Servers 101

Many small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) often outgrow simple sharing of resources with
networked PCs but don't know when or how to upgrade to a more robust system. In this class, you'll
determine if your business is ready for a client/server network. You'll also learn how to select and
configure a variety of servers to provide file and print, database, email and web services.

Lessons
1. Why do you need a server?
This lesson will introduce you to client/server networks and cover the
components: workstations, servers and network operating systems. You'll take
a look at retail and open source operating systems and learn which servers are
popular with SMBs and why.
2. Selecting a server
In this lesson, you'll learn how to determine which software, hardware and
backup solutions meet your needs, and how to make smart purchasing
decisions. This lesson will focus on hardware by HP and operating systems by
Microsoft®.
3. Configuring file and print sharing
File and print sharing is the most common server role in most organizations. In
this lesson, you'll learn how to configure a file and print server. You'll also
understand the benefits of having a file and print server on your business
network.
4. Configuring a database server
In this lesson, you'll learn what a database is, and why you need a server to
host a database on your network. You'll also learn how to configure a database
server and understand the benefits of managing a database server in your own
company.
5. Configuring an email server
This lesson describes how various email servers interact to send and receive
email. You'll learn how to select an email application for your business,
configure an email server and secure the system you put in place.
6. Configuring a web server
Websites are an essential part of doing business today; some companies
wouldn't exist without them. In this lesson, you'll learn what a web server is, how
it works, how to configure one and how it can benefit your company.

Why do you need a server?

This lesson will introduce you to client/server networks and cover the components: workstations, servers and
network operating systems. You'll take a look at retail and open source operating systems and learn which
servers are popular with SMBs and why.
 

Welcome
This class is a beginner's guide to small and medium-size business (SMB)
server systems. You start by learning about network server hardware, software
and peripherals in general terms. Later lessons focus on specific features that
fit within a small business.

»  HP ProLiant rack servers

Throughout this class, we provide Flash examples. To view these
examples, you need the Adobe Flash Player. Keep an eye out for notes
with links that say "See how to ____" or something similar. Some of these
files may be very large and could take a while to appear or download if you
have a slow connection.
As the class progresses, you learn the typical roles of a dedicated server in an
SMB environment: file and print servers, email servers, database servers and
web servers. If you want to know more about server functions after completing
this class, you should continue to research more in-depth materials, such as
those found on the HP Small & Medium Business website. This class is a first
step into the world of client-server networks, and how they can benefit a small
business environment.

This class is geared toward SMB owners and technical staff in charge of
business server systems and information technology management.

Here's what to expect in the lessons:

Lesson 1: Introduces the basics of client-server computing and gives you an

overview of workstations, servers and network operating systems. You also
learn the differences between Microsoft Windows and Linux network
operating systems.
Lesson 2: Explains how to determine which software, hardware and backup
solutions meet your needs and how to make smart purchasing decisions.
This lesson focuses on server hardware and the Windows and Linux
operating systems.
Lesson 3: Covers the basics of file and print sharing. You learn how to
configure a file and print server, and see the benefits of having this type of
server on your business network.
Lesson 4: Focuses on databases. You learn what a database is and why you
need a server to host one on your network. You also learn how to configure
a database server and understand the benefits of managing a database
server in your company.
Lesson 5: Describes how email servers interact to send and receive email.
You learn how to select an email application for your business, configure an
email server and secure the system you put in place.
Lesson 6: Walks you through web servers. You learn what a web server is,
how it works, how to configure one and how it can benefit your company.

Each lesson is accompanied by an assignment and a short quiz, which help

you put your skills into practice and reinforce what you're learning.

Now it's time to get started with the topics in Lesson 1.

Introduction to networks
A server is a combination of computer hardware and an operating system (OS) Ethernet cables
that provides resources for other users on the network. Servers vary in
appearance: some look exactly like desktop computers whereas others are
designed to be mounted in special racks in protected areas called the server A commonly used Ethernet
closet, network room or server room. Because of its central role on a network, cable is the CAT 5 cable. It
you should regularly back up important data or information on a server and has an RJ-45 connector,
store backups in a safe place. which looks like a telephone
jack but is slightly larger, at
both ends. One end of the
cable connects to the
Having all important business information saved in a single location makes workstation's NIC, and the
data recovery easier. And backing up a single server is less of a chore than other end connects to or
backing up every computer on the network. You'll learn more about terminates at a port on a hub
backups in Lesson 2. or switch.

A client is a personal computer or device—a desktop, notebook PC or personal

digital assistant (PDA), for example—that can communicate on a network and
run applications, such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Desktop and
notebook computers are also sometimes known as workstations. Each client
generally contains installed applications and requests access to shared
resources, including data, from the server. On some networks, administrators
allow users to store data on their client hard disks. Anything stored on a client »  HP ProLiant tower servers
is referred to as being "locally" stored.

Client-server networks

Servers and clients are connected via wireless network interface cards (NICs),
or Ethernet cables and NICs, with all communications flowing through a central
networking device, such as a hub, router or switch. This forms a client-server
network, as shown in Figure 1-1. You can use wireless NICs and routers to
supplement or replace cabled environments. Some organizations now use
completely wireless networks due to the desire of users to travel freely around
the office and the construction costs required to install a wired network. In
these cases, the server is still connected to the network by a wired connection
because of the higher speeds possible on a wired network.

Most PCs today have a wired NIC and wireless capabilities integrated into
the system.

Figure 1-1: A basic client-server network with cabled and wireless

components.

Enlarge image

The router is a necessary device that connects the internal network to the
outside world; a switch is optional equipment used to improve the efficiency
and security of larger networks (usually those containing 10 or more systems).
A network cable connects the server to the switch or router. If you need to
connect a lot of computers, network printers and other network devices, you
can stack several switches in a specialized equipment rack so that enough
switch ports are available for all required connections. After you configure the
server for sharing and assign the same Internet Protocol (IP) address and
subnet mask as the rest of the LAN, the server can access and be accessed by
the rest of the network.

On most networks, the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server

dynamically assigns IP addresses. Dynamic addressing allows large numbers
of clients to receive IP address assignments from a server automatically when
they log on to the network. You must manually configure certain devices, such
as servers, routers, switches and network printers, with static (unchanging) IP
addresses, because static IP addresses make finding these devices on a
network faster and easier.

Cabled networks with more than 10 to 15 computers should use switches

because of the distance and traffic limitations of Ethernet communications.
 Operating more than 15 computers on an unswitched network results in
serious congestion, reducing the network's speed for all users.

The most common client-server network arrangement is called a star network,

which involves a central hub or switch that directs traffic between client
workstations and the server. The server is the center of the star formation.
None of the clients are directly connected to each other. Instead, they pass all
communications through the central device.

Peer-to-peer networks

In a business environment without a server, you can configure workstations to

share their resources and to use shared resources on the network. Business
networks without a server are referred to as workgroups or peer-to-peer
networks. They usually consist of as few as 2 workstations to as many as 10 to
20 workstations.

On a peer-to-peer network, some workstations provide resources for all

workstations on the network. One workstation might provide a shared printer,
another might provide a shared scanner and others might share files on their
hard disks, as shown in Figure 1-2. The workstations providing shared files or
resources serve as both workstations and servers.

Figure 1-2: A basic, cabled peer-to-peer network.

Enlarge image

A peer-to-peer network, much like a simple client-server network, connects

several workstations to each other through a hub or switch, or a wireless router.
To actually carry out this network communication, however, you must configure
each computer to be part of the same network. Joining a computer to a peer-to-
peer network requires the following:

All computers must share the same network name.

Each computer must have a unique name.
All computers must be configured with a network address on the same
network or subnet.

Because you must perform many of the preceding configuration tasks manually
on each computer, managing a peer-to-peer network with more than 10
workstations is difficult and time-consuming.

Sharing resources on a network

After all computers on a network are physically or wirelessly connected and

configured, they're able to communicate with each other and share resources,
such as files, printers, fax systems and scanners.

A peer-to-peer network works relatively well for printer and file sharing in small
environments. However, if you need to work with a common database or host a
website, a peer-to-peer network makes performing those tasks difficult, if not
impossible. For example, let's say five people are working on the same project,
and the primary file is on Computer 01 of a peer-to-peer network. If that
computer is turned off or malfunctions, the job comes to a grinding halt. If
Computer 01 suffers an error that destroys the work file, unless that data is
saved elsewhere, all the work—sometimes representing hundreds of hours—is
gone. With a business group of 10 employees, for example, the most common
solution is to convert to a client-server network.

Sharing files and printers is covered in more detail in Lesson 3.

So far you've learned the basics of client-server and peer-to-peer networks.

The next section addresses general server features.

Exploring server hardware

A server is a computer with more hard disk space, memory and computing
power than an ordinary workstation. A wide range of servers are available on
the market. The most common entry-level server has a tower form factor
(physical type). Rack servers and blade servers are a common part of large
networking environments, such as internet service providers (ISPs) that host
many websites; however, they're gaining popularity with SMBs. A rack server,
which is shaped somewhat like a pizza box, is designed to fit into a vertical rack »  HP ProLiant essentials
holding several servers. A blade server is similar in form factor to a rack server rapid deployment pack
and fits into an enclosure that includes cooling, power, storage and network
components that are shared among server blades. A large collection of servers
is usually called a server farm.

Features common in small to midsize servers are described in the following

sections.

Central processing units (CPUs)

A server can support anywhere up to 64 CPUs for faster, multithreaded

processing. Because hundreds of client computers can access a server at the
same time, insufficient server processing power can cause a bottleneck in
accessing resources. In a small business environment, servers generally don't
have more than four CPUs. In fact, using more than four CPUs requires an
advanced operating system, such as Microsoft Windows Server 2008
Enterprise Edition or Datacenter Edition.

Random access memory (RAM)

Servers usually contain at least 4 gigabytes (GB) of RAM but support amounts
up to 256 GB. Advanced operating systems can go even further, with current
limits of 2 terabytes (TB, or 2,048 GB). Server RAM is usually rated at much
higher speeds than what's ordinarily found in a PC or workstation.

