
partitions, click it to select it. Then, click New. A spin button will diplay, allowing
you to decrease or manage the size(s) of the partition(s). When you reach the
 desired size, click Apply. You can also format a partition as necessary. If you do,
make sure you use NTFS
p. After creating the partitions, select the partition you want to use

Click Next
q. The installation will start copying files. This may take a while.
When the installation has finished copying the files, it will reboot
r. When the computer reboots, it may display a message to Press Any Key to Boot
From CD or DVD. Don't press any key.
The installation will perform new operations about Completing Installation.
When it has finished Completing Installation, the computer may reboot.
The next screen asks you to set the administrator's password:

Click OK
s. Type the password
t. Press Tab to access the other text box and type the same password

u. Click the right-pointing button or press Enter

v. A message will tell you that Your Password Has Been Changed.
 Click OK
w. When asked to login, press Ctrl + ALT + DELETE

x. Enter the password and press Enter

Introduction to Client/Server Configuration

Introduction to Server Configuration

Server Configuration Tools

When you have finished installing Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, a window titled
Initial Configuration Tasks may come up:

The Initial Configuration Tasks window is used to perform the most fundamental or
routine operations of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2. This window displays when
the computer starts. If you don't want to come up like that, click the bottom check box. If
it doesn't come up when the computer starts, to restore this window, click Start -> Run,
type oobe and press Enter.

After installing the operating system, there are a few things you should (must) do before
continuing:

 You must make sure the computer is connected to the Internet

 If this is the first computer, you must make it a domain controller (this is not a
requirement if the computer will not be a domain controller; if you don't (yet) know
what a domain controller is, don't worry about that now)

The Server Name

Every computer in the network must have a name. The installation gives a default name
that you can accept or change. Some installations, such as Small Business Server,
prompt you to accept or specify the name of the server. After installing Microsoft
Windows Server 2008, to check and/or change the name of the server:

 In the Initial Configuration Tasks window, click Provide Computer Name and
Domain:
 In the Computer Name property page, click Change...
 Accept or change the name of the server

 Click OK
 A dialog box will ask you to restart your computer. Click OK

 Click Close
 Click Restart Now
Network Discovery

Network discovery makes it possible for a computer to allow other computers to "see" it
on the network. To take care of it on the server, start Windows Explorer and click
Network (you can click the Start button and click the Network option). A message
should appear under the toolbar stating "Network discovery is turned off...":

Click that message and click "Turn on network discovery and file sharing":

You should receive a message box presenting you two options:

Click "Yes, turn on network discovery...". If some computers are already installed and
connected to the same router, their names may appear in the Network node in Windows
Explorer.

Connecting the Server to the Internet

Normally, when you have fiinished installing the server, if everything went alright and
the computer is connected to a router, you should be connected to the Internet. To test
it, you can start the browser (Internet Explorer), set the address to
http://msdn.microsoft.com, and press Enter.

Windows Updates

You should make sure your installation of the operating system can regularly get its
updates from Microsoft. To take care of this:

a. Click Start -> All Programs -> Windows Update

b. A windows will display, asking you to enable automatic updates.
Click Turn On Automatic Updates

You may be asked to install new updates. Do.

Assigning an IP Address to the Server

Every computer on the network needs an IP address so that other computers of the
network can locate it (just like every house needs a physical address so that the post
office and other people can find it).

A computer has two main ways of getting an IP address:

 A server, called a DHCP server (the word "server" here represents an

application; it doesn't have to be a different server than the one you installed),
can automatically assign (provide) an IP address to each computer
 You can manually assign an IP address to each computer. Of course, you need
to know a little bit about something named TCP/IP, which means you would need
to know how to create and assign IP addresses

To assign an IP address to a server (that runs Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2):

 In the Initial Configuration Tasks, click Configure Networking

 On the Taskbar, click Start and click Network. In the left frame, right-click
Network and click Properties. Click Local Area Connection. In the Local Area
Connection Status dialog box, click Properties

