Hello michaewlewis
Many thanks again for your helpful reply.
I'll take a look at the technet site. I think I agree that a domain is necessary, so I will read up on that. I probably just want files stored safely at the moment in a central place (server), with the ability to assign permissions as to who can share and access those files in that central place.
There is no documentation available in this small company - it looks as if different people at different times have simply installed a router, half-installed a server, hooked up a kind of switch, without leaving any CDs or documentation for any equipment or software. It's a one-man business which has suddenly grown and the IT side of things have been neglected.
I'm just going to go in and keep things basic for the moment until I have a clearer picture of the lay of the land: document IP addresses, hardware details, Mac addresses, etc and try to start from scratch.
Very many thanks for your help.
High1
As a consultant for small businesses, I've run into this situation a lot. Ideally, every environment should have everything documented and easily accessible. Realistically, that's not always the case.
Yep, Technet is your friend. Subscription prices are VERY inexpensive for the amount of evaluation software you get out of it. Try out Small Business Server 2008 on a spare PC (must be 64-bit with at least 4 GB of RAM) or virtual machine (VirtualBox is free and supports 64-bit...just make sure your host PC has enough RAM and is running a 64-bit OS).
If you like it, you may want to look into setting up Small Business Server 2008 on their main server. This will give them:
1) Active Directory (management of computer accounts, user accounts, etc.)
2) Exchange (e-mail)
3) Sharepoint (Intranet site for collaboration, if that's your thing)
4) File server (Store files there, create shares, and assign share/NTFS permissions)
5) DNS (Domain Name Services, translates friendly names and IP addresses)
6) DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, for automatically assigning IP addresses to stuff)
7) RRAS (Routing and Remote Access, for VPNing in if they want to do that).
WSUS (for managing Windows Updates at a central location)
9) Windows Server Backup (use that, a removable hard drive bay (this is what we use:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994062), a SATA hot-pluggable controller card based on a Silicon Image chipset, and a bunch of SATA drives for your daily or weekly backups (whichever is appropriate)).
Granted you can get all but #2 through a regular Windows Server 2008 (or R2) license (you'll have to download #3 and #8 separately), but SBS CALs (Client Access Licenses) are cheaper than the combined price of regular server CALs and Exchange CALs.
Another option would be to wait for the next versions of Small Business Server, which are currently code-named:
1) Small Business Server "7" (has updated versions of all that I listed above)
2) Small Business Server "Aurora" (basically "Windows Home Server for Small Businesses", for less than 25 users, and #2 is hosted offsite through Microsoft for something like $10/user/month).
Two other things can be your friend as well in the spaghetti environment you ran into:
Lansweeper:
http://www.lansweeper.com. You'll have to set up SQL Server 2005, 2008, or 2008 R2 Express (or better) on a server to get it set up, but once you do, it is EXCELLENT for inventorying all the PCs in the environment! The free version should be all you need for now, but if you really like it, the Premium Tools may be worth paying for.
TheDude:
http://www.mikrotik.com/thedude.php. Have this bad boy discover and all of a sudden, it will map out the entire environment!