Hard drives

Servers come equipped with one or more hard drives. On servers with two or
more hard drives, the primary drive usually contains the OS files and the
remaining drive(s) is configured solely for data storage or fault tolerance. Fault
tolerance is a method for ensuring that computing devices can recover from a
failure without losing data. Popular drive types include:

Serial advanced technology attachment (SATA): This type of drive transfers

data to and from the motherboard via a serial cable. SATA drives usually
come in capacities of 80 GB or more and speeds of 1.5 to 6 gigabits per
second (Gbps). A server can have two, four or six SATA drives for data
storage.
Serial attached SCSI (SAS): This drive uses serial communications to
transfer data at rates of 3 or 6 Gbps, with the next release expected to
increase the maximum speed to 12 Gbps. SAS drives are generally more
robust than SATA drives, making them a solid choice for critical server
needs.
Small computer system interface (SCSI): Pronounced "scuzzy," this drive
allows you to connect different peripheral devices in a series. SCSI drives
represent an older technology that's being replaced by SATA and SAS
drives, as even more advanced SCSI implementations are limited to 5 Gbps
transfer speed.

Redundant array of independent disks (RAID)

The RAID standard describes a variety of methods of using multiple drives to

provide redundant storage and fault tolerance. Figure 1-3 shows a comparison
of the variations of the RAID standard. There are several levels of RAID, such
as 0, 1, 1+0, 5 and 6. Each level offers different options in terms of reliability,
performance and cost. You can implement RAID as a hardware or software
solution. RAID solutions use parity—a method of checking if data has been lost
or written over when it's moved—to ensure data integrity. For additional
information on RAID solutions, search the HP website.

Figure 1-3: A comparison of RAID performance.

Backup capacity

A backup is both a hardware and software solution. An advantage of locating

all important data in one location—the server—is that accessing it for backups
is easier.

Backing up data involves saving it to a hardware medium, such as to another

hard disk on the server or network or to a tape drive. Data is usually backed up
daily during a time of low network activity, and you should store the backup
media in a safe place. If the server suffers a serious failure resulting in the loss
of data, you can restore data from the stored media.
In addition to backup hardware, specialized software usually manages backup
and recovery operations. In a client-server system, backing up server data
regularly is crucial because having all important data on one machine results in
a potential single point of failure. If the server fails and the data isn't backed up,
the data is lost, unless you have some other method of fault tolerance.

NICs

Home and business PCs generally have a standard 100-Mbps (megabits per
second) NIC installed. Almost all business LANs are rated at this speed, which
is adequate for most data transfer, including streaming video and audio.
Because servers are accessed frequently on a business LAN, they're often
equipped with one or two NICs, sometimes rated at 1,000 Mbps (also called
Gigabit Ethernet). These servers are connected to high-speed Ethernet
switches of equal data rate capacity, and the LAN workstations are connected
to this switch via their 100 Mbps connections, whether cabled or wireless.
Previously, Gigabit Ethernet connections were possible only with expensive
fiber-optic cable; however, technological advances allow using less-expensive
copper (CAT 5 and CAT 6) Ethernet cable to achieve the same transfer rates.

Hot swapping

Hot swapping means you can remove server components for repair or
maintenance and replace them without powering down the server, as shown in
Figure 1-4. This feature is common in most types of servers. RAID
configurations commonly have hot-swappable hard drives for optimal reliability.

Figure 1-4: Replace components without powering down the server.

Next, learn about server software and server roles.

Understanding server software and server roles

Server software usually consists of a server operating system (also called a
network operating system) rather than the desktop OS used on workstations. In
the business world, you see a variety of desktop OSs. Microsoft holds the
majority share of this market, with Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista
and Windows 7. Apple Macintosh has a significant portion of the desktop OS
market, however, especially in companies in graphic design, video production
and related fields. Science and engineering firms often use Linux as a desktop »  HP BladeSystem
operating system, but it is not commonly used outside of that industry.

Advanced functionality and feature sets distinguish server operating systems

from desktop operating systems. In other words, a server OS has features that
enable servers to perform specific tasks and roles in a business network. A
complete list of server features is beyond the scope of this class, but the
following sections cover some common server roles.

File and print servers

With file and print servers, users can access files on the network, modify them
and then save them to the server, as shown in Figure 1-5. If the server is
configured correctly, users don't notice that files are actually stored on the
server. It seems as though they're accessing, modifying and saving files stored
on their local workstations. You can configure these file shares so that only
certain groups have permission to see and change them. Files can also be set
as read-only, so they can be opened and read but not changed.

Figure 1-5: Accessing file and print servers.

Enlarge image

File and print servers are covered in more detail in Lesson 3.

File and print servers also make it possible to share printers on the network.
Network printers commonly come with their own NICs and are physically
connected to the network. All software and drivers for the printer are loaded on
the server. When workstation users send a print job to a print device, they're
actually accessing the server, which sends the print job to the device for
printing. Like file sharing, it seems to users as though they're printing to a
device connected directly to their workstations, even though it can physically be
anywhere in their office.
Database servers

Small businesses usually use Microsoft Office applications, such as Access

and even Excel, as database applications. Excel isn't designed for database
use, however. Although Access is widely used, it's not robust enough to provide
true database functionality. It also doesn't support multiple database
connections reliably. Figure 1-6 illustrates how information flows through the
database process.

Figure 1-6: Information flow within the database process.

Enlarge image

Database servers are covered in detail in Lesson 4.

The three best-known database applications—Microsoft Structured Query

Language (SQL, pronounced "sequel"), MySQL and Oracle—often run on
dedicated servers. Database server features offer more storage capacity for
corporate databases, and allow working with and controlling data locally. These
features are an advantage over attempting to manage data in-house with a
desktop database, such as Access, or outsourcing management of a business
database to a third party. Retaining local control also improves database
security because you don't have to involve an outside management firm.

Email servers

Small businesses usually have their email service hosted by an ISP, as home
users do. Larger businesses, however, have their own email servers, as shown
in Figure 1-7.
Figure 1-7: Email server for large businesses.

Enlarge image

Email servers are covered in more depth in Lesson 5.

Having an in-house server for managing email accounts allows you to control
email files from inside the business network infrastructure. These files are
stored on the server and backed up just like any other type of data, so you can
recover this data in the event of a server failure. You can also scan incoming
emails for malware (malicious software, such as viruses and worms) before
they enter the network so they can be quarantined to avoid infecting the
network.

Web servers

Small businesses rely on an ISP or a web-hosting company to host their

business websites, but larger businesses have in-house web servers. Having
an in-house web server gives you more control, improved security and faster
access, as shown in Figure 1-8.

Figure 1-8: In-house web server.

Enlarge image

Web servers are covered in detail in Lesson 6.

Figure 1-9 shows all types of servers, including file and print, database, email
and web servers, working together in a network environment.

Figure 1-9: All servers working together in a network environment.

Enlarge image

You can also create an internal intranet, accessible only to your employees.
An intranet provides a method of communication within the corporate
infrastructure so that employees can access internal information as easily as
they would surf the web. With an intranet, you don't have to send group or
broadcast voicemails or emails, which tie up network resources and clutter
email buffers. An intranet can easily be updated, too, so that employees can be
kept informed of the latest business developments.

Popular server operating systems

Server software has traditionally been more diverse than desktop OSs. Several
companies produce server OS software, such as the following:

Linux: Currently found on many web servers; for example, Google uses
Linux exclusively for its web server farm. Other popular Linux distributions
are Debian, Red Hat and Novell SUSE (pronounced "soozy").
Novell NetWare: Previously held the majority market share in corporate
server software. Novell NetWare is no longer commonly used, except in
legacy systems.
Windows Server systems: Microsoft entered the field with Windows NT, then
with Windows 2000 Server and now with Windows Server 2003 and
Windows Server 2008. Microsoft has replaced Novell's position in the
enterprise server arena.

The following table lists key differences between desktop and server operating
systems.

Feature Desktop Server

operating operating
system system

Offer roles, such as file and print, database, email No Yes

and web
 Supports many simultaneously connected users Limited Yes

Supports network load balancing to ensure resources No Yes

are available

Supports multitasking capability Limited Yes

File storage capability and handling Limited Yes

Table 1-1: Differences between desktop computer and server operating

systems.

This class focuses on servers and server roles on a network to help you
understand the great benefits to your company of switching to a server-based
environment.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned the differences between workstations and servers
and reviewed a few basics about networking. You also learned some essential
hardware and software features of servers. In Lesson 2, you'll find out how to
determine whether a client-server network would be beneficial to your business
and how to select server hardware, software and backup solutions. Before you
move on, do the assignment and take the quiz.

Assignment #1
This assignment has two parts. The first part requires going to a server manufacturer's website,
such as the HP Servers web page, where you'll review hardware server solutions. You're not
looking for a particular server in this assignment. Just document some examples of server
technology to familiarize yourself with what's available.

For the second part of this assignment, go to the Microsoft website or the Linux website of your
choice. Search for information on server software that's geared toward SMBs. List five to seven
features that you know would benefit your company or that you want to learn more about.

Quiz #1
Question 1:
What is a server?
A) A device commonly used to run applications from users' desktops
B) A device that runs OSs like Microsoft Windows 7
C) A device and OS that centrally locates and administers shared resources on a network
D) A device found only in server farms hosting websites
 
Question 2:
Which of the following are server operating systems? (Check all that apply.)
A) Microsoft Excel
B) Debian Linux
C) Microsoft Windows Server 2008
D) SUSE Linux
 
Question 3:
Which of the following is a fault-tolerance solution?
A) RAID
B) Gigabit Ethernet
C) Hot swapping
D) SCSI
 
Question 4:
True or False: Each computer on a peer-to-peer network must have a unique name and network address.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 5:
Which of the following are common server roles? (Check all that apply.)
A) File and print
B) Maintenance
C) Email
D) Word processing
 

Selecting a server
In this lesson, you'll learn how to determine which software, hardware and backup solutions meet your needs,
and how to make smart purchasing decisions. This lesson will focus on hardware by HP and operating systems
by Microsoft®.
 