To assign an IP address to the server:

a. Click Start
b. Right-click Network and click Properties

c. Click Local Area Connection

d. Click Details. Make note (on a piece of paper) of the address on the right side of
IPv4 Address:
 (For our example, we are building a small network and we will just use a small
range of IP addresses. In the real world or for a large network, you would need to
actually know TCP/IP, design a range of IP addresses you plan to use, then
assign those IP addresses, or design a way to assign the IP addresses to the
computers)
e. Click Close
f. In the Local Area Connection Status dialog box, click Properties
g. In the checked list box, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)

h. Click Properties
i. Click Use the Following IP Address
j. Type the IP address you want the server to use. For our example, and based on
the above dialog box, we type 192.168.001.001
 k. Press Tab
l. Type the subnet mask (normally, it should be added automatically when you
press Tab from the previous IP address text box) and press Tab
m. Type the default gateway address (use the first and the second octets of the IP
address you had provided (such as 192.168) and use 001.001 for the other two
bytes)
n. Provide the Preferred DNS server address (we use 127.0.0.1 for our example)
and the Alternate DNS Server address (we leave ours empty)

o. Click Advanced to check the values that were put in the IP Settings and DNS
property pages
p. Click OK
q. Click OK
r. Click Close
s. Click Close

A Domain Name System (DNS)

As you may know already, whether it belongs to a network or not, every computer must
have a name. Furthermore, if it belongs to a network, a computer must provide a way to
be found by other computers. This can be done using its name. This means that other
computers must be able to contact other fellow computers using the names.

In a network, to exchange information or to share resources, computers communicate

using languages also called protocols. One of the languages or protocols is called
Transmission Control Protocol or TCP. Another language is called Internet protocol or
IP. These two languages are usually used together in a combination named TCP/IP.

To locate each other using TCP/IP, each computer must have an address, named an IP
address, made of a combination of numbers separated by periods. An example is
192.168.1.248. Each computer has such a number (address) but the number (the
address) assigned to a computer must be unique among the numbers used by other
computers. As a result, a computer can be contacted using its address. In a large
network with dozens or hundreds or thousands of computers, it can be combursome to
keep track of these complex numbers. A solution is to use software, named a server, so
that, if you provide the name of the computer, the server can "translate" the name into
the corresponding computer that use the actual IP address of the computer.

The Domain Name System, named DNS, is a language (again, named a protocol) that
allows the server that receives (or is provided) the name of a computer. Then the server
checks a list (called a table) that has the names of computers and their corresponding
IP addresses. That way, the server can locate, through the IP address, the intended
computer.

To make this description possible in your network, you can install an application named
DNS server. To do this:

a. From the Initial Configuration Tasks, click Add Roles

(an alternative is to click Start -> Server Manager, then in the left frame, right-
click Roles and click Add Roles)

b. In the first page of the wizard, titled Before You Begin, read the text and click
Next
c. In the second page of the wizard, click the check box of DNS Server

d. Click Next
e. In the third page of the wizard, titled DNS Server, read the text and click Next
f. Click Install

Creating a Domain Controller

If you are creating a new network, one of your computers should (must) be able to
manage access to the computers and resources that belong to the network. That is, a
central computer, named a server, must be able to allow or deny access (this is called
authentication) of the network and its resources to people. That central computer, that
server, is named a domain controller. The first server you install usually should (must)
be made a domain controller.
To create a domain controller, you must promote your server (to a domain controller).
To do this:

a. Open the Command Prompt (Start -> Command Prompt, or Start -> All Programs
-> Accessories -> Command Prompt
i. Type CD\ and press Enter to return to the root of the disc
ii. Type dcpromo (which stands for Promote This Computer to a Domain
Controller) and press Enter

iii. A small window will come up:

A wizard will start:

a.

