I am a paralegal for a small law firm in Miami, FL. I am a new SBS 2003 user (at least I am attempting to be). I consider myself very computer savy, having built many puters and peer to peer networks over the past 20 years. I have maintained a peer system with 10 computers and a stand alone storage computer here in the office for the last four years. I now have SBS 2003 Pro installed on a converted desktop, which according to the books, Best Practices by Harry Brelsford, and MSs Administrators Companion, should have plenty of punch, etc., to run the software and the few computers I need to connect. This machine is a P4, 1.5 Ghz, w/ 640 mhz SDram, I have also installed a hardware RAID card, (Promise Technologies, MS compatible), which is working fine. I have yet to be able to get the system up and working. My problem is thus; my buddy, who just graduated from Fast Train Tech School, keeps telling me that I have to set this thing up without Domains, Exchange or SQL, etc.. In other words, basically just another dumb storage box. He believes that a server is just to complicated for a layperson, (me?), to set up and maintain. My position is, that he does not understand that SBS is not a normal server, and is designed to be easy for a person, such as myself, (even though I do not consider myself a lay person). But now since I began the installation with his help, and I am becoming aware that he is not using the Wizards, and not following the Best Practices, or even a real server setup. Now I am stuck. I have stalled and cannot seem to get this thing set up because of the wrong turns he has forced on me. I now do not even believe he knows what SBS is.
My Question: (and I apologize for the editorial): Do you think I should just reformat and start again with the wizards, or can someone point me to some actual easy step by step process somewhere to recover from this debacle.
Thans,
Dan
