Complete the Windows Small Business Server 2008 Installation Worksheet

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During Setup, you are asked for general information about your company and for other information that Windows SBS 2008 uses to set up your local network. After Setup finishes, you must configure your Internet connection and add user accounts and computers. The Windows SBS 2008 Installation Worksheet helps you collect and organize this information before you start the installation.

About the Installation Worksheet, This section tells you what information you need to gather and how that information is used during and after installation.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 Installation Worksheet. Print and complete the worksheet. Use the worksheet to help you install Windows SBS 2008, and save the worksheet for future reference.

About the Installation Worksheet

Taking time to complete the Installation Worksheet helps ease the installation of Windows SBS 2008 and documents the initial setup of your network for future reference.

Note

This task takes approximately 30 minutes, depending on the complexity of your network.

Information required during Setup

Installation disk information

Note

If you purchased your server from an OEM with Windows SBS 2008 preinstalled, the OEM took care of the disk-drive information in this section.

This is the information that you will supply during Setup about where to install Windows SBS 2008.

  • Hard disk drive number - If you have more than one hard disk drive on your server, you must choose the drive where you want to install Windows SBS 2008. The drive numbers start with drive 0. It is recommended that you choose drive 0, unless you have a compelling reason to choose a different drive.

  • Partition size - The partition size should be at least 60 GB. Review the information in Allocating disk space to determine if you need more than a 60 GB partition for Windows SBS 2008 and your line-of-business applications.

    Note

    You may need a larger partition if you plan to use a RAID configuration. The size of the partition depends on the type of RAID that you use.

  • Partition number - Normally, you should install Windows SBS 2008 on the first partition of drive 0.

    Note

    If you plan to dual-boot or to have multiple partitions on the drive, you may choose any partition that is large enough to install Windows SBS 2008. As you calculate the partition size, consider any line-of-business applications that you plan to install on the computer running Windows SBS 2008.

Information for configuring server applications

During Setup, you are prompted for general information about your organization and about the internal domain.

  1. Information about the organization. Information about your organization is stored and used by several server applications. This means that you do not have to supply the same information multiple times. Providing information about your organization is optional.
  2. Domain information.

    1. Server name - The server name identifies the computer that is running Windows SBS 2008 on the network. The name must be unique on your network.

    2. Internal domain name - This is the name of your local network, and it is the name that users see when they log on to the network. To simplify the process of naming your internal domain, Windows SBS 2008 appends .local to the domain name that you supply. Using an internal domain name that is different from your Internet domain name helps make your internal domain more secure.

      Note

      If you want to have a different extension for your internal domain, you can use an advanced option that is available to provide this flexibility, by using an answer file to install Windows SBS 2008. However, it is not recommended that you use this option unless you are familiar with answer files and how to use them.

    3. Internet domain name - This is the name that identifies your organization on the Internet. You purchase it from an Internet registrar. Set up your Internet address is a post-installation task that starts the Internet Address Management Wizard. The wizard helps you purchase your Internet domain name, and it sets up Internet e-mail and Remote Web Workplace.

    4. Web Server Fully Qualified Domain Name - This name is used to access your Web server. The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) includes the name of your Web server, plus the Internet domain name. For example, if the name of your Web server is WebServer and your Internet domain name is Contoso.com, the FQDN is WebServer.Contoso.com.

Administrator information

Windows SBS 2008 adds an Administrator account during Setup by using information that you provide. After Setup finishes and the server reboots, Setup uses the Administrator account that was added during Setup to log on to the server. Adding an administrator account during Setup also provides additional security, because you do not have to log on to the server the first time by using the built-in Administrator account. To help make your network more secure, as a best practice, you should not log on to the network by using the built-in Administrator account.

Information for completing Getting Started Tasks

After the installation finishes, the Windows SBS Console displays a list of Getting Started tasks that help you finish setting up your new server to meet the needs of your organization. Use the information in the following sections when you complete the tasks.

Information for Connecting to the Internet

The Connect to the Internet task helps you set up your connection to the Internet. It is recommended that you contact your Internet service provider (ISP) to obtain the information for the Installation Worksheet.