In the first page of the wizard, read the text and click Next

b. In the second page of the wizard, read the text and click Next
c. In the third page of the wizard, click Create a New Domain In a New Forest

d. Click Next
e. The next page asks you to create a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN). Enter a
name made of two or three parts. Examples are example.local or
learning.example.com. Remember that the computer already has a name and
every computer on the network has or will have a name. So this is what will
happen with the name you give:
o If you give a name in two parts such as example.local or example.com,
the network name to use from a browser to access this computer will be
ThisComputerName.example.local or
ThisComputerName.example.com. This means that this is the name the
other computers will use to "intranetly" or "webly" access its resources.
This means that, later on, you can create a web site stored in a computer
(in a server or a workstation), share resources of that computer, and make
those resources available so that other computers can access those
resources from a browser
o If you give a name in three (or more) parts such as
support.example.local or intranet.example.local or
WhatSUp.example.local or support.example.com or
intranet.example.com or WhatSUp.example.com or anything like those,
the network name of this computer will be
ThisComputerName.support.example.local or
ThisComputerName.intranet.example.local or
ThisComputerName.WhatSUp.example.local or
ThisComputerName.support.example.com or
ThisComputerName.intranet.example.com or
ThisComputerName.WhatSUp.example.com. That's the name the other
computers will use to access this computer from a browser

There is no rule as to whether the name you use (in two parts or more parts) is
bad. You just have to decide and keep the scheme in mind.
 For our example, we are using functionx.local

f. After specifying the FQDN, click Next. A window will start some operations:

g. When a dialog box comes up, read its text and click Next
h. On the next page, read the text and click Next. A window will come and start
performing some operations:

i. Click Next

j. Click Next. If you didn't create (assign) an IP address on (to) the server, a dialog
box will come up, about IP address assignment:
 In you didn't assign an IP address to the server, it means you plan to use a
DHCP server that will automatically assign IP addresses to the computers of the
network. In this case, click Yes, ...
k. A dialog box comes up

l. Read the text and click Yes

m. In the next page of the wizard, click Nest

n. The next page asks you to specify the administrator's password. Click the
Password text box and type the password
o. Click the Confirm Password text box and type the same password

p. After specifying the password, click Next

q. Click Next. A new dialog box will startperforming an operation:

 This may take a while

r. Click Finish
s. A new dialog box will ask you to reboot:
 Therefore, click Restart Now
t. When the computer comes up, press CTRL + ALT + DELETE and log in

Configuration Tools

Introduction

When you have finished installing Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, a window titled
Initial Configuration Tasks may come up:

The Initial Configuration Tasks window is used to perform the most fundamental or
routine operations of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2. This window displays when
the computer starts. If you don't want to come up like that, click the bottom check box. If
it doesn't come up when the computer starts, to restore this window, click Start -> Run,
type oobe and press Enter.

After installing the operating system, there are a few things you should (must) do before
continuing:

 You must make sure the computer is connected to the Internet

 If this is the first computer, you must make it a domain controller (this is not a
requirement if the computer will not be a domain controller; if you don't (yet) know
what a domain controller is, don't worry about that now)
Assigning an IP Address to a Client

As you may know already, every client of a network needs an IP address so that other
computers of the network can locate it. You may also know that a computer can get its
IP address from a DHCP server or you can manually assign an IP address.

To assign an IP address to a computer that runs Microsoft Windows 7:, click Start ->
Computer (or click Control Panel). On the left, right-click Network and click Properties. If
you are using a laptop, click Wireless Network Connection. If you are using a desktop,
click Local Area Connection.

To assign an IP address to a server (that runs Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2):

 In the Initial Configuration Tasks, click Configure Networking

 On the Taskbar, click Start and click Network. In the left frame, right-click
Network and click Properties. Click Local Area Connection. In the Local Area
Connection Status dialog box, click Properties

The following section is optional, especially if you are working on a small network. To
create the IP address for the server:

a. Click Start
b. Right-click Network and click Properties

c. Click Local Area Connection

d. Click Details. Make note (on a piece of paper) of the address on the right side of
IPv4 Address:
 (For our example, we are building a small network and we will just use a small
range of IP addresses. In the real world or for a large network, you would need to
actually know TCP/IP, design a range of IP addresses you plan to use, then
assign those IP addresses, or design a way to assign the IP addresses to the
computers)
e. Click Close
f. In the Local Area Connection Status dialog box, click Properties
g. In the checked list box, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)

g.

h. Click Properties
i. Click Use the Following IP Address
j. Type the IP address you want the server to use (for our example, and based on
the above dialog box, we type 192.168.001.102) and press Tab
k. Type the subnet mask (normally, it should be added automatically when you
press Tab from the previous IP address text box)
 l. Type the default gateway address (use the first and the second octets of the IP
address you had provided (such as 192.168) and use 001.001 for the other two
bytes)
m. Provide the Preferred DNS server address (we use 127.0.0.1 for our example)
and the Alternate DNS Server address (we leave ours empty)

n. Click OK
o. Click Close
p. Click Close

Creating a User Account

A computer network has to be managed. Some aspects can be done manually and
some others electronically. In order to do anythinig, you must have a user account that
can perform the necessary tasks. Such an account must have appropriate rights on the
network.

