Do i need to set up anything more than file sharing on the server? The server provides dhcp and the isp will provide internet dns i suppose. My workstations will all be set to get ip and dns automatically? Should I install wins? Let me know if I need to break this up more for points.
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No, this would not be an exception - unless you like having sporadic problems connecting to the network, especially when users need to (or otherwise do) change their passwords.
I'm not sure why you feel Active Directory is complicated in a small environment.
You configure the Server so that it (and only it) provides DNS and DHCP to the clients. Then you run DCPROMO and create a domain. Create users and then there's rarely a need to do anything. IDEALLY, you would have saved yourself several hundred dollars and purchased Windows Server 2008 Foundation, but even if you didn't there's really nothing much to it. I would predict that if you had 10 workgroups and 10 domains, after 1 year, the workgroups will have had more problems - minor or major - than the domains.
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by: leewPosted on 2009-11-01 at 17:52:51ID: 25716643
Workgroups are evil. They create far more problems in the long run. For example, your permissions will be NON-TRANSFERRABLE - meaning, if you EVER upgrade the server, you'll have to reset all the permissions. In addition, you have no centralized management so if a user changes their password on their workstation, it will create problems accessing other network resources. And frankly, I avoid them if at all possible because historically, weird network problems tend to crop up as do issues with accessing files on the server.
You have a server - make it a domain controller. This will generally make your life much easier. The only advice on doing so is that you understand how vitally important DNS configuration is to a domain.
If you insist on staying with a workgroup, there is no need for WINS. Frankly, there is no need for WINS in a small domain either. WINS is used to provide name resolution over subnets - if you need subnets, you also need a network admin who understands what WINS is.