If your ISP provides a static IP address, a subnet mask, a default gateway, and a DNS server address to use when accessing the Internet, write that information on the Installation Worksheet.

If your ISP does not provide this information, the router acquires the IP address from the DHCP server at your ISP.

Note

If Setup establishes a connection to the Internet, you do not need to complete this task.

Router WAN interface

Broadband connection. The IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS IP addresses are applied to the external interface of your router only if your ISP provides a static IP address for connecting to the Internet. Document the information provided by your ISP in this table. You must manually configure your router to use the static IP address. For information about setting up your router, see the documentation provided by your router manufacturer.

Important

In addition to the configuration settings performed by Setup, you must follow your ISP’s instructions for connecting your broadband device to the Internet.

Router firewall information

If the Connect to the Internet Wizard cannot configure the setting on the internal interface of your router automatically during Setup, you receive an error message. The router firewall information table helps you set up the ports on your router that allow specific types of data through the firewall.

The table is pre-populated with some standard ports, as follows:

  • The ports for standard services that Windows SBS 2008 enables by default have Yes in the Enable column.
  • The information in the Forward to IP address column should be either the local network adapter on the server running Windows SBS 2008 or the server running the application.
  • Port numbers are obtained either from a list of well-known ports or from the documentation for your line-of-business application or other third-party application.

Important

It is recommended that you open ports on the router only if they support the requirements of your business.

Note

If you need to allow custom services through the router firewall, such as services that are necessary for a line-of-business application or other third-party application, you must get that information from the documentation for the application.

Service or application Port number Default* Purpose

FTP Data

FTP Control

20

21

 

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is the standard Internet protocol for downloading or transferring files from one computer to another. Both ports are used for FTP and must be open for FTP to work.

SMTP

25

Yes

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is a TCP/IP protocol for sending messages from one computer to another on a network. This protocol is used on the Internet to route e-mail messages.

HTTP

80

Yes

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a protocol for carrying requests from a browser to a Web server and for transporting pages from Web servers back to the requesting browser.

HTTPS

443

Yes

Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) is a version of HTTP that encrypts data by using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

HTTPS

987

 

This Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) port makes Windows SharePoint® Services viewable through Remote Web Workplace.

VPN

1723

 

A virtual private network (VPN) is a network that connects one or more computers to a large network, such as a business network, by using the Internet. A VPN is encrypted, which helps ensure that only authorized people can access it.

RDP

3389

 

Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a standard set of communication rules that enables you to use your computer to connect to a computer that is located elsewhere.

*Required by Windows SBS 2008

Information to set up your Internet address

The Internet Address Management Wizard helps you purchase and register an Internet domain name. After you have an Internet domain name, the wizard configures Remote Web Workplace, Microsoft Exchange Server, and the Internet router to use the domain name. To purchase an external domain name for your organization, you should have several domain names to choose from, in case your preferred domain name is not available. If your organization already has a domain name, you may use that name, if you prefer.

The wizard offers a choice of registrars that work with Microsoft to register domain names. If you prefer, you may purchase a domain name separately from a registrar of your choice, and then run the wizard to set up that domain name on your server. However, if you purchase the domain name from a supported registrar, the Internet Address Management Wizard makes your new domain name visible from the Internet.

When you run the wizard, you have the option to use a domain prefix. The domain prefix, such as "remote," separates remote access to Remote Web Workplace from your public Web site. The default is "remote." For example, for Contoso Pharmacy, the FQDN for remote access would be remote.contoso.com.

Information for adding user accounts and computers

Before users can log on to the network, you must add a user account for each user. Record the information about the user accounts and the computers. Before you finish adding a new user account, you can associate an existing computer with the account.

First name          

                              

Last name            

                              

E-mail alias

                              

Telephone number

                              

Password

                              

Client computer

                              

Note

Users must change their password the first time they log on to the network, and users must change their passwords every 90 days. It is not recommended that you change the password rules, because they help protect your network from undesirable intrusions.