To create the primary account to manage the network, on the server:

a. Click Start -> Administrative Tools -> Active Directory Users and Computers (if a
message box comes up, click Continue)
b. If necessary, in the left frame, expand the name of the domain.
Click Users
c. In the left frame, right-click Users -> New -> User
d. Type the first name of the user and press Tab. If you have a middle initial, type it
and press Tab
e. Type the last name
f. Click the User Logon Name text box and type a user name. Here is an example:
g. Click Next
h. In the next page of the wizard, type the password as Password1
i. Press Tab and type the same password. Here is an example:

j. Click Next

k. Click Finish
Making a User Account an Administrator

Some of the operations you will perform on the network require that the account have
the appropriate rights (also called permissions). An administrator's account is one that
can do anything on the network, such as creating users accounts or adding computers
to the network.

To make a user account become an administrator, on the server:

a. Click Start -> Administrative Tools -> Active Directory Users and Computers
b. In the left frame, expand the domain's node
c. Click Users
d. Double-click the user name whose rights you want to manage (or right-click that
user name and click Properties)
e. Click Member Of
f. Click Add...
g. In the bottom text box (where the caret is blinking), type admin.
h. Click Check Names

i. Make sure Administrators is selected and underlined.

Click OK
 j. Click OK

Logging In to the Network

To use the network, a user must log in. This is done by provinding a user name and a
password. If this is the first time you are logging in, you may be asked to change your
password.

If you are logged but you want to use another account, you can switch to another
account. To do this:

a. Click Start -> Switch User

b. Press CTRL + ALT + DELETE
c. Click Other User
d. Type the user name (such as the one you created earlier) and press Tab
e. Type the password (such as Password1 if you are continuing from the account
created earlier) and press Enter
i. If this is the first time you are logging in, a message will tell you that you
must change the password. Click OK
ii. Type a good password for the account and press Tab
iii. Type the password again and press Enter.
A message will inform you that your password has been changed
iv. Click OK

Optionally Creating a Computer Account

After creating a domain, you can can add client computers to it. In our examples, we will
add workstations that run Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise.
There are two actions to adding a client to a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 domain
but only one is required.

Before physically or electronically adding a client to a domain, you can first create a
computer account for it. To create a computer account, you can also click Start ->
Administrative Tools -> Active Directory Users And Computers. This would open the
Active Directory Users and Computers window. In the left frame, expand the name of
the domain. Right-click the name of the domain -> New -> Computer. This would open
the New Object - Computer dialog box. In the Computer Name text box, enter the name
of the computer. The operating systems before Windows 2000 don't use very long
names. Therefore, when naming a computer, keep this in mind and give a name made
of fewer than 15 characters. After naming the computer, click Next twice and click
Finish.

Instead of right-clicking the name of the domain, in the Active Directory Users And
Computers, you can expand the name of the domain, right-click the Computers node ->
New -> Computer. As mentioned already, in the first page of the New Object - Computer
wizard, you can type a name for the computer. Here is an example:
Then click OK. After creating an account for a computer, you can add it to the domain.
Actually, primarily creating an account for a computer is not required.

Checking the Computer Name and Domain

Always make sure you know the name of each computer on your network and the name
of the domain it belongs to.

To check the name of the computer and its domain on a workstation:

a. Click Start
b. Right-click Computer and click Properties

To check the name of the server, in the Initial Configuration Tasks, look on the right side
of Full computer Name

To check the name of the document of the server, look on the right side of Domain
Joining a Domain

Preparing a Workstation

There are two primary ways you prepare a computer to join the domain:

 Do Nothing: In this case, you would let the various wizards take care of
everything. You would simply follow the instructions on the screen, click Next,
OK, Finish when prompted to do so
 Take care of things as much as possible: the disadvantage of this technique is
that you should know what you are doing. The advantage is that you would know
as much as possible, what you did where.

