| For most small businesses with a handful of staff, | | | | to enter if they are to log onto the domain. |
| a powerful server is not needed. In fact a server | | | | Normally that only needs to be done once when |
| isn't needed at all, and the machines in the | | | | you setup a client, you would enter this |
| working environment will do fine connected to | | | | information such as the domain to join along with |
| each other through a hub and access the internet | | | | the password only once. That machine will then |
| through a router. | | | | always be on the domain. |
| It's when businesses start to recruit more staff | | | | Another important thing to do is to setup what |
| and find a need to have more machines | | | | resources are accessible to what user or group |
| connected together for data sharing and remote | | | | of users. This process is the same as if you were |
| internet access that problems start to crop up. A | | | | to share files and directories in a workgroup on a |
| simple LAN network can not share programs and | | | | much simpler network. The file or folder to be |
| resources as efficiently as servers, i.e. if a user is | | | | shared is located and then simply shared to the |
| accessing a file on the server, other users are | | | | users who are authorised to use it. Permissions |
| unlikely to be able to access it too. That is not the | | | | can be set to only allow a user to view, read or |
| case with a proper server configuration. | | | | write to the contents of the files or folders. |
| Administrators may also start to find a need to | | | | Naturally, the person who the folder belongs to will |
| implement more security regarding who can | | | | have full control, were as perhaps other members |
| access which files etc. | | | | of that group can only see the files and not alter |
| Windows based servers that are using a server | | | | them in anyway. |
| based OS like Windows Server 2003 etc are able | | | | Another important element to a fool proof |
| to setup domains and user accounts on the | | | | business network is to have every member of |
| network. This is very useful for setting file | | | | staffs work and email stored on the server |
| directory permissions for individual or groups of | | | | together with a daily backup procedure that runs |
| users. A scenario for this could be that the sales | | | | at night. Outlook data files can be stored on the |
| manager has access to all home directories of the | | | | server along with every users Desktop, My |
| sales staff, but the sales staff only have access | | | | Documents and any other important working |
| to their own directories and not that of the | | | | directory. |
| others. The typical application that you can use to | | | | As your business grows, so too must your IT |
| do this is the active directories program that | | | | infrastructure. If it doesn't then your business will |
| comes with Windows Server 2003. Within that | | | | experience growing pains in the form of |
| you can setup your domain, assign computers, | | | | problematic access to resources and slowed |
| groups, users and much more. It also lets you | | | | connections if your internet line is being shared by |
| create passwords for each user which they have | | | | many users. |