When does an SMB need a server?

Welcome back. In Lesson 1, you learned the differences between clients and
servers. You also explored basic hardware and software features of servers,
and the roles servers play on a network. In this lesson, you learn how to assess
your company's need for a server and select a server OS, server hardware and
backup solution based on your organization's requirements.

»  HP ProCurve networking
Several factors go into selecting the server solution that's right for your work portfolio
environment. It's important to know your organization's needs as well as which
server platforms have the capacities and feature sets designed to fit those
needs. It's easy to become overwhelmed with all the variables in determining
the need for a server. This lesson helps you make that decision.

Assessing the need for a server

Sharing, modifying, coordinating and saving data are critical in business. The
group project model is common in work settings, which means several people
are simultaneously responsible for creating and modifying documents.

In a peer-to-peer network environment, however, some business functions are

impractical or impossible to perform. For example, different versions of a
document can exist on several workstations. There's no effective way to store a
document centrally and have it be the official copy—at least not easily. In this
situation, one person must be made the "keeper" of the document. All other
members of the group must be able to access the file on the keeper's client
workstation to work on it, and then save their work to the file on that
workstation. Other difficulties include:

Two workers save a copy of the document on their notebook hard drives and
work on the file while traveling. Each worker has a different version, and the
changes aren't reconciled with each other or the master document.
One person saves changes to the file and inadvertently destroys another
person's saved work.
Each person is responsible for backing up his or her data regularly. Or, one
person has to back up data at each client workstation for everyone, a task
that ranges from inconvenient to highly time-consuming, depending on the
 number of users.

Hosting a database on a client is impractical because of the size of hierarchical

databases. Some businesses use a flat spreadsheet structure, such as
Microsoft Excel, but spreadsheets lack the flexibility to function as true
databases. Unless you contract with a third party to provide a hierarchical
database service, a peer-to-peer network can't handle this task.

Client workstations generally lack the processing power and storage

capacity to be used as email and web servers, especially if they also
function as day-to-day workstations for employees.

Determining when you've outgrown a peer-to-peer network is partially based on

how many people need to share resources on the network. As the user
population in a peer-to-peer environment grows, resources are harder to
manage and users become less productive. If your network can't handle the
tasks necessary to maintain productivity, such as backups, databases and
email, it's time to buy a server.

Generally, if you anticipate more than 10 users on your peer-to-peer business

network, you should consider upgrading to a client-server network for efficiency
and reliability.

Once you determine your business needs a server, decision making falls into
three categories: server operating system, server hardware and backup
methods and devices. Read on to learn how to select a server operating
system.

Selecting server software: the basics

After you've decided to buy a server, what do you look for and in what order?
You need to know which server operating system offers the features you need
and can grow with your company. In addition, to stay within your budget, you
want to avoid purchasing a system that offers functions (and costs) you'll never
need.

»  HP ProLiant essentials
As mentioned in Lesson 1, many server operating systems are available. This rapid deployment pack
class focuses on Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Debian Linux
because they're well suited to the needs of an SMB environment.

Benefits of Windows Small Business Server 2008

First, take a look at the advantages Windows Small Business Server (SBS)
2008 offers:

This server suite is based on the most recent release of the Microsoft
Windows Server operating system, Windows Server 2008. It's a fifth-
generation release of this product line and is considered extremely stable.
It supports the roles of file server and print server as part of its core
functionality.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is incorporated to provide an out-of-the-box
email server. A single wizard helps you configure network settings, firewall
settings, a secure website and email. Windows Small Business Server 2008
also includes Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server, which
provides virus, worm and spam protection for your company's email.
You can create an internal intranet based on Windows SharePoint Services
3.0, which enables you to post shared documents, company calendars, help
desk requests, surveys and discussion groups on your company's internal
website.
You can create and host websites that are accessible from the internet to
 share public information and resources over the web.
Remote access services are available for telecommuters and traveling
employees via a virtual private network (VPN) connection that provides a
secure, encrypted tunnel to your network over the internet.
The Premium Edition of Windows Small Business Server 2008 includes
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard for creating and managing your line-of-
business database applications.
Almost everyone is familiar with the Windows interface, which makes
Windows Small Business Server 2008 immediately accessible, even to less
technical users.

Many other features in Windows Small Business Server 2008 make it an ideal
server system for SMB clients. You can find a complete list of features on the
Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 website.

Benefits of Debian Linux 5.0

Debian Linux 5.0 (codenamed lenny)—a very popular choice for corporate
Linux installations—offers the following for SMB environments:

The Linux interface isn't as familiar as Windows; your IT staff should be familiar
with the Linux OS before making this choice.

It's based on the same open source Linux core that has been refined by
thousands of programmers over the past 15 years.
It supports the roles of file server and print server as part of its core
functionality.
Sendmail with SpamAssassin is included as well as a wizard for configuring
network settings, firewall settings and email during installation. Command-
line tools are also available for further customization.
You can create and host intranets and websites that are accessible from the
internet to share public information and resources over the web. Debian
Linux uses Apache Web Server for this purpose.
It provides out-of-the-box security features, including Secure Sockets Layer
(SSL), Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) and intrusion detection tools.
It includes MySQL, the open source database system that provides functions
similar to Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle.
Because Debian Linux is open source, you can obtain it for free!

To learn more about the many features that make Debian Linux a good
choice for SMB environments, visit the Debian website.

Preloaded server software

Although you can acquire the server OS separately and then install it on a
physical (hardware) server, purchasing a server with a preloaded OS is
common. In later lessons, you have the opportunity to learn how to configure
some features available with a server OS.

Installing the OS from scratch is beyond the scope of this class. However, if
you want to learn more, you're encouraged to continue your education on
Windows Small Business Server 2008 or Debian Linux by visiting the
Microsoft and Debian websites, respectively.

In addition to installing the software yourself, or buying a server with the OS

installed, you can also upgrade or migrate a server OS.

Upgrading server software

You can upgrade a variety of older Windows server systems to Windows Small
Business Server 2008 to improve functionality and security without having to
buy new hardware. Of course, your current server hardware must meet the
minimum requirements to provide adequate resources for the server OS.

Linux operating systems usually have a longer shelf life than Windows
versions, so you don't need to upgrade as often.

Visit the Microsoft and Debian websites to determine if you can upgrade your
server OS. Also check your hardware vendor's site, such as HP.com, to verify
whether your older server supports the newer OS.

Migrating server software

The other major installation path is migration. To migrate a server OS, you
should install the new server OS on a different physical server. (You can also
acquire a new server with the OS already loaded.) Then you transfer, or
migrate, user accounts, tasks and functions from the old server hardware to the
new server, as shown in Figure 2-1. Migrating from one OS vendor to
another—for example, from Windows to Linux or vice versa—is more difficult
than migrating within an OS family.

Figure 2-1: Migrating to a new server.

To learn more, search the Microsoft website for migrating to Windows Small
Business Server 2008 or the Debian website for migrating to Debian Linux.

Acquiring necessary licenses

You should also understand how the Microsoft Windows client access license
(CAL) works. Because a server provides resources to a certain number of
clients, each client or computer needs to have a license. When a home user
buys a computer with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium loaded, for
example, she also buys a single-user license. This license doesn't mean other
family members can't use it; it just means the OS is legally installed on only one
computer at a time.

These license restrictions aren't an issue with Debian Linux because it's an
open source OS.

You can purchase Windows Small Business Server 2008 installation DVDs or
preloaded on a physical server. You'll receive one server license and five
CALs. This means five computers can access the server simultaneously under
the default license arrangement. If more computers are going to connect to this
server (and that's the whole point of upgrading to a client-server network) at the
same time, you have to purchase additional CAL licenses. Each Windows
Small Business Server 2008 server can support up to 75 CALs.

Take the licensing agreement seriously—it represents a contractual

arrangement between your business and Microsoft. For more information
on licensing, search the Microsoft website or your vendor's website.
Now that you understand the essential features of a server OS, the next section
describes important features that help you run any server OS more efficiently.

Selecting server software: services you should not be without

The following sections briefly describe types of management and security
applications you should run with your server OS.

Remote management »  HP SAN product &

solution portfolio

Remote management is an important part of any network. You could just plug a
monitor and keyboard into your server hardware; however, if something goes
wrong at 2 a.m., your system administrator needs to be able to log onto the
server from home rather than come into the office. A remote management
solution gives your system administrator the ability to perform all necessary
tasks, from routine administration such as adding users to emergency
management, including powering down the server from anywhere, as shown in
Figure 2-2. Without this solution, a simple server reboot could take up to a few
hours, depending on your system administrator's commute from home to
office.

Figure 2-2: Remote management.

Remote management is a good business choice because:

A single system administrator can administer servers at multiple branches or

locations.
Emergency server management may be performed quickly, at any time, to
minimize downtime.
IT travel costs and overtime are targets for budget reduction.
Business goals usually require an increase in IT productivity.

If your network OS doesn't include remote management software, find a

compatible package or invest in a remote management hardware solution.

Security

No matter how small your business is, you need to pay attention to security.
Many security breaches occur because of outdated antivirus definitions and
patch levels. If your IT staff is often too busy to check for security updates for
the software your business uses, implementing automated security software is
a must. Automating routine tasks, such as updating virus definitions, reviewing
vulnerability reports and installing patches, benefits your business in several
ways—better security, healthy systems and increased IT staff productivity.

Performance management

If your web server is bogged down, visitors will leave your site. The average
website visitor is willing to wait less than five seconds for a website to load.
Performance management software proactively alerts you to potential
performance issues, enabling you to solve the problem before your customers
even notice, as shown in Figure 2-3. Ensure your choice of server OS includes
performance management features, or acquire third-party utilities to handle the
job.

Figure 2-3: Performance management.

There's a lot of information to consider when selecting a network OS and

maintenance software. You should be just as careful when selecting your
server hardware.

Selecting and acquiring server hardware

After selecting a network OS that meets your business needs, how do you
decide which hardware to use? In a way, it's similar to deciding which features
you want in a new car and then shopping for cars with those features.