If you use the second option, you would for example assign an IP address to the server
instead of the letting the DHCP server take care of that (Do Nothing option). In this case
also, you must prepare the workstations to join the network. For example, you must
assign an IP address to it. If you are working on a small network, TCP/IP is not the most
difficult thing you will deal with (in fact you don't need to know that much about TCP/IP;
you can follow other people's instructions and you will be fine).

To prepare a workstation to join the domain, on the workstation:

a. Click Start -> Control Panel

b. Click View Network Status and Tasks (or click Network and Internet, then
Network and Sharing Center)
c. Click Local Area Connection
d. Click Properties
e. In the Networking tab of the Local Area Connection Properties, in the checked list
box, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
 f. Click Properties
g. Click Use the Following IP Address
h. Type the IP address you want the server to use. For example, add 2 (bits) to the
last byte of the IP address you gave to the server and press Tab
i. Type the subnet mask (it should be added automatically when you press Tab
from the previous text box)
j. Type the default gateway address (use the first and the second bytes of the IP
address you had provided (such as 192.168) and use 001.001 for the other two
bytes)
k. For the Preferred DNS Server, type the same IP address as the server

l. Click OK
m. Click Close
n. Click Close

Joining the Domain

To participateto a network, a workstation must be added to it. This is referred to as
joining a domain. When joining a domain, if the computer you are adding doesn't have
an account already, one would be created for it.

To join a domain using Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise:

a. On the Taskbar, click Start, right-click My Computer and click Properties...

b. Click Change Settings

c. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Computer Name tab and click the
Change... button.
If the computer is running Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, the Domain
radio button would be disabled, indicating that the computer cannot join a
domain:

d. In the Computer Name text box, enter the desired name of the computer. If you
had already created an account in the domain for this computer, type that name
e. In the Member Of section, click the Domain radio button
f. Click the Domain text box and enter the name of the domain

g. After specifying the name of the computer and the domain to join, click OK
h. You would then be asked to provide a user name and a password for a user who
has the permissions to let a computer join a domain.
Type the name of the domain, followed by \ and followed by the user name of an
account that can allow a computer to join a domain and press Tab
i. Type the account's password

j. After entering a user and a password, click OK. If you have the right to add
computers to the domain, you would receive a Welcome message:
 Click OK

k. You will be asked to restart the computer

Click OK

l. In the System Properties dialog box, click Close

m. When asked to restart the computer, click Restart Now
n. After the computer has restarted, press CTRL + ALT + DELETE to Log On
o. Click Switch User
p. Click Other User
q. Type the user of a user who has an account in the network's domain and press
Tab
r. Type the password
s. Click the green button with the right pointing arrow

Post-Installation
After letting a workstation join a domain, there are a few things you should take care of,
such as Network Discovery. This time, you may be asked to provide a user name and
password.

Installing a DHCP Server

Introduction

To set up the first server of our network, we had to give an IP address to the server. In
the same way, each of the client workstations and servers of the network needs an IP
address to participate in the network. If the network is (very) large and has many
compters (workstations and servers), it can take a lot of work, a big waste of time, and
multiple expenses for the company. What if an application can take care of assigning
the IP addresses to the computers that need them. That's the job of a DHCP server.

A DHCP server is an application, or rather a service, that automatically assigns an IP

address to an member of the network that needs an IP address.

In Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, a DHCP server is a role. This means that you
must first install Microsoft Windows Server 2008, and then add the DHCP server.

Preparing a DHCP Server

You don't have to use a DHCP server, especially in a small network where you can
easily manage the job of assigning and maintaining IP addresses. If you decide to use a
DHCP server, you should (highly recommended) provide a static IP address to the
computer (the DNS server). We have already seen how:
A Range of IP Addresses

When setting up a DHCP server, you can indicate the number of IP addresses that will
be necessary for your network. For example, imagine you are creating a small network
for home or a small business. The maximum number of computers you will possibly use
is 10, 20, or 50. The number of available IP addresses goes from one minimum to a
maximum. This is referred to as the range of IP addresses.

