Adding a Server Running Windows Server 2008 to a Windows Small Business Server 2003 Network

Updated: May 27, 2009

Applies To: Windows SBS 2008,Windows Server 2008

This document describes how to join a computer that is running the Windows Server® 2008 operating system to your Windows® Small Business Server 2003 (Windows SBS) network.

Note

To complete the steps in this document, you must have a general knowledge of how to install, configure, and update Windows SBS and Windows Server 2008 for use on a network.

Overview

You can add a computer running Windows Server 2008 as a member server or a second domain controller to your Windows SBS network. However, you cannot use the wizards in Windows SBS or the https://ServerName/connectcomputer Web site to do so.

Instead, follow the instructions in this document to manually join a computer running Windows Server 2008 to the Windows SBS network.

Before You Begin

System Requirements

Before you can join a computer running Windows Server 2008 to the Windows SBS network, the computer running Windows SBS must meet the following requirements:

Deployment Scenarios

When you join an additional server to your Windows SBS domain, you can configure the server either as a "member server" or as an additional domain controller. Member servers are distinguished from domain controllers by the following:

  • Member servers do not receive a copy of the domain account database; however they do have access to it as a member of the domain.

  • Member servers maintain their own local user account database.

  • Member servers do not process domain logon requests.

  • Member servers can be members of either a domain or a workgroup.

Join a computer running Windows Server 2008 as a member server

Note

Before joining a computer that is running the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008 to a Windows SBS domain with Microsoft® Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server installed, make sure that the most recent service pack available for ISA Server 2004 is installed on the server running Windows SBS.

To join a computer running Windows Server 2008 as a member server to the Windows SBS network

  1. Physically connect the computer running Windows Server 2008 to the Windows SBS network.

  2. Log on to the computer that is running Windows Server 2008 by using the local administrator account.

  3. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties. The System control panel appears.

  4. Click Change settings.

  5. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

  6. On the Computer Name tab, click Change.

  7. Select Domain, type the name of your Windows SBS domain name, and then click OK.

  8. Type the user name and password for the Windows SBS domain administrator account, and then click OK.

  9. Click OK twice, and then click Close to save your settings.

  10. Restart the server.

Join a computer running Windows Server 2008 as an additional domain controller

Note

Before joining a computer that is running the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008 to a Windows SBS domain with ISA Server installed, make sure that the most recent service pack available for ISA Server 2004 is installed on the server running Windows SBS.

To join a computer running Windows Server 2008 as an additional domain controller to the Windows SBS network

  1. On the computer that is running Windows SBS, insert the Windows Server 2008 installation DVD.

Note

The autorun feature may attempt to run the server installation program.

  - If you insert the DVD for the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008, an error message appears. Click **OK** to acknowledge the message, and then continue with the instructions that appear on the screen.

  - If you insert the DVD for the 32-bit version of Windows Server 2008, the installation wizard opens. Close the wizard, and then proceed with the instructions that appear on the screen.
  1. Open a Command Prompt window. To do this, Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.

  2. Perform the following commands in the sequence noted:

Note

In these instructions, "drive" represents the letter of your DVD drive.

1.  At the command prompt, type *drive*`:\sources\adprep\adprep.exe /forestprep`

    At the ADPREP warning, type `c` and then press ENTER.

2.  At the command prompt, type *drive*`:\sources\adprep\adprep.exe /domainprep`

3.  If you are installing the additional server as a read-only domain controller, at the command prompt, type *drive*`:\sources\adprep\adprep.exe /rodcprep`

Note

For information about this option, see "AD DS: Read-Only Domain Controllers" at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108239).

  1. Install Service Pack 2 for Exchange Server 2003 (SP2 for Exchange Server).

Note

SP2 for Exchange Server is included on the media for Windows SBS 2003 R2. If you are running Windows SBS 2003 with Service Pack 1, you can download SP2 for Exchange Server from the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=65119).

  1. Physically connect the computer running Windows Server 2008 to the Windows SBS network.

  2. Log on to the computer that is running Windows Server 2008 by using the local administrator account.

Note

The following steps promote the Windows Server 2008 computer to a domain controller.

  1. Click Start, type dcpromo, right-click dcpromo, and then click Run as administrator. The Microsoft Active Directory® Domain Services Installation Wizard appears.

  2. Click Next to advance through the wizard until you arrive at the Choose a Deployment Configuration page.

  3. On the Choose a Deployment Configuration page, select Existing forest, select Add a domain controller to an existing domain, and then click Next.

  4. On the Network Credentials page, type the name of your Windows SBS domain (e.g., contoso.local), and then click Set. The Windows Security dialog box appears.

  5. Type the user name and password for the Windows SBS domain administrator, click OK, and then click Next.

  6. On the Select a Domain page, ensure that the domain name you typed in step 10 appears in the list of domains.

  7. Click Next to advance through the wizard until you arrive at the Additional Domain Controller Options page.

  8. On the Additional Domain Controller Options page, clear the DNS server check box, and then click Next until you arrive at the Directory Services Restore Mode Administrator Password page.

  9. On the Directory Services Restore Mode Administrator Password page, type the password to use when starting the computer that is running Windows Server 2008 in Directory Services Restore Mode.

  10. Continue through the wizard and accept all remaining default settings.

  11. After finishing the wizard, restart the server.

Post-deployment tasks

Assign server roles

After joining a computer running Windows Server 2008 to the Windows SBS network, you can log on to the server and run the Add Roles Wizard to define the roles that the server plays in your organization.

For information about how to assign server roles to your server running Windows Server 2008, go to the Windows Server 2008 online Help, and then search for "Adding Server Roles and Features."

Enable Remote Desktop Protocol

When you manually join a server to the Windows SBS network, Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is disabled by default.

To manually enable Remote Desktop Protocol on a server

  1. Log on to the server by using the local administrator account.

  2. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties. The System control panel appears.

  3. In Tasks, click Remote settings.

  4. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

  5. On the Remote tab of System Properties, click Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop (less secure).

  6. Click OK to save your settings.

Troubleshooting

Your server running Windows Server 2008 does not appear in the list of servers in the Update Services Management Console.

Important

You can safely ignore this issue. It does not impact the functionality of your servers or your network.

After joining a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 to the Windows SBS network, the server might not appear in the list of servers that is displayed in the Update Services Management Console. Instead, you might see a listing for the Windows Vista® operating system.

If you want to correct this issue, install Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 with Service Pack 1 on the computer that is running Windows SBS.

For more information about running WSUS 3.0 on Windows SBS, see "Installing Windows Server Update Services 3.0 on Windows Small Business Server 2003" at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=92399).

To determine if your server appears correctly in the Update Services Management Console

  1. On the server running Windows SBS, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Microsoft Windows Server Update Services.

  2. In the console tree, expand the node for your server, expand the Server node, expand the All Computers node, and then click Update Services Server Computers.

  3. Your server should appear in the details pane as Windows Server 2008. If it does not appear, or if you see a listing for Windows Vista, install WSUS 3.0 with Service Pack 1.

You cannot log on to Outlook Web Access from your server that is running Windows Server 2008.

If you log on to a server that is running Windows Server 2008 by using an account that is based on the Windows SBS Admin template and then you try to access your organization's Outlook® Web Access site, the following error message may appear:

"Your Web browser is configured not to run script or doesn't support script in Web pages. Check your browser settings, or use a browser that can run script."

The Outlook Web Access site opens, but it does not display your e-mail and calendar information as expected. Additionally, the user interface does not function properly.

This error occurs because the server blocks access to unknown and untrusted users.

To resolve this issue, add the Outlook Web Access site to the list of sites that the Microsoft Internet Explorer® browser trusts on the Windows Server 2008 server.

To add Outlook Web Access as a trusted site on a computer running Windows Server 2008

  1. On the computer running Windows Server 2008, open Internet Explorer.

  2. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.

  3. On the Security tab, select the Trusted sites zone, and then click Sites.

  4. In the text box, type https://ServerName, where ServerName is the name of the computer that is running Windows SBS. Click Add, and then click Close.

  5. Click OK to close Internet Options.

  6. Navigate to the Outlook Web Access site, and then log in. Your e-mail and calendar items are now accessible, and the site functions properly.