Reviewing server specifications

»  HP ProLiant rack servers

The variety of hardware server solutions is vast, and a comprehensive survey

of all server vendors is beyond the scope of this class. Instead, this section
focuses on the most important features you should look for when acquiring a
physical server for your business: processor, memory, hard disk and network
capabilities.

The following sections focus on Windows Small Business Server 2008

because the requirements of that server OS are much higher than Debian
Linux.

Processor

At a minimum, you need a server with a 2 gigahertz (GHz) processor. Windows

Small Business Server 2008 supports up to four processors, so if you anticipate
significant growth, you should look for a motherboard that can handle multiple
processors. You can run the network OS with just one processor initially, and
then add processors as needed.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 is a 64-bit OS that requires 64-bit

hardware.

Memory

You need a minimum of 4 GB of RAM to run Windows Small Business Server

2008; however, you should install as much RAM as you can afford—up to a
maximum of 32 GB—to help ensure a smoothly running server.
Hard disk

Windows Small Business Server 2008 uses about 60 GB of hard disk space,
depending on the options you decide to install. When shopping for a server,
keep in mind the space you'll need to install other applications and store your
data. A typical server setup has at least two hard disks—one for the operating
system and applications and a separate hard disk to store data.

Look for a hot-swappable drive cage and hard drives, so you can remove a
damaged or nonfunctional hard drive and replace it while the system is
running.

Network capabilities

Your selected server must be compatible with your existing network, whether
it's based on 802.11 wireless or 10/100 wired Ethernet. You can purchase most
servers with either type of network card, or install a dual card that can handle
either type of connection.

It's typical for even an SMB network to operate at a data transfer speed of
100 Mbps. The server is usually linked to the connecting switch by 1,000
Mbps CAT 5 or fiber-optic cable.

Buying a server system

Now that you've read all about your options for server hardware, software and
OSs, how do you decide which server to buy? It's more important to find the
server that meets your business' unique needs than to buy the one with the
most impressive list of features.

Refer to your server OS vendor website for specific hardware requirements

before buying a particular server.

Your server is an integrated system of hardware, software, operating system,

technical support, storage, backup device and services. This system as a
whole should provide you with the features you need, such as reliability,
security, manageability and support.

Looking to the future: scalability

Although you might not need every top-of-the-line feature available, you should
realistically assess your anticipated growth for the next two to five years. Look
for a system with plenty of room to upgrade, because it's much easier, less
disruptive and less expensive to add more memory or storage space to an
existing server than to migrate to an entirely new system.

After you purchase a hardware server solution for your network, you need to
protect your investment. Read on to learn how.

The HP server buying guide can help you find the right server solution that
meets your requirements.

 
Protecting your investment
For many SMBs, a server represents a significant capital investment. Theft
probably isn't a significant concern, but loss of data and productivity certainly
is.

Disaster recovery plan

»  HP ProLiant tower servers

One of the most important things you can do to protect your server is to create
a disaster recovery plan. In the event of any manmade or natural disaster, this
plan becomes your organization's guide to restoring operations as quickly as
possible. A good disaster recovery plan should include the items in the
following sections, at a minimum.

Emergency contact information

Include emergency contact information for the disaster recovery team leader
and members. Key members of this team are your system administrator,
network engineer and other members of your IT staff with specialized
knowledge of your applications and information security. Another key member
is a business manager with the authority to authorize purchases and coordinate
with the larger enterprise in case it becomes necessary to shut down an entire
location. You should also include members of the facilities and public relations
departments.

A priority list of actions

This list is a set of actions to take when a disaster occurs and requires the
leader to balance the needs of the various departments involved in disaster
recovery. This task list should include, at a minimum:

Notify the disaster recovery team leader.

Assess the situation.
Bring the server back online.
Restore services.
Notify the business side that service is restored.

Server passwords

Disaster recovery plans exist to minimize the effects of a crisis situation.

Including server passwords in your disaster recovery plan provides two
benefits:

If your system administrator is unavailable, someone else can perform

emergency server tasks that require system passwords.
Crisis situations affect every individual differently. Some people think clearly
in a crisis, whereas others get flustered. Rather than relying on memory for
key information, such as passwords, it's much safer to have them recorded
in your disaster recovery plan.

Locations of documentation and backup media

This information needs to be stored in your disaster recovery plan for the same
reasons passwords should be saved. Documentation and backup media may
not be used every day, so they're often stored in a closet in the server room or
located offsite. When time is critical, you don't want your IT staff hunting for the
documentation they need or the backup media.

Your disaster recovery plan should be highly detailed, and it should

address specific priorities within your business.
For more detailed information on disaster recovery, check the HP Learning
center for disaster recovery classes.

UPSs

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) device ensures that your server and
related systems keep operating during a power failure. If you're running a
mission-critical application or an important data backup, all your work could be
ruined by even a brief power outage.

A UPS device connects to the alternating current (AC) power socket in the
server room, and electrical power flows through it continually, even under
normal operating conditions. A UPS conditions electrical power from the main
circuit, allowing a smoother, cleaner flow of power to enter the server. This
reduces the possibility of electrical spikes damaging delicate internal
components. The UPS also acts as a high-end surge protector to shield the
server from fluctuations in current. Additionally, the UPS has an onboard
battery that's constantly at full charge when power is flowing normally.

When AC power is interrupted, the UPS takes over and provides power to the
server. Keep in mind that a UPS battery has a finite charge, like any other
battery. A UPS isn't intended to keep your server running long term. Its primary
goal is to keep electrical power flowing to the server long enough for all data to
be saved to disk and for the server to be shut down correctly.

Backup devices

Although backups might seem mundane, perhaps no other function is more

vital in terms of server maintenance. A disk-to-disk backup solution is currently
the most popular, in which data is replicated to an array of disks on the
network, usually in a remote, protected location. Cloud backups, which
continuously back up data to a third-party site across the internet, are also
gaining popularity.

Many companies still use tape to create and store backups, either as a primary
form of backup or as long-term storage in a disk-to-disk-to-tape solution. You
can select from several types of tapes, but the linear tape-open (LTO) format
has the fastest access rates and the highest maximum compressed storage
capacity—1.6 TB.

The capacity of tape drives is expressed as a 2:1 ratio of compressed and

uncompressed storage. For example, an LTO 1.6 TB drive has an 800 GB
native (uncompressed) storage capacity and a compressed capacity of 1.6
TB.

If the amount of data to be backed up exceeds a tape cartridge's capacity,

someone has to be physically present to change tape cartridges. However, you
can also install an autoloader, which holds several tapes and loads them into
the drive seamlessly. Companies that need a lot of backup capacity should
consider a tape library, which enables you to back up data from many servers
to a single library over a network.

Backup software and schedules

Although you can acquire specialized backup software that largely automates
the backup process, Windows Small Business Server 2008 has a wizard for
configuring routine server backups easily, and the software supports most tape
drive formats.

To start the Backup Configuration Wizard, click Configure server backup on the
Windows SBS Console Backup and Server Storage tab. This wizard allows you
to configure several options:

Identify the storage location for your backups.

Decide whether you wish to backup your entire server or select specific data
for the backup.
Select a backup schedule.

This lesson doesn't describe a detailed strategy for setting up a backup

schedule and routine, but you should be aware of a few details. Usually, a
backup of all data is done once a week, most often on Saturday or Sunday. For
the remaining weekdays, only the data that has changed from the previous day
is backed up. This schedule requires at least one tape per day for a seven-day
week. Assigning a specific person to be responsible for changing and storing
the tapes is recommended.

Standard procedure usually requires storing tapes offsite in a safe location.

Depending on how important your business data is, consider a fireproof and
waterproof safe. Some organizations hire firms that specialize in data storage.
What's important is keeping your tape backups in a place where damage or
loss is extremely unlikely, and keeping them at a nearby location in case your
server crashes and you need to recover data in a hurry.

Recovering data with backups

Your backup plan is only as good as your ability to recover data in a disaster.
Windows Small Business Server 2008 server has a standard procedure for
data recovery. In a worst-case scenario, you also need access to the original
installation media and the product key because you'll have to go through most
of the installation routine again.

When setting up and maintaining any server, configuring a backup and restore
routine is essential. You should become familiar with this routine and test it
regularly to make sure the system works.

Technical support and warranty

Just like clients, servers occasionally encounter problems. Unfortunately, while
a crashed workstation is an inconvenience, a crashed server can bring
productivity across your business to a halt. You should find out which level of
technical support is provided by your server vendor, and make sure you're
familiar with the terms of the server's warranty and upgrade the level, if needed,
to ensure the coverage that best supports your business.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned how to assess your organization's need for a server
and how to select a server OS, hardware and backup solution based on your
organization's requirements. In Lesson 3, you'll learn about the file and printer
sharing server role and how to configure it. Before you move on, complete the
assignment and take the quiz.

Assignment #2
For this assignment:

1. Create a spreadsheet containing information you learned in Lesson 2 about server OSs and
server hardware. Add columns for Cost, Technical Support Plans and Technical Support
Cost. As you work through the remainder of steps in this assignment, fill in your spreadsheet
appropriately.
2. Go to the Windows Small Business Server 2008 homepage on the Microsoft website, and
then click the Product Information link. Review the features this operating system offers.
Search for and read about Microsoft's technical support plans.

In addition, read some case studies to learn how other organizations have benefitted from
Windows Small Business Server 2008.

1. Visit the Debian Linux website. Locate and read the specifications and benefits of Debian
Linux for SMBs and find technical support information.

Quiz #2
Question 1:
Besides buying a server with preloaded software, which of the following installation paths can you use for a
server OS? (Check all that apply.)
A) Advancement
B) Migration
C) Remote assistance
D) Upgrade
 
Question 2:
Besides buying the OS, what else do you need to buy from Microsoft for a Windows Small Business Server
2008 network of 50 workstations?
A) Client access licenses
B) Computer access licenses
C) Computer address licenses
D) Client address licenses
 
Question 3:
True or False: A UPS enables a server to operate long enough to save data and shut down the server correctly
during a power outage.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 4:
Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Debian Linux have a wizard for configuring which of the following?
(Check all that apply.)
A) Network settings
B) Firewall settings
C) User preferences
D) Email
 
Question 5:
True or False: Most RAID configurations use hot-swappable hard drives to achieve optimal reliability.
A) True
B) False
 

Configuring file and print sharing

File and print sharing is the most common server role in most organizations. In this lesson, you'll learn how to
configure a file and print server. You'll also understand the benefits of having a file and print server on your
business network.
 

