Configuring the first server on your network

The following is tip #7 from "10 tips in 10 minutes: Configuring Windows 2000 Server," excerpted from Chapter 6 in the book Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Administrator's Companion, Second Edition, published by Microsoft Press.

If you're creating a new network or domain and you're setting up the first server in the domain, the Windows 2000 Configure Your Server tool can guide you through the configuration process. Just follow these steps:

1. In the first window of the Windows 2000 Configure Your Server tool, choose the This Is The Only Server In My Network option, and click Next (as discussed in the previous section). Choosing this option helps you configure your server as a domain controller running Active Directory, DHCP, and DNS.

2. Click the Show More Details link to view information about how your server's TCP/IP services will be configured, and then click Back.

3. Click Next, and then enter the domain name you want to use in the first text box, as shown in the image below.

   

4. To use an Internet-registered domain name (such as scribes.com) as the root for your fully qualified domain name, enter the Internet domain name in the second text box. Or, to specify that your domain is a local domain that isn't a part of an Internet-registered domain, type local in the second text box.

5. Verify that the Active Directory and downlevel domain names are correct in the preview boxes at the bottom of the window, and then click Next.

6. Click Next again. Active Directory, DHCP, and DNS are installed in Unattended mode and Windows restarts. Once logged on, Windows displays the Windows 2000 Configure Your Server tool again. (See Chapter 11 for help with any Active Directory installation questions you are asked, or see the sections on installing DHCP and DNS in Chapter 14 for help with DHCP and DNS questions.)

7. Configure your server to use the static IP address specified in the Windows 2000 Configure Your Server tool. To do this, right-click the Local Area Connection icon in the Network and Dial-Up Connections folder, and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and click Properties. Then enter the proper IP address and subnet mask, and verify that the DNS server addresses include your server's IP address.

8. Open DHCP Manager and expand the DHCP server.

9. Select the DHCP server and choose All Tasks-Authorize from the Action menu.

10. Reboot your computer, and then use the Windows 2000 Configure Your Server tool to add any other services you need.

10 tips in 10 minutes: Configuring Windows 2000 Server

  Introduction
  Tip 1: Checking for setup problems
  Tip 2: Configuring devices
  Tip 3: Using Device Manager
  Tip 4: Troubleshooting devices
  Tip 5: Configuring Networking Settings
  Tip 6: Using the Windows 2000 Configure Your Server Tool
  Tip 7: Configuring the first server on your network
  Tip 8: Performance and memory tuning
  Tip 9: Updating Windows
  Tip 10: Securing Windows