Ben Lewis 
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 4/08/2008 01:55 AM |
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The boss has decided to open up a new branch. Now im going to need lots of help with this because I can only just run SBS 2003 as it is. Im going to need to be told what we are going to need to purchase in order to have both the offices linked.
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Kevin Da Silva
Mississauga, Canada
Member since
1/12/2008
Registered Users
Posts: 579
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| 4/08/2008 07:24 PM |
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| What kind of current infrastructure do you have in the Main office? If you give a broader sense of how you plan on seeing things it would help as well. |
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MCSE:Messaging, MCTIP, SBS Specialist |
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Ben Lewis
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 4/10/2008 04:58 AM |
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| We have server with SBS 2003 with 2 NICs, one going to a 8 port switch and the other to a satellite internet connection. I hope that’s all your after. |
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Ben Lewis
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 4/22/2008 05:41 AM |
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| I am starting to get desprate to work out what we need to connect 2 office braches to 1 network.
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Alan Bailey
United Kingdom
Member since
12/8/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 58
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| 4/22/2008 03:40 PM |
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Your question is too general to allow anyone to provide you with any specific information.
What are you actually trying to achieve at the end of the day?
I’d suggest that you read the following subscriber articles and see if they can point you in the right direction.
1. Connecting a remote workstation to a domain.
2. How do I add an additional domain controller from a remote office to the SBS domain (three parts).
3. How to install a windows 2003 terminal server in a SBS 2003 network.
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Ben Lewis
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 4/22/2008 11:27 PM |
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At the end of the day I want the new office branch, (which we have not purchased anything for yet) to be able to see the server in the main office thru the internet. Do I need to buy a 2nd server to put in the new office? I have tried setting up VPN but have had no luck. I also do not have access to subscriber articles.
So I guess my question is. In order to connect 2 remote locations into 1 network, what do I need to purchase, setup and install.
Main Office has:
1 X Server With SBS 2003 Running as a file/print and exchange server. 2 NICS (1 Connected to a 8 port switch & the other to a ipstar broadband satellite connection)
4 X Workstations running xp pro
1 X Laptop running vista, which will be use on both sites.
New office will require just 3 workstations with access to files printer and exchange server in main office, through a adsl connection.
I hope this is clearer now. We are planning to have this office up and running early next month.
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Alan Bailey
United Kingdom
Member since
12/8/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 58
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| 4/23/2008 12:26 AM |
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In a similar situation here’s roughly what I’ve got.
Main site has two ADSL connections, both with static IPs. Second site has single ADSL connection with static IP.
Hardware IPSec VPN created using ADSL connection at second site and one of the ADSL connections at the main site. This connects the LAN side of the SBS network to the LAN at the second site.
Second ADSL connection at main site is used for the WAN side of the SBS network.
Server installed at second site and linked to the SBS server over the VPN.
This is just one option. There are many possible variations that will depend on the business needs, budget, WAN bandwidth, user knowledge, etc.
My advice would be to pay the subscription and read the articles.
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Ben Lewis
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 4/23/2008 01:11 AM |
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OK now you have just confused me. I have a low knowlege on this subject and the company has a low budget.
Do we need a server at each site?
What is IPsec VPN?
We will only have 3 users at main site and 4 users at 2nd site.
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Alan Bailey
United Kingdom
Member since
12/8/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 58
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| 4/23/2008 01:56 AM |
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IPSec is an encryption method used on VPN connections.
Assuming the two sites do actually need to be linked you’ve got a few options…
1. Server on second site linked to the server on the main site via a VPN.
2. Direct VPN connection between the machines on the remote site and the server on the main site.
3. Direct VPN connection between the machines on the remote site and a Terminal Server on the main site.
Options 1 & 3 require a second server and a server OS. Option 2 doesn’t require a second server, but given the limited WAN bandwidth the performance would probably be diabolical.
Do you actually need the two sites to be linked?
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Ben Lewis
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 4/23/2008 03:10 AM |
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Is IPSec required or recommended?
I am going to go with the server to server option, because we do need the site linked.
Is it as simple as setting up a server to server VPN connection?
Do I just set VPN to connect to the IP address of each servers NIC that has the internet connection?
Instead of buying another switch for the 2nd office should I be getting some type of special router?
I know I have a lot of questions, but this is new ground for me.
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Alan Bailey
United Kingdom
Member since
12/8/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 58
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| 4/23/2008 04:00 AM |
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IPSec is just one of the encryption protocols you can use for VPN. I believe it’s the most secure option, but don’t worry about it.
Here’s a very rough recommendation; don’t take it as gospel, do your own research before you commit.