Exploring file and print sharing

Welcome back. In Lesson 2, you learned to assess your need for a server and
select an operating system, server hardware and backup solution. In this
lesson, you'll find out what file and print sharing means, and learn how to
configure the services associated with sharing files and printers across a
network.

»  HP ProLiant essentials
Of all the server roles, file and print sharing is the most widely used. Even rapid deployment pack
people who are unfamiliar with server roles are aware that servers can store
information and manage printing functions on a network. However, they might
not understand how they can access files as though they're stored on their own
client workstations, or manage print jobs as though the printer were connected
directly to their computers.

What's a file-sharing server?

A file-sharing server is a server role or service that stores an organization's

collective data in a central location, as shown in Figure 3-1. Instead of
employees storing their documents, spreadsheets and other work on their own
workstation hard drives, they save them on the server's hard drive. From the
employee's point of view, it's no more difficult than saving data to a local
machine.
Figure 3-1: File sharing server.

Enlarge image

Although access to the server file system, including the OS and all network
applications, is restricted to just a few staff responsible for maintenance, certain
areas of the file structure are shared on the network. Server administrators set
up permissions that enable users—usually groups of users—to access shared
files related to their job functions and prevent them from opening, copying or
modifying restricted files.

What's a print server?

A print server is a server role or service, or a standalone device, configured to

share printers in the same way a server shares other resources on the network,
as shown in Figure 3-2. After you configure the server, users can see shared
printers on their workstations. Users can send print jobs to the printers of their
choice, just as if the printers were directly connected to their workstations.

Figure 3-2: Print server.

Enlarge image

Servers can be physically associated with printers in one of two ways:

You can connect the server directly to a print device with a parallel printer
cable or USB cable.
You can connect the server to the print device over the network.

Printers connected directly to servers aren't as common. Servers are usually

located in central areas (server closets or rooms) with other network
equipment, where it's inconvenient to place printers. Most users wouldn't be
able to go to this location to retrieve print jobs because server closets are
usually locked and accessible only to network administrative personnel.

Placing printers in work areas is preferable, but when they're located away from
the server, they must be connected directly to the network with a NIC and a
data cable. You must also assign an IP address to each network printer
consistent with the network addressing scheme.

A print server acts like a relay station between the client and the printer. When
a user sends a print job to a printer, the server spools the print job. This means
the server uses its hard drive and memory resources to process the print job
and sends only the actual data to be printed to the print device. This method
usually results in faster printing because the print device doesn't have to use
much of its onboard memory to process the print job.

Like shared files, you can configure printers with permissions so that only
certain people or groups can access them. Although printer access is rarely a
security issue, sometimes printers are reserved for particular types of work. For
example, a color HP LaserJet printer might be reserved for the graphics
department, which needs to produce photo-quality print jobs that other
employees don't require. Setting a printer's permissions for restricted access
protects it from being used by others inadvertently or intentionally.

What are the benefits?

The following are benefits of a file and print server:

Highly available: Under normal circumstances, servers are left on constantly

and are powered down or disconnected only for scheduled maintenance,
usually when the network isn't in use. This means shared folders and
printers on the server are always available for use on the network.

With more storage space, more memory, faster processors and faster
network connections than workstations, the shares on a server are more
reliably available for network users. (You'll learn about shares and file
sharing in the next section.)

Dedicated resources: A dedicated file and print server's only purpose is to

provide those services to network users, and all its resources are devoted to
those tasks.
Protection: Business data that's shared and stored on the server is protected
from damage or loss by a system failure. In fact, of all the server roles, the
file and print server is usually one of the most well-protected and valuable
servers on the network.

Now that you've seen the value this server role adds to your business, read on
to learn how to configure file sharing and printer sharing.
 The HP server buying guide can help you find the right server solution that
meets your requirements.

Configuring file sharing

Resources are shared on a client-server network by creating shares. A share
represents a folder (and its files), a printer or other network devices that
employees use on your network. On most networks, files are the most
commonly shared resource.

Configuring file sharing in Windows »  HP BladeSystem

In Windows Small Business Server 2008, double-click the Windows SBS

Console icon on the desktop. The SBS Console appears, as shown in Figure 3-
3. You use this window for a wide variety of server configuration and
management tasks. To go directly to the area you want to manage, click the
corresponding tab at the top of the SBS Console window.

Figure 3-3: The Windows SBS Console.

Enlarge image

To configure file sharing in Windows, follow these steps:

1. Click the Shared Folders and Web Sites tab. As shown in Figure 3-4,
this displays all folders shared by default on the server with their share
names, folder paths (locations), free space and storage quotas.

Figure 3-4: The Shared Folders and Web Sites tab.

Enlarge image
 1. To the right of the folders list are links for creating and managing shares.
Click the Add a new shared folder link. The Provision a Shared Folder
Wizard starts.
2. In the first screen of the wizard, the Shared Folder Location screen, you
have the option of typing the path to the folder you want to share or
browsing to the folder's location. Click Browse to navigate to the folder
you want to share.
3. In the Browse For Folder dialog box, expand the root folder and then
select the name of the folder to be shared.
4. Click OK, and the location of the folder you want to share is
automatically entered in the Location text box, as shown in Figure 3-5.
Click Next.

Figure 3-5: The folder path has been entered.

Enlarge image

1. In the NTFS Permissions screen shown in Figure 3-6, you can leave the
default NTFS permissions for the folder or change them. For this
example, ensure that the No, do not change NTFS permissions option is
selected, and then click Next.

Figure 3-6: The NTFS Permissions screen.

Enlarge image

1. In the Share Protocols screen shown in Figure 3-7, ensure the SMB
checkbox is checked to allow users to access the shared folder using
the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. Click Next.
Figure 3-7: The Share Protocols screen.

Enlarge image

Linux systems sometimes use the Network File System (NFS) protocol to
connect to a server, but the SMB approach is more common.

1. In the SMB Settings screen shown in Figure 3-8, you may provide a
description of your shared folder that will help users understand the
purpose of the share, and then click Next.

Figure 3-8: The SMB Settings screen.

Enlarge image

1. The next screen of the wizard is the SMB Permissions screen. You may
select the permissions option you desire from the list of available
choices:

All users and groups have only Read access

Administrators have Full Control; all other users and groups have only Read
access
Administrators have Full Control; all other users and groups have only Read
access and Write access
Users and groups have custom share permissions

Read access means any user connected to the network can see
the folder and its contents, but users cannot modify, save or
delete that folder and the information it contains. Write access
allows users to write information to the folder. Select the option
you desire and then click Next.
 1. The Quota Policy screen allows you to place a quota on the folder that
limits its maximum size. Let's skip the quota for our shared folder—you
can set it another time. Click Next.
2. In the File Screen Policy screen, Windows Small Business Server 2008
allows you to limit the types of files contained in the shared folder. You
can skip the settings for now, so click Next.
3. The DFS Namespace Publishing screen appears. You don't need this
advanced functionality on a simple network, so click Next.
4. The wizard presents the Review Settings and Create Share screen,
shown in Figure 3-9. Take a moment to scroll through the share folder
settings and ensure they match your intent. When you're ready to create
the share, click Create.

Figure 3-9: The Review Settings and Create Share screen.

Enlarge image

Once Windows Small Business Server 2008 finishes creating the share, you'll
see a Confirmation screen indicating your share was successfully created.
Click Close to end the wizard. The share is now available to authorized users.

See how to configure file sharing in Windows.

Configuring file sharing in Linux

File sharing is configured on a Debian Linux server by using a file and print
server package called Samba, which comes with the full set of Debian Linux
installation media. Samba allows Windows workstations to access files stored
on a Linux server as though those files were stored on a Windows server.

If you don't already have Samba installed, enter the following at a

command prompt: apt-get install samba. Follow the prompts to install the
package, selecting the default choices.

To configure file sharing in Linux, follow these steps:

1. Create a mountpoint in the server's filesystem. To do this, create a new

folder in the filesystem.

For the purposes of this class, a mountpoint is a directory or folder on a

Linux server that's mapped to a drive on a Windows workstation. It's
 analogous to a Windows share.

1. Right-click the folder, and then select Share Folder.

2. Select Windows networks (SMB) from the drop-down list.
3. Uncheck the Read only checkbox (if desired), and then click Share.
4. Right-click the shared folder, select Properties and set its permissions to
allow users and groups to access it.
5. Restart the Samba file server using the following command at a
command prompt:

/etc/init.d/samba restart

From this point on, you can configure each workstation to connect to the
server.

You can fine-tune Samba by editing a configuration file that's usually located in
the /etc/samba folder. The Samba file and print server package has a multitude
of configuration options, so describing every option is beyond the scope of this
class. Luckily, you can find a wealth of documentation at the Samba website.

See how to configure file sharing in Linux.

Now that you know how to configure file shares, learn how to access shared
files and folders on your network.

Accessing shared files and folders

Assume you're part of a team that needs to create and share a common set of
files. Only your workgroup should have access to read these files, however. To
make sure no one else in your organization (or outside the network) can access
the files, you create a shared folder on the server and then assign permissions
for that folder only to your workgroup.

»  HP ProCurve networking
To see shared resources on your network in Microsoft Windows 7, select Start portfolio
> Computer. On the left side of the screen, select the Network option. All
shared folders and devices are listed in the Network window.

By default, every user on a Windows Small Business Server 2008 server

has a shared folder located in the UserShares share. The default
permissions for these folders restrict access to the named user.

Of course, there's a little more to it than that. For example, all users and all
computers accessing the server must be configured in the server. In addition,
users generally belong to groups on the network.

