Need help in setting up office LAN with email

[ganeshnag75]

Hi all,

I am starting a new post though there are old ones on this topic. But I have some unique issues, and have very basic knowledge of networking, so a new post.

I want to establish a LAN with email in my office. I have about 20 users on win 7 and XP. I have network cards on all computers, switches with enough ports, LAN cables to all computers and Win Server 2003 on one computer. All this was done for me by a techie who was setting up my IT network, but quit before completing the job. I am not clear how much of the work has been done so far, but no mail or printer sharing is working.

I have another peculiar requirement. We also have an organizational WAN that has assigned ten static IP addresses for ten of my computers. I was told by the guy who was setting up my mail server, that these ten users who are on the organization WAN will need an additional network card on their computers to be able to work on my local network as well. These additional network cards have also been installed.

I need step by step help to get my LAN and local mail running. I need the 20 LAN users to be able to send mails amongst themselves, and not to any external user. I could start with some advice on how to check if the network that has been established is working. You would've guessed by now that this post will have a lots of questions coming later!

[immental1200]

Your going to want to take a look at the server and check that its accessible by all users.
Your then going to want to make sure the printer is connected either as a network printer, or to the server. If so, share it from the server.
If neither of these options are available look for a USB to RJ45 print server. Quite cheap.

Regarding emails, I'm assuming you wish to use Exchange? It may already be installed on the server... take a look, it could be as simple as putting settings into it.
If its not installed, look for installation media / product keys. Or buy a copy.

If you don't want to pay ... or use exchange, take a look at http://www.open-xchange.com/home.html

Hope this covers a few points... point out anything I missed, or add more details

[ganeshnag75]

Thanks for your tips.

The server is accessible to all the users. I checked this by opening the Network Places in each of the users, and it shows the server PC on it. Is there any other way or a better way to check this?

I do want to use exchange. It is installed on the server. Can you put me through the settings that will get it running?

Thanks again.

[immental1200]

Don't know of a better way for XP PC's ... you could map the server as a drive for easier access though.

Setting up exchange -  Single Server Topology

Pre-Installation
Make sure the server is a member of the domain the Exchange server is supposed to operate within.
 
Ensure that the Operating System is completely up to date and all updates / patches have been applied.
 
Ensure that the SMTP, NNTP & ASP.net Windows Server components are installed.
 
Ensure that the Windows Server Support Tools have been installed – these are on the Windows 2003 CD – \Support\Tools\suptools.msi.
Exchange Server Installation – Preparing the Forest & Domain
Log into the server using a domain administrator account that has Enterprise & Schema admin rights.
 
Place the Exchange CD in the drive.  Autorun will launch with a splash screen for Resources & Deployment Tools.  Select Deployment Tools.
 
Click on Deploy the First Exchange 2003 Server.
 
Click on New Exchange 2003 Installation.
 
Ensure that the server is operating properly and meets all of the Exchange requirements:
The first three requirements should be met – check these off.
 
Run dcdiag to ensure properly connectivity to the domain controller.  The syntax to run this via a command prompt is dcdiag /s:DCNAME /f:dcdiag.txt – once run, review the dcdiag.txt file and ensure all tested were passed.  If tests did not pass, correct the problem and re-run dcdiag before moving on.  If everything looks good, check off this box and move on.
 
Run netdiag.  The syntax is netdiag /l – this will print the results to netdiag.log – review this log for any errors.  If errors appear, correct them and then re-run the test.  If everything looks good, check off this box and move on. 
Your Active Directory Forest must now be prepared so that it can support Exchange.  Note that Forestprep should be run only once per AD Forest!  Click on the Run Forestprep link. 
If a compatibility warning message appears, click Continue.
 
Click Next.
 
Make sure you read the entire licensing agreement and memorize it – you will be tested on this later.  If you agree to the agreement, click I Agree and then Next.
 
If prompted, enter your 25-digit CD key and then click Next.
 
The Component Installation screen should appear and it should say Forestprep under Action next to Microsoft Exchange.
 
Choose a different file location if you need to (use Browse).
 
Then click Next.
 
You will then be asked to provide an account to manage Exchange & delegate permissions with.  It is recommended to leave the default administrator account here, click Next, and allow forestprep to run.  Note that this will take some time and you should just leave the server alone.  You do not want to interrupt this!
 
Click Finish when your forest preparation has completed.  You can then check off this box in the pre-installation list.
You now have to run Domainprep in any domain that will host Exchange servers or Exchange users.  Click the Run Forestprep Link.
If a compatibility warning message appears, click Continue.
Click Next.  You may at this point or soon after be prompted with a message about the ‘Pre-Windows 2000 Compatible Access Security Group’ – basically, Exchange is warning you that you should make sure no users or groups are members of this group.  So you can either check out this group now and remove any users or do it later – it will not stop you from installing Exchange.
The licensing agreement is presented again – click I Agree and then Next.
If prompted, enter your 25-digit CD key and then click Next.
The Component Installation screen should appear and it should say Domainprep under Action next to Microsoft Exchange.
Choose a different file location if you need to (use Browse).
Then click Next.
Domainprep will then run – it’s pretty quick, and once it has completed, click Finish to continue.
Congratulations!  Your forest, domain & server are prepared for Exchange server to now be installed.  You can then check off this box in the pre-installation check list, leaving you with only the last step unchecked.
Exchange Server Installation
In the pre-installation checklist, click the Run Setup Now link.
Click Next.
 
The licensing agreement is presented again – click I Agree and then Next.
 
If prompted, enter your 25-digit CD key and then click Next.
 
You will then be presented with the Component Installation Screen.  Make sure the following appears: 
Action:  Typical for Component:  Microsoft Exchange Server.
 
Action:  Install for Component:  Microsoft Exchange Messaging and Collaboration Services.
 
Action:  Install for Component:  Microsoft Exchange System Management Tools. 
You can then change the installation path if needed.  Note that once Exchange is up and running, you can move and separate your data & log files from one another on to different drives.  Once everything is setup properly, click Next.
 
Select Create a New Exchange Organization and click Next.
 
Now type the name of the Exchange Organization that you chose.  Make sure you choose the appropriate organization name – even in Exchange 2003 native mode, you can’t just rename the organization like any other object!  Once you type the name, click Next.
 
Once again, you need to click I Agree to the licensing agreement and click Next.
 
You will then be presented with an installation summary.  If everything looks good, click Next.  The installation of the server will then run.
 
Once the installation has completed, click Finish.  Guess what – you’ve now got your very own Exchange Server setup and running!
Post-Installation Tasks
Well now that Exchange Server has been successfully installed, you can take a vacation and everything will run correctly, right?  Wrong.  The following are some of the more important post-installation tasks that you will need to complete:
-Install the Latest Exchange Service Pack (SP2)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/downloads/2003/sp2/download.mspx
When installing SP2, make sure you review the release notes!
-Move Your Data / Streaming Files / Transaction Logs
http://www.petri.co.il/move_exchange_stores_to_a_different_disk.htm
-Setup Recipient Policy to receive mail for specific domains
http://www.petri.co.il/configure_exchange_2000_2003_to_receive_email_for_other_domains.htm
-Turn on Message Tracking and Mailbox Management
1.  Launch Exchange System Manager.
2.  Expand the Servers folder.
3.  Right click on your server and click Properties.
4.  Under the General tab, check Enable Message Tracking.  You can also configure it to Remove log files associated with message tracking after a certain number of days.
5.  Choose the Mailbox Management tab.
6.  Choose when you want mailbox management to run and how to report.
7.  Click Apply & Okay.
- Disable Unused Protocols
1.  Launch Exchange System Manager.
2.  Expand the Servers folder.
3.  Expand the tree under your server and expand the Protocols folder.
4.  Under each protocol folder, right click on the protocols you wish to disable and click Stop.  It is recommended to disable POP3 / NNTP / IMAP4.

[Geek-9pm]

Just a brief note.
In what area are you? Have you talked to local ISP companies.
For only 20 users, an in house mail server is, IMHO, and overkill.
You can get an off-premises mail server for a very low cost and have it set up to not allow mail going to other places.  And it does not require any special skill on your part.
That is my observation. Doing a mail exchange in-house is , IMHO -
a Pain In The Afterburner.

[hartbeatmr]

Good evening ganeshnag75 and welcome

The info that immental1200 gave is very detailed and correct. But in my opinion I am with Geek-9pm on this. I have customers that have pretty much your set (with and with out internet access) it takes a lot of time and testing for the server but more for "writes / permissions / disk quota's etc" and the exchange set up.

Here are a couple of things to answer your questions.

     If you are setting all PC's up in a domain the OS's must be XP Pro and above and the same on Windows 7 they must be Pro and above in-order to join a Domain. If you are not joining a domain and this will be a "workgroup" setting? But with you saying they will not be sending e-mails out side and only in-between them self's I am assuming your set up will be a workgroup set-up?.

     Because we cant see your network this can be hard to put in words but if all the printers have Nic's set a static IP on each printer to do this will very from printer to printer. Now if you have any USB printers and if everyone is going to use them they must be shared from the PC they are connected too to share a printer for xp Open Printers and Faxes Right-click the printer you want to share, and then click Sharing.
The options you see on the Sharing tab differ depending on whether sharing is enabled on your computer.

You need to enable printer sharing by running the Network Setup Wizard. Start it by clicking the link on the Sharing tab, and then follow the instructions. Once sharing is enabled, begin these steps below.
 
If you have or want to share a file off the server it too must be shared and once the file is shared on the server go to the PC's and map a drive. For XP or Windows 7 to map a drive "right click" computer icon and pick map a network drive, just pick a drive letter and then browse to it (the file) and put a check mark to "reconnect at log on.

But a question for you why the 10 static IP's?. Having a couple of static I understand (like 1 for server, 1 for different network etc) but why 10 static IP's for just 10 computers. If you have a router 1 static ip would be used for that and then the router would hand out DHCP IP's after that and you would not need the other 9. I am sorry I am asking as I don't know your reason / set-up.