Get a basic server for the second office. Something like a PowerEdge SC440 should be fine unless you can see the office expanding massively in the near future. I’d recommend that you spec it with a decent amount of ram (2GB+) and that you have mirrored drives (SATA should be okay).
Get a license for Windows 2003 Server R2. Either get an OEM version with the server, or purchase it retail. The software is the same, but the licensing is different. OEM is cheaper, but less flexible.
Make sure you have static IPs for both internet connections.
You’ll need a router for the second office. It doesn’t need to be anything particularly special, and you may get one FOC from your ISP. You can spend big money on business class routers, but in my experience they're not really necessary in this sort of scenario. I personally tend to use Linksys routers as they’re dirt cheap and work well enough. They’re so cheap that having a spare in stock is no big deal.
You’ll probably also need a network switch as most cheap routers only have four network ports, and you’re going to need at least five. Even a Gigabit switch shouldn’t cost very much as you just need a basic unmanaged model.
Create a software VPN between the two servers and perform all the other necessary configuration steps.
For the details of how to configure the two servers so that they can talk to each other either subscribe to this site or do your own research. The articles available here should provide all the details you require to get things up and running with the minimum of hassle. |
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Ben Lewis
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 4/23/2008 05:57 AM |
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| Thanks so much for your help guys, you have really made things so much clearer for me. The boss is going to pay for a subscription for me which is also good. I just have one more question. Is there some kind of switch that will act smilar to ISA? |
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Ben Lewis
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 5/01/2008 02:36 AM |
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| OK we have ordered the new computers and server. Is is going to be much of a problem if the new server has Windows Server 2003 and the existing server has SBS 2003. How will this affect the documents on this site if I subscribe?
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Alan Bailey
United Kingdom
Member since
12/8/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 58
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| 5/01/2008 02:54 AM |
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Server 2003 is what you want, and is what the subscriber documents refer to.
You can't have two machines running SBS on the same network, it's one of the licensing limitations.
Personally I'd have spent the relatively small amount on a subscription and read the articles to get up to speed before ordering the hardware.
You asked about a switch that will act similar to ISA. They do exist, try Googling for 'security appliance' and you should find something. They do however tend to be expensive and shouldn't be necessary in the environment you described. |
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Ben Lewis
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 5/01/2008 05:15 AM |
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Is there much difference between SBS 2003 and windows server 2003?
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Ben Lewis
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 5/01/2008 05:19 AM |
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I only see articals for SBS 2003 not windows 2003. Hopefully the response to my last post with clear things up.
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Alan Bailey
United Kingdom
Member since
12/8/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 58
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| 5/01/2008 05:54 AM |
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Firstly, and without wanting to cause any offence, if you don't know the difference between SBS 2003 and Server 2003 you're almost certainly out of your depth.
Server 2003 is the core operating system SBS 2003 in based on. SBS 2003 is basically Server 2003 with a several server based applications such as Exchange Server thrown in, plus plenty of wizards to make management easier. If you've only ever dealt with SBS 2003 then Server 2003 may come as bit of a culture shock.
The articles available should provide you with the information required to connect your new Server 2003 server to your existing SBS 2003 server. I haven't read the articles in a while but they probably assume that you already know how to setup Server 2003. If you purchased an OEM version of Server 2003 with the hardware then there's a fair chance most of the work has been done for you.
One thing on your side is that there's far more web based information available for Server 2003 than there is for SBS 2003. There is however a fair chance that you're going to hit a horribly steep learning curve.
Good luck. |
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Ben Lewis
Australia
Member since
11/14/2007
Registered Users
Posts: 57
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| 5/09/2008 12:17 AM |
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| So far I have set the network up in the branch office. I dont know if it was the R2, but it was pretty easy to set up the file server and domain controller, DNS & DHCP. I guess the test will be when the ADSL connection is set up and we try to create the server to server VPN connection.
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Erik Ditchfield
United States
Member since
11/11/2006
Registered Users
Posts: 46
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| 5/10/2008 07:04 PM |
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How did you setup a domain controller in a remote office without any connection to the main office? You want to setup that DC as an additional domain controller in an existing domain. That would require a connection back to the head office.
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Kevin Da Silva
Mississauga, Canada
Member since
1/12/2008
Registered Users
Posts: 579
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| 5/10/2008 08:06 PM |
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| AD has a feature that allows you to install the Domain Controller in a remote office using the system state of the DC in the main office. I believe there is a very good article made by Marina or Mariette. |
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MCSE:Messaging, MCTIP, SBS Specialist |
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