Using groups

Instead of giving each user specific permissions for network resources, put all
users into a few groups, perhaps by department or project, and then give the
groups permissions for the files they share. Only the applicable group is given
permission to access its shared files. Your group can allow others to read your
group's files but not modify them, however. This option is helpful if other
departments need to access your work for informational purposes, but you
want to protect your work from being changed.
The benefits of partitioning

As you've learned, servers generally have more than one hard drive. If they
have only one drive, it's usually separated into at least two partitions. The OS
and additional components are often loaded on the first drive or partition, and
all data is saved to the second one. This arrangement makes backing up data
files easier. Figure 3-10 shows a breakdown of a server with no partitions, a
partition and multiple partitions.

Figure 3-10: No partitions, a partition and multiple partitions.

Remember that you don't have to back up the complete contents of server
drives. If the OS or an application is damaged, you can use the original
installation disks to repair or reinstall these programs. Because you create data
files, however, the only original source is what you have saved to the server. Of
course, you could also save files to your workstation's local hard drive, but this
method is inefficient and risky. Files saved on local machines aren't
synchronized with the main file on the server. Therefore, members of a team
could end up saving different copies of the same work, or inadvertently
overwrite another person's work as shown in Figure 3-11.

Figure 3-11: Multiple versions of a document cause inefficiencies and possible

data loss.

Some companies have policies against saving business documents to local

machines or any medium other than the disk space allotted on the company's
server. This rule includes sending data as email attachments or other uploads
across the internet or saving it to removable media, such as CDs, DVDs or
universal serial bus (USB) thumb drives. This policy prevents sensitive
company data from being removed from the premises, where it could be
accidentally or purposefully acquired by competitors or other unauthorized
parties.
Mapping network drives

Another way to access a shared folder on a server is to map a drive to a share

on the network server, as shown in Figure 3-12. The term mapped drive is a
little misleading because it implies there's a connection between your computer
and a remotely located drive. You can map a connection between your
computer and a shared folder on a server, but the mapping appears in the
Computer section on your workstation as though it's a local drive and is
assigned a drive letter.

Figure 3-12: Mapping network drives.

Most people who have used Microsoft Windows understand that drives are
assigned letters of the alphabet to identify them. The main hard drive is called
the C: drive, and the CD/DVD drive is usually the D: drive. Other physical hard
drives or partitions can have any higher letter designation. You can assign a
mapped drive any letter between E: and Z:, and it appears as though it's a
separate hard drive.

In the early days of PCs, computers often had two floppy drives, labeled A:
and B:, because floppy disks were the primary method of transferring data.
Today, most computers do not come with floppy drives, but the A: and B:
drive letters are generally not used for other purposes.

It's easy to map a network drive in Windows 7:

1. Open Windows Explorer, scroll down and expand Network, select the
remote computer (such as a server or any networked computer), right-
click the folder you want to map to and select Map network drive.
2. The drive letter is set to Z: by default. Click the Drive list arrow if you
wish to change it, and select any letter not currently used by another
drive.

Some devices, such as USB digital cameras, are configured by default to

use a particular drive letter when connecting to a computer to upload their
data. If you have a mapped or other type of drive using that letter (usually
E:), you might encounter problems connecting the camera to your
computer. For this reason, it's best to use the higher letters of the alphabet
(F: and above) when choosing a mapping letter.

1. Click Finish.

Now when you want to save a file to your team's folder on the company server,
for example, you just select File > Save As in the program you're using, and
then navigate to your mapped drive. Give your document a name if necessary,
and then click Save. The document is saved to your team's shared folder on
the server.
 See how to map a network drive.

Because file sharing and print sharing are two separate functions, they're
configured by using two separate processes. You'll learn how to configure a
shared printer next.

Configuring a shared printer

Configuring a shared printer requires a few more steps than configuring file
shares. By following the steps outlined here, you can see the differences in
configuration tasks in network OSs.

Configuring printer sharing in Windows

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rapid deployment pack
To create a shared printer in Windows Small Business Server 2008, follow
these steps:

1. Click the Server Manager icon in the taskbar. The Server Manager
window opens, as shown in Figure 3-13.

Figure 3-13: The Server Manager window.

Enlarge image

1. In the tree view on the left side of the Server Manager window, click
Roles to expand it.
2. Click the Add roles link. The Add Roles Wizard starts.
3. Read the initial wizard screen and click Next.
4. In the Select Server Roles screen, select the Print Services role, as
shown in Figure 3-14. Click Next.
Figure 3-14: The Select Server Roles screen.

Enlarge image

1. After reading the Introduction to Print Services, click Next.

2. In the Select Role Services screen, you can select among the Print
Server, LDP Service and Internet Printing role service options. Check
the Print Server option and click Next.
3. Click Install on the Confirm Installation Selections screen to configure
the Print Server role on your system.
4. When the Installation Results screen confirms a successful installation,
click Close to exit the wizard.
5. Restart your server.

Now that you've created a Print Server role on your server, the next set of steps
show you how to set up a shared network printer:

1. From the Start menu, select Administrative Tools > Print Management.
The Print Management tool.
2. In the left pane, expand the Print Servers list and the item corresponding
to your server name, as shown in Figure 3-15.

Figure 3-15: The Print Management tool.

Enlarge image

1. Right-click Printers, and then select Add Printer from the shortcut menu.
The Network Printer Installation Wizard starts.
2. In the Printer Installation screen, shown in Figure 3-16, ensure the Add a
TCP/IP or Web Services Printer by IP address or hostname option is
selected and click Next.
Figure 3-16: The Printer Installation screen.

Enlarge image

1. In the Printer Address screen, shown in Figure 3-17, select the

Autodetect device type and provide the Domain Name System (DNS)
name or IP address of your printer in the Printer name or IP address
field. Click Next.

Figure 3-17: The Printer Address screen.

Enlarge image

1. Wait while Windows Small Business Server 2008 detects the

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) port. This may
take several minutes. When the screen advances to the Printer Name
and Sharing Settings screen, provide a name for your printer in the
Printer Name text box, if necessary, and ensure the Share this printer
option is selected. Click Next.

Figure 3-18: The Printer Name and Sharing Settings screen.

Enlarge image

1. Review the configuration settings on the Printer Found screen and click
Next.
2. Wait for the driver to install properly, and then click Finish to close the
Network Printer Installation Wizard.

The printer is now shared on the network and should be visible to all client
systems that access the server's resources. The first time you double-click the
printer icon, you see a message asking whether you want to load the printer
drivers for this device. Click OK to load the drivers from the server. From that
point forward, the printer will be available within all applications.

See how to configure printer sharing in Windows.

Configuring printer sharing in Linux

To share a printer on a Debian Linux server, follow these general steps:

1. Configure your network printer with a static IP address (following the

manufacturer's directions). Make sure the printer can accept
connections on port 9100—the default port for raw print data.
2. Using the Printing tool (located on the Administration pull-down menu in
GNOME), set up the network printer in the Common Unix Printing
System (CUPS) print queue.
3. Add the following lines to the /etc/samba/smb.conf configuration file
using a text editor:

[printers]
path = /var/spool/samba
printable = yes
guest ok = yes
use client driver = yes
browseable = yes

1. Restart the Samba and CUPS services.

2. Create the shared printer on each Windows workstation, using the steps
in the "Configuring printer sharing in Windows" section of this lesson.

After the shared printer is set up, the users on your network can print to it as
though it were connected directly to their workstations.

See how to configure printer sharing in Linux.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned what a file and print server does on the network and
the benefits of sharing these resources on your network. You also learned how
to install and configure file and print sharing on your Windows Small Business
Server 2008 or Debian Linux server. In Lesson 4, you'll learn how to install and
configure a database server, and see the benefits of having this type of server
on your network. Before you move on, complete the assignment and take the
quiz to reinforce what you learned in the lesson.

Assignment #3
For this assignment:

1. If you have a file or folder stored on your server that you access frequently, you can create a
shortcut to it and place the shortcut on your workstation desktop. Double-clicking the shortcut
opens the file or folder immediately. Because this resource is stored on the server, not your
workstation, you might not know the exact path to its location in the file system.

To locate the path, right-click the shortcut icon and select Properties. The path is
usually displayed in the Target text box. Click the Security tab and review the
permissions for that file or folder.

1. Map a new network drive on a client computer to any shared folder on your server.
2. Download a printer driver from the HP website and install it on your server system, or add a
new printer on a Linux server. (You don't have to have the physical printer installed to
complete this step.) Share the printer and then test access from a client computer.

Quiz #3
Question 1:
Which protocol automatically assigns IP addresses to workstations on a network?
A) DHCP
B) DNS
C) FTP
D) HTML
 
Question 2:
Which term describes a print server using its own resources to process print jobs?
A) Caching
B) Forwarding
C) Spooling
D) Reeling
 
Question 3:
Why are static IP addresses used for network devices such as printers, servers and switches?
A) Static IP addresses are a feature of network OSs.
B) Static IP addresses don't change, so finding network devices is faster and easier.
C) Configuring dynamic IP addresses is too time-consuming.
D) Static IP addresses should never be used on a network.
 
Question 4:
Which of the following is the most commonly shared resource on a network?
A) Files
B) Printers
C) Routers
D) Servers
 
Question 5:
In Linux, which of the following is analogous to a Windows share?
A) Filepoint
B) Share point
C) Directory point
D) Mountpoint
 

Configuring a database server

In this lesson, you'll learn what a database is, and why you need a server to host a database on your network.
You'll also learn how to configure a database server and understand the benefits of managing a database
server in your own company.
 

What's a database?
Welcome back. Now that you know how to configure a server for file and print
sharing, you're ready to look at three common uses of servers, or server roles:
database, email and web. This lesson covers databases and database
software installation. You'll learn about email servers in Lesson 5 and web
servers in Lesson 6. »  HP StorageWorks 4/8
Base SAN switch and HP
StorageWorks 4/8 SAN
A database is a collection of information, data tables and other items organized switch
in such a way that these items can be searched and managed in a hierarchical
and relational manner. Companies usually keep records on a multitude of
subjects that need to be interrelated in some way—customers, vendors,
inventory, sales, accounts payable, sales staff and more.