Hopefully this helps you some more, if you need anything else please come back and if by some chance you are all set please come back and tell us. Thank you, Mike   

Boy I wish I could see your set up it just would be so much easier   

[immental1200]

Good evening ganeshnag75 and welcome

The info that immental1200 gave is very detailed and correct. But in my opinion I am with Geek-9pm on this. I have customers that have pretty much your set (with and with out internet access) it takes a lot of time and testing for the server but more for "writes / permissions / disk quota's etc" and the exchange set up.

Here are a couple of things to answer your questions.

     If you are setting all PC's up in a domain the OS's must be XP Pro and above and the same on Windows 7 they must be Pro and above in-order to join a Domain. If you are not joining a domain and this will be a "workgroup" setting? But with you saying they will not be sending e-mails out side and only in-between them self's I am assuming your set up will be a workgroup set-up?.

     Because we cant see your network this can be hard to put in words but if all the printers have Nic's set a static IP on each printer to do this will very from printer to printer. Now if you have any USB printers and if everyone is going to use them they must be shared from the PC they are connected too to share a printer for xp Open Printers and Faxes Right-click the printer you want to share, and then click Sharing.
The options you see on the Sharing tab differ depending on whether sharing is enabled on your computer.

You need to enable printer sharing by running the Network Setup Wizard. Start it by clicking the link on the Sharing tab, and then follow the instructions. Once sharing is enabled, begin these steps below.
 
If you have or want to share a file off the server it too must be shared and once the file is shared on the server go to the PC's and map a drive. For XP or Windows 7 to map a drive "right click" computer icon and pick map a network drive, just pick a drive letter and then browse to it (the file) and put a check mark to "reconnect at log on.

But a question for you why the 10 static IP's?. Having a couple of static I understand (like 1 for server, 1 for different network etc) but why 10 static IP's for just 10 computers. If you have a router 1 static ip would be used for that and then the router would hand out DHCP IP's after that and you would not need the other 9. I am sorry I am asking as I don't know your reason / set-up.

Hopefully this helps you some more, if you need anything else please come back and if by some chance you are all set please come back and tell us. Thank you, Mike   

Boy I wish I could see your set up it just would be so much easier 

He's connecting those computers with 10 IP's to two networks. A static IP will be required to ensure it stays setup correctly.

[ganeshnag75]

Many thanks to immental1200, hartbeatmr and Geek-9pm.

My company policy does not permit me to have a off-premises mail server as suggested by Geek-9pm, that's why I'm into this struggle!!

I have got my mail server running, thanks to all your inputs. Despite my success, I still consider myself shaky in networking stuff, so I'll just go over what I have done and invite comments if anything needs to be changed or improved.

I installed server 2003, and choose typical settings for the roles of the server. It installed DNS and DHCP servers. I got Exchange server 2003, but it was not licensed. While waiting to get a licensed copy, I came to know of xeams server on google, and decided to give it a try.

The installation was quite out of the box, and I had my mail server (IMAP, SMTP) running in no time. It seems to be a no frills server, but meets my requirements quite well.

I have not joined a domain and have stayed on a workgroup setup. I assigned a static IP address to the server (10.0.0.1), and on the clients allowed auto assigning, and it is working fine.

So far I have just got all my 20 odd computers on the mail server. The second part of the problem, where I have to connect 10 out of these PCs onto a second network, which assigns static IPs, I'm yet to try out.

Let me see if I can make my structure look clear. My Headquarters is the one assigning the 10 static IPs to me, for the PCs that need to be on their network as well. I don't think I have the liberty of changing that.

I would invite comments on my setup so far. If all is fine, I will take the next step of getting the 10 PCs on the second network as well.

[immental1200]

Many thanks to immental1200, hartbeatmr and Geek-9pm.

My company policy does not permit me to have a off-premises mail server as suggested by Geek-9pm, that's why I'm into this struggle!!

I have got my mail server running, thanks to all your inputs. Despite my success, I still consider myself shaky in networking stuff, so I'll just go over what I have done and invite comments if anything needs to be changed or improved.

I installed server 2003, and choose typical settings for the roles of the server. It installed DNS and DHCP servers. I got Exchange server 2003, but it was not licensed. While waiting to get a licensed copy, I came to know of xeams server on google, and decided to give it a try.

The installation was quite out of the box, and I had my mail server (IMAP, SMTP) running in no time. It seems to be a no frills server, but meets my requirements quite well.

I have not joined a domain and have stayed on a workgroup setup. I assigned a static IP address to the server (10.0.0.1), and on the clients allowed auto assigning, and it is working fine.

So far I have just got all my 20 odd computers on the mail server. The second part of the problem, where I have to connect 10 out of these PCs onto a second network, which assigns static IPs, I'm yet to try out.

Let me see if I can make my structure look clear. My Headquarters is the one assigning the 10 static IPs to me, for the PCs that need to be on their network as well. I don't think I have the liberty of changing that.

I would invite comments on my setup so far. If all is fine, I will take the next step of getting the 10 PCs on the second network as well.

Sounds like you've got it setup just right.
Perhaps contact the headquarters to ensure your connecting correctly.

But adding a second nic on each PC and then connecting up should just about do it ...