As stated already, the range of IP addresses must start from a certain minimum. Let's
take an example of 192.168.1.10. If you know that you will have at most 50 computers
in your network, the possible maximum IP address you would need is 192.168.1.60.

Setting Up a DHCP Server

To install the DHCP server after starting Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and
logging in with an account that has administrative rights:

a. In the Initial Configuration Tasks, click Add Roles.

As an alternative, you could click Start -> Administrative Tools. In the left frame,
right-click Roles and click Add Roles
b. In the first page of the wizard, titled Before You Begin, read the text and click
Next
c. In the second page of the wizard, click the check box of DHCP Server

d. Click Next

e. In the third page of the wizard, click Next

f. The 4th page of the wizard shows the IP address that was assigned to the server
during primary configuration:
 Click Next

g. The next page shows the web domain and the DNS IP address(es).
You can accept the default preferred to DNS and click Validate

If you don't like or don't want that IP address, provide your own and click Validate
h. Click Next. The page allows you to specify a WINS server or not:

i. After specifying the WINS or to skip it, click Next

j. The next page allows you to optionally specify a range of IP addresses.
If you don't want to specify a range of IP addresses (we will not use it for our
small network), click Next:

If you want to specify a range of IP addresses, click Add...

i. In the Scope Name, type a name (anything using letters and digits), such
as LocalizedSegment, and press Tab
ii. In the Starting IP Address text box, type the lowest address of the desired
range and press Tab
iii. In the Ending IP Address text box, the highest IP address

iv. Click OK

v. Click Next
 The next page asks you whether you want to use IPv6 or not:

k. Click Next

l. Click Next.
The next page asks you to specify what account is used to validate the
installation
m. Click Next.
The next page shows a summary of your selections before the actual installation
(the contents of the dialog box will depend on whether you provided a range or IP
addresses or not):

n. Click Install.
The installation will start. This may take a few minutes. When the installation is
over, click Close:
Using a DHCP Server

As stated already, the job of the DHCP server is to automatically assign IP addresses to
any member of the network that needs an IP address.

A DHCP server assigns an IP address to a computer when that computer starts. If the
computer has already started and if the computer was previously given an IP address, if
that IP address is out of the range of allowed IP addresses, the computer may loose
connected to the server. In this case, you must change the IP address of the computer.

To manually change the IP address of a computer:

a. Click Start -> Control Panel

b. Click Network and Internet
c. Click Network and Sharing Center
d. Click Local Area Connection (or Network Connection, depending on your
computer)
e. Click Properties.
You may be asked to provide a user name and a password. In this case, start
with the name of the computer, followed by \, followed by an account that has
local admin rights, and press Tab. If the account uses a password, type it. When
ready, click Yes
f. In the Networking tab of the Local Area Connection Properties, in the checked list
box, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
g. Click Properties
h. Click Obtain An IP Address Automatically
i. Click Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically
 j. Click Advanced

k. Click OK
l. Click OK
m. Click Close
n. Click Close

To automatically change the IP address of a computer:

a. Click Start, type cmd and press Enter

b. Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter

Creating an Intranet in Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (Installing a

Web Server IIS 7)

Introduction

A web server is a system that allows computers of a network to access the resources
using a web browser or using web-formatted addresses. In Microsoft Windows
networks, a web server is created using an application named Internet Information
Services or IIS. In Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, the
web server is available as IIS 7.5.

You can create a web server on a workstation or a server. If you want to install it on a
workstation, it should be running Microsoft Windows 7.

Installing IIS

IIS is installed in Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 as a role. To proceed:

a. Click Start -> Administrative Tools -> Server Manager

b. In the left frame, right-click Roles and click Add Roles
c. In the first page of the wizard, titled Before You Begin, read the text and click
Next
d. In the second page of the wizard, click the check box of Web Server (IIS)

e. Click Next

f. In the third page of the wizard, read the text and click Next
g. In the fourth page of the wizard, click the check boxes of the options you want.
If you click ASP.NET, you will be prompted to install additional components
In this case, click Add Required Role Services
 h. Click Next

i. Click Install. The installation will start. This may take a few minutes

j. When the installation is over, click Close

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