Database structure

Databases are composed of three major building blocks:

Entities: Any person, place, object, event or idea for which you want to store
and process data. In other words, an entity represents a particular thing you
want to store in the database.
Attributes: A characteristic or property of an entity. You can categorize an
entity of customers, for example, by a variety of attributes, including name,
address, phone number and email address. Attributes in a database are
often represented as fields or columns in a table.
Relationships: An association of some sort between entities. For example,
there are relationships between vendors and inventory, and between
customers and accounts. A relationship between two different entities is
called a one-to-one relationship. A relationship between one entity and
multiple other entities is called a one-to-many relationship.

Putting these building blocks together, a database is a structure that stores

information about multiple types of data, attributes of those entities and
relationships between those entities. The way in which the information is stored
allows you to search for and sort information by multiple criteria. The database
then presents information based on search and sort parameters, as shown in
Figure 4-1.

Figure 4-1: A database.

Sorting and filtering information

Being able to sort and filter information is important. For example, you're trying
to buy a book about database administration at Amazon.com, but you don't
want to wade through all the information in Amazon's databases to get to the
book you're looking for. Fortunately, you don't have to. You can select the
category Books, and then type the book title or, if you don't know it, a subject,
such as database administration, and then click Go. Your web browser then
displays a list of books matching your database search parameters.

That list doesn't actually exist, at least not as you're seeing it in your browser.
By creating search parameters, only the information stored in the database that
meets those criteria are displayed in the browser window. Each entry for a
book is an entity with the common attribute of having database administration
as its subject. There's a one-to-one relationship between books and "database
administration," and the entity information is presented based on the attributes
and relationship data you requested.

Business benefits

There are tremendous benefits to database processing. Managing a database

server enables you to:

Control your company's stored information and get more information from
the same amount of data: By administering your own database server, you
can collect all the company's data in one place and make sure it's safe
through fault-tolerance and backup solutions. You can also manipulate and
collate that information in a variety of ways, based on its relationships.
Control the level of security for information in your database: Anyone with
access to the database must have permission to view it, but only someone
with administrative rights can access the raw data and modify it.

Databases grow as your company grows, and the capability to handle this
growth is called scalability. By selecting a database server capable of
scalability, you don't have to be concerned that your storage space won't
expand when needed.

Dramatically improve productivity in a company: You can store, review and

manipulate inventory, sales force and customer base information. Plus, the
human resource and payroll departments can run secure databases to
organize these internal information groups more efficiently.
Enable different users to have simultaneous access to the same information:
Users aren't blocked from accessing a database record just because
someone else is currently using it.

Databases are as much a part of a company as its name and the product or
service it offers. Managing a business without managing a database would be
almost impossible. Now that you understand what a database is and its
benefits to your business, read on to learn about a server's role in databases.

What's a database server?

A database server is both a hardware and software solution. Here you learn
what you should look for in a database server's hardware and software
components.

Hardware component
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For the hardware component of a database server, you need a machine with
high storage capacity and separate areas (partitions or hard drives) for the
network OS, the database program and the stored data. Large applications
require a lot of RAM to operate correctly, so your server should be equipped
with enough memory and a fast processor with a large cache size. Also,
because large amounts of information travel to and from the database server,
you need a fast network connection, usually Gigabit Ethernet, so that database
transfers don't cause bottlenecks in network traffic.

Whereas a single server can often manage file and printer sharing (as
discussed in Lesson 3), a database server needs to be dedicated for just that
purpose. Expecting a database server to play another role splits hardware
resources and slows performance of both roles below an acceptable level on a
business network.

Keep these hardware considerations in mind when using a database server:

Protect your data: If your database server fails and you have no method of
disaster recovery, you lose your data and you could be out of business.
Always back up your data: How you back up a database server is different
from how you back up a file and print server. In addition, you must make
sure nothing causes a slowdown on your database server when performing
backups.

If you use tape as a backup media, don't install the tape drive in the database
server. You don't want the drive channels for storage drives and the tape drive
to compete. It's better to back up to a tape drive on another machine, which
can be a different server or a standalone tape device attached to the server by
a separate data channel.

Whereas a file and print server can use a single hard drive—partitioned into
logical drives or functioning as one drive—even a small, low-end database
server needs to run some form of RAID for fault tolerance and redundancy. The
most common is RAID 5, which uses a minimum of three drives. If one drive
fails, you can hot-swap a new drive for the damaged one, and data lost on the
damaged drive is rebuilt on the new drive from redundant data on the two
undamaged drives.

Another issue with hard drive storage space is that databases almost always
grow over time. Therefore, you can't use a drive that's the same size as your
current amount of data. You have to purchase enough storage space to meet
your future needs, or your hardware must allow adding drives to your server as
your storage needs grow.

Many databases must be available around the clock. To prevent a shutdown

from happening, consider investing in the following:

UPS: Power outages do happen, so you should invest in a UPS solution for
your database server. After installing the UPS, test it regularly to ensure it's
working properly and the battery is fully charged.
Extra processor: A single fast processor is good, but consider buying a
database server with multiple processors. Remember that your database will
grow in size, and it's likely that demand to access the database will increase
over time. Even a very fast processor can be a bottleneck on a database
server if it's handling a large number of access requests.
More RAM: By adding RAM, you can improve the performance of a server
with even an average CPU. Adding additional memory to a server is often
one of the least expensive and most effective ways to increase server
performance.

Make sure your server's motherboard and basic input/output system (BIOS)
can accept upgrades of all these major components. Upgrading older designs
might require buying a new server, an expensive proposition you want to
avoid.

You can save money by using inexpensive monitors, video cards and sound
cards. In fact, many database servers are only accessed remotely and don't
have these components.

Many different hardware configurations are used with database servers, but a
complete discussion is beyond the scope of this class. Clustering, network
attached storage (NAS), storage area network (SAN), Fibre Channel, internet
Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) and the like are advanced subjects
you can pursue if you want to know more about database servers.
 The HP server buying guide can help you find the right server solution that
meets your requirements.

Software component

The software component is the heart of the database server. Highly specific
and powerful programs called database management systems (DBMSs) are
designed and configured to compile, organize and manage database
information. These are the most popular DBMS programs:

Microsoft SQL Server

Oracle
MySQL

DBMS programs, like the databases they manage, are huge, requiring a lot of
storage. A DBMS isn't part of the operating system—it is application software
that you install on top of an existing operating system. Microsoft SQL Server
runs only on Windows. You can install Oracle and MySQL on any major
modern operating system. They run effectively on Windows, Debian Linux or
many of the other Linux variants available on the market.

All of these databases use Structured Query Language (SQL) to provide a

common interface for users. All database professionals use SQL and, if you
intend to work with databases, you should invest the time to learn this
important language.

Selecting the DBMS that best meets your needs

Examine all your options before choosing a DBMS. If your server is running
Windows Small Business Server 2008, you might decide to use Microsoft SQL
Server to stay with Microsoft products. However, don't discount MySQL and
Oracle—both run on Windows as well as Linux.

The three DBMSs discussed here are all based on the SQL standard, but each
adds some functionality not covered by the SQL standard. Select the DBMS
solution that will grow with your business, because migrating from one platform
to another can be tricky. Keep these points of comparison in mind when
assessing DBMSs:

MySQL is the closest of the three to the SQL standard. It's also an open
source solution, with an active support community and professional support
available. Some of the largest corporations use MySQL to run their
database-driven applications.
Oracle is expensive, but it adds security, data integrity and development
features the others don't have. Oracle once held the major share of the
enterprise database market, but Microsoft and MySQL now each enjoy
substantial portions of the market.
Microsoft SQL Server is the easiest to administer because of its familiar
graphical interface. It's closely integrated with the Windows operating system
and is the best choice for experienced Windows administrators embarking
upon their first database administration adventure.

Another factor is scalability. You should select a DBMS that can grow with your
business or offer an easy upgrade path. These two signals tell you it's time to
upgrade:

General slowdown in the database: If you're consistently pushing the limits

of the number of connections or the amount of data your DBMS can easily
handle, consider upgrading.
Decreased reliability: Overloaded databases tend to crash more often than
those that are working well within their limits.
Before you make a final decision, spend time reviewing the features, costs and
requirements of each product by exploring the Microsoft, MySQL and Oracle
websites. This will enable you to select the one that best matches your
business infrastructure and goals. After selecting a DMBS solution, you need to
know how to set it up. Read on to learn how to configure a database server.

A database administrator (DBA) is an expert who manages the DBMS, but

any user can access the database by using the DBMS. Sometimes another
program—created with languages such as C++, Java, Perl or Visual
Basic—acts as an intermediary between users and the DBMS.

Installing a database server

There are a variety of hardware, network OS and DBMS solutions for a
database server, but discussing all of them is beyond the scope of this lesson.
For that reason, Windows Server 2008 and Debian Linux are used again as
examples of server operating systems. Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (bundled
with the Premium Edition of Windows Small Business Server 2008, not the
Standard Edition) and MySQL (for use in Debian Linux) are used as examples
of how DBMSs operate. »  HP ProLiant tower servers

The premise of this class is that you have a server with Windows Small
Business Server 2008 or Debian Linux already installed. In Lesson 3, you
learned to configure a file and print server. Now you'll install a DBMS program
so you can configure your machine as a dedicated database server.

You may install SQL Server 2008 on your Windows Small Business Server
2008 server, but Microsoft recommends the use of a separate server for
your database.

Installing SQL Server 2008

To install SQL Server 2008, follow these steps:

1. Insert the SQL Server 2008 installation disc into your server's DVD-
ROM drive. The disc should automatically play. Click the Run
SETUP.EXE link in the autoplay window. The SQL Server Installation
Center window appears, as shown in Figure 4-2.

Figure 4-2: The SQL Server 2008 Installation Center.

Enlarge image
Before installing SQL Server 2008, you must have the current version of the
Microsoft .NET Framework and Microsoft Update installed. If the installer
detects one of these components is missing, it will prompt you to install it
before proceeding.

