Managing User Accounts in Windows Small Business Server 2008
Updated: August 21, 2008
Applies To: Windows SBS 2008
Windows® Small Business Server 2008 provides centralized management of user and group accounts through the Windows SBS Console. The Windows SBS Console contains a set of administrative tasks to help you add, edit, and remove user and group accounts. Windows SBS 2008 also provides a set of default user account templates (called User Roles) that enable you to create user accounts that have specific permissions for accessing network resources.
Terms and definitions
To get ready to manage user accounts in Windows SBS 2008, familiarize yourself with the following terms and definitions. These key terms are associated with managing user accounts in Windows SBS 2008.
Windows SBS Console Use the Windows SBS Console to accomplish network administration tasks and to manage the computers and devices on your network.
User roles Standardize common user properties (such as group memberships, Windows® SharePoint® Services site groups, disk quotas, and company address information for new user accounts) with these user account templates. Creating a user account that is based on a user role reduces the need to manually enter account properties. By default, Windows SBS 2008 includes three user roles: Standard User, Network Administrator, and Standard User with administration links.
Password policies Use this set of rules to help you enhance the security of your Windows SBS 2008 network. Setting password policies forces the network users to employ strong passwords. In Windows SBS 2008, these password policies are configured by default during installation.
Remote Web Workplace Enables users to access important features of Windows SBS 2008 when they are away from the office. By using the Remote Web Workplace, users can check e-mail and calendars, connect to their computers at work, use shared applications, and access the company's internal Web site. Users can access all of these features by using a Web browser from any Internet-enabled computer (such as a home computer, Internet kiosk, or laptop) and navigating to the external address of the computer running Windows SBS 2008.
Internal Web site Enables domain users to share information (such as documents, photographs, and upcoming events) from a central location. Windows SBS 2008 provides a preconfigured internal Web site (an intranet) that is based on Windows SharePoint Services. This Web site is available from within the company network at https://companyweb/.
Security group Enables you to control access to files, folders, and application data. For example, if you have a shared printer on your network that you want only certain users to access, create a security group for the printer.
Distribution group Enables you to send e-mail messages to a specific group of people. For example, if you want to send network reports to certain users, create a distribution group that consists of those user accounts.
This document includes topics that can help you understand, configure, and manage your user accounts in Windows SBS 2008. This information is presented in the following sections: