BleepingComputer.com: Server 2003/home setup

Hello.
I have some questions, which I have heavily researched and found lots of answers. I have some IP addressing issues I am thinking as far as DNS server, DHCP, etc.

My home network consists of
1 Windows Server 2003 computer
5 Windows XP Professional computers
A wired router and a switch. All computers are hard wired.

I can log on computers to the domain, but it is very slow to log them in which I have been told probably a DNS server issue. I am letting the router handle DHCP. Is this a good idea? Also, should I run the DNS service on the Win Server? I am thinking I have issues with running the services on the server AND the router and this may be causing conflicts.

I have set the IP address on the server to a static private address. (I know public IP will change on occasion) Now, when I set the Server as static what do I use as the DNS Server addresses? The address to the Server 2003, or the address (192.168.1.1) pointing it to the Linksys Router?

Can someone basically give me just a brief checklist of what I should have setup on the Server and the router? I have just about all of it setup, and I can log on to it and map drives once logged in but it takes forever to load the account on domain computers and I have been told it is an addressing issue.

I do have my CCNA, so I am not a complete n00b, just getting hung up on some of this as I haven't set it up in a while.

Thanks,
Matt

Hi, is your server a DC? If not what is its role? To set up a server you should have a DC http://www.visualwin.com/AD-Controller/ There are to many links to post here. Remove the server from the network make it a DC and disable DHCP on the router as the DC will control DHCP and DNS.

My server is set to be the DC. I don't have the DNS or DHCP roles turned on on the server, should I do this? But what about the DNS server, doesn't my ISP take care of that...I have two addresses from them when I do an ipconfig /all.

Please let me know what you would recommend then, turning off the DHCP on the router and turning it on on the server?

Thanks

Hi, when a computer logs onto a Domain (DC) the DC will authenticate an issue ip address out via DHCP but as you donot have DHCP set up on your server that is why the logon times are long. When you join a PC to the network run an ipconfig /all and compare DNS ect to the Server. DHCP and DNS should be setup on the server.
What is a DC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_controller

Ok I will try to set up the DC to take care of DNS and DHCP.
I will then have to disable DHCP on the router, correct?
And what about DNS, since I am using Charter's DNS server, should I just use those IP addresses for the DNS server addresses?


Also, I had an issue while turning on the remote connection/VPN role. When enabled, the Server 2003/DC computer could no longer reach the internet until I turned off the service.

Thanks

Hi,
Yes disable DHCP on the router.
DNS is only used for the domain.
VPN...leave off.
How to add a server role.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library...944(WS.10).aspx

So, my internet connection comes in to the modem, from the modem to the router, router port to a switch, and the switch connects to the Windows Server computer, as well as three other computers. Is this bad for the Server to be so far away from the incoming connection?

Disabling my DHCP on my router and adding the DHCP and DNS server roles to my Windows Server 03 caused the other PCs not to be able to access the PC, or it assigned a crazy IP address, like 168.x.x.x I am thinking about starting from scratch, because I had it setup at a different house and everything worked well, then I moved, reinstalled Server 03 and now I am running into a bunch of issues.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Okay... some thing doesn't make sense here...you say the server is set up as a domain controller but you don't have DNS running...That is impossible as AD requires DNS and installs it during the DCpromo action if it has not been setup.

The short story is this. you can use the router for your DHCP however the dns server address it issues MUST be the address of the DC. On the DC you will need to make sure the address is static and not conflicting, the gateway is the router address, and dns is the DC address. The in the DNS you should set up forwarders to the dns servers issued by your isp and everything should be good.

message me with any other questions as it is hard to find the threads all of the time.