1. Click the Installation link on the left side of the screen, and then click
New SQL Server stand-alone installation or add features to an existing
installation.
2. After a brief wait, the Setup Support Rules screen appears, as shown in
Figure 4-3. This screen notifies you of any issues that must be corrected
before beginning setup. After reviewing the screen and resolving any
issues, click OK to continue the installation.

Figure 4-3: The Setup Support Rules screen.

Enlarge image

1. In the Product Key screen, either enter your product key (if you
purchased a Windows SBS 2008 or SQL Server 2008 license) or select
Enterprise Evaluation (if you're using Windows SBS 2008 on a trial
basis). Click Next to continue.
2. In the License Terms screen, click I accept the license terms and click
Next.
3. In the Setup Support Files screen, click Install to begin the support file
installation process. This will take several minutes to complete.
4. When the support file installation finishes, review the installation results
shown in the Setup Support Rules screen, as shown in Figure 4-4. Click
and read any warnings, and take action if directed. Click Next.

Figure 4-4: Completed support file installation.

Enlarge image

1. In the Feature Selection screen, check the Database Engine Services

 checkbox, as shown in Figure 4-5. You may also install any other
features you desire. Click Next.

Figure 4-5: The Feature Selection screen.

Enlarge image

1. In the Instance Configuration screen, you have the option to install a

named instance of SQL. For this example, check Default instance, and
then click Next.
2. Review the Disk Usage Summary on the Disk Space Requirements
screen, and then click Next.
3. The Server Configuration screen shown in Figure 4-6 appears. Provide
user names and passwords for the SQL Server Agent and SQL Server
Database Engine services, and then click Next.

Figure 4-6: The Server Configuration screen.

Enlarge image

1. The Database Engine Configuration screen shown in Figure 4-7

specifies which method of authentication to use for accessing SQL. If
you select Mixed Mode, you may have local database accounts in
addition to domain accounts. Microsoft recommends that you accept the
default Windows authentication mode option.
Figure 4-7: The Database Engine Configuration screen.

Enlarge image

Specify one or more Windows accounts to serve as SQL Server

administrators with unlimited access to the database engine by
using the Add Current User or Add button. When you're finished,
click Next.

1. Click Next to advance past the Error and Usage Reporting screen.
2. Review the Installation Rules screen for any problems that might
prevent SQL Server 2008 installation, and then click Next.
3. In the summary screen shown in Figure 4-8, click Install. (If you need to
make any changes, click the Back button first, make the changes, return
to this screen and click Install.)

Figure 4-8: The Ready to Install summary screen.

Enlarge image

1. When installation completes, click Next and then click Close to end the
SQL Server 2008 Setup program. Close the SQL Server Installation
Center window.
2. Select Start > All Programs to verify that Microsoft SQL Server 2008 is
installed, as shown in Figure 4-9.
Figure 4-9: Microsoft SQL Server in the Start menu.

See how to install Microsoft SQL Server.

After you install Microsoft SQL Server 2008, check the Microsoft Update
website to download and install any critical updates and hotfixes for your SQL
Server installation.

Installing MySQL

To install MySQL on Debian Linux, follow these steps:

1. Ensure your Debian system is up to date by running Update Manager

(under System > Administration).
2. Install the MySQL client and server using the following command:

apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client

1. Verify that the server is up and running correctly:

/usr/bin/mysqladmin -u root -p version

You will be asked to provide the MySQL root password that you
created during the installation process. After providing the
password, you should see output similar to the following:

mysqladmin Ver 8.41 Distrib 5.0.51a, for

debian-linux-gnu on i486
Copyright (C) 2000-2006 MySQL AB
This software comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
This is free software, and you are welcome to
modify and redistribute it under the GPL license
Server version 5.0.51a-24+lenny2+spu1
Protocol version 10
Connection Localhost via UNIX socket
UNIX socket /var/run/mysql/mysql.sock
Uptime: 14 days 5 hours 5 min 21 sec
Threads: 1 Questions: 366 Slow queries: 0 Opens: 0
Flush tables: 1 Open tables: 19 Queries per
second avg: 0.000

1. Verify that you can shut down the MySQL server:

/usr/bin/mysqladmin -u root -p shutdown

1. Verify that you can restart the MySQL server:

/usr/bin/mysqld_safe --user=mysql --log &

For more information, consult the documentation on the MySQL website.

See how to install MySQL.

That wraps up DBMS installation. The next section gives you some tips for
administering a database server.

Administering a database server

After you install a DBMS, you need to perform some general and ongoing
administrative tasks, such as:

Creating databases, tables and users: You need to create databases for
your applications, and create users with appropriate access to those
databases. You also need to create tables within the database to store your
data. »  HP ProLiant essentials
Monitoring resource usage: Databases tend to be resource-intensive, so it's rapid deployment pack
critical to monitor resource usage to avoid system crashes before they
occur.
Writing efficient SQL queries: Inefficient SQL queries are one of the primary
causes of database system crashes because they use two to three times as
much memory as an efficient SQL query. This also causes a drain on server
and network resources.

These tasks are usually performed by a system administrator. However, if your

database server is mission-critical or you anticipate that the database server
will need to be expertly tuned to keep pace with your applications, you may
need to hire a database administrator.

Remember that this lesson is only an introduction to database servers. The

details of operating Microsoft SQL Server 2008 or MySQL are multifaceted
and depend greatly on the type and complexity of data you need to
manage.

You've now learned the basics of installing and managing a DBMS. This
knowledge will provide a solid launching point for more directed learning on the
platform(s) of your choice.

Moving on
In this lesson, you learned about databases and database servers and how
they can benefit your business. You also reviewed the hardware and software
components of a database server and learned how to install a DBMS. In
Lesson 5, you'll learn about the server type that runs the most common
application of the computerized era: email. Before you move on, don't forget to
complete the assignment and take the quiz.

Assignment #4
For this assignment:

1. Create a spreadsheet to use for comparing DBMS applications that lists the standard
features of each application. Include a Cost column.
2. Visit the websites of the three DBMS applications described in Lesson 4—Oracle, MySQL
and Microsoft SQL Server. Update your spreadsheet with information from Lesson 4 and
during your website research. Include unique features of each DBMS.
3. From your research, determine which DBMS is best suited for your organization.

Quiz #4
Question 1:
Which of the following is not a major building block of a database?
A) Attribute
B) Entity
C) File permission
D) Relationship
 
Question 2:
Which of the following are DBMS programs? (Check all that apply.)
A) MySQL
B) Oracle
C) Microsoft SQL Server
D) AutoCAD
 
Question 3:
What is the most common RAID level for database server fault tolerance?
A) RAID 0
B) RAID 1
C) RAID 3
D) RAID 5
 
Question 4:
True or False: MySQL is an open source DBMS program.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 5:
True or False: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 comes bundled with the Standard Edition of Windows Small Business
Server 2008.
A) True
B) False
 

Configuring an email server

This lesson describes how various email servers interact to send and receive email. You'll learn how to select
an email application for your business, configure an email server and secure the system you put in place.
  

What's an email server?

Welcome back. Now that you've completed Lesson 4 and understand database
selection, installation and basic management, you're ready to look at another
important type of server: email. Email is the indispensable communication
system of modern commerce. Your ability to control the flow of email into and
out of your company is as important as your ability to control telephone traffic.

»  HP BladeSystem
Email is defined by the email client program and email server protocols, among
other factors. An email server is the computer (or server role) that manages
email accounts and processes and stores emails within an organization.

What are the benefits?

What are the benefits of managing an email server on your company's internal
network? First, you're in control, so you don't have to depend on your ISP to
configure email accounts for your organization.

Second, emails sent from one user to another within the company don't have to
go through your ISP on the internet, which keeps internal emails from being
intercepted and read outside of your walls. This privacy is especially important
when sensitive information is being transmitted from one internal group to
another.

You can also configure your email server to control which domains receive
emails from your company or from which domains your users can receive
email. In SMB environments, this feature isn't usually enabled; users can send
and receive emails from any domain. On the other hand, some organizations
have strict security measures and must restrict the flow of data into and out of
the company.

An email attachment is one of the easiest ways to send company data out
of the building. Although there are other ways to monitor email traffic,
restricting domains enhances security and can be configured easily on an
internal email server.

With an email server on your internal network, you can create, enable, disable,
restrict and delete email accounts with a high degree of granularity. Granularity
is the capability to customize parameters for different groups in the same
network and application. In other words, some email accounts can have
different properties and capacities than others. For example, you can assign
groups of accounts to access different email servers for load-balancing
purposes. Also, you can set up some accounts as unrestricted, whereas others
might have access only to the internal network, not to the internet.

Large companies that run several email servers often use load-balancing to
spread the "load" of email across multiple servers. Load-balancing works in
the background, presenting a single interface for the user. Users aren't
aware they're accessing different servers.

Additionally, you have a copy of every email sent or received on your network
stored on your internal server. Emails often take the place of official memos,
letters, proposals, reports and other important documents and are sometimes
the only method of storage for this data. Although using your email system as
the sole repository for certain information might not be advisable, it's not
unusual for it to serve this purpose. Therefore, regular, frequent backups of an
email server are critical to make sure important data in emails isn't lost.
Now that you understand the benefits of hosting your own email server, read on
to learn how an email server works.

The HP server buying guide can help you find the right email server
solution that meets your requirements.

A tour of email systems

At its core, an email server keeps lists of user accounts and text files. This type Attachments
of server is much more involved in a real-world production environment, but
first you need to learn about the simplest type of email server.
Email servers must store and
process the many
User accounts attachments that are sent
with email messages. The
main problems with
One main component of an email server is a list of user accounts. An email attachments are that they
server stores account names for everyone who accesses email through the can contribute to network
server's domain name. For example, a user named John Smith has the account slowdowns, and malicious
name jsmith. He works for Widgets Are Us, which has the domain name code (such as a virus or
widgetsareus.com. Therefore, his full email address is worm) that infects computers
jsmith@widgetsareus.com. Everyone working at Widgets Are Us has a user and networks can be
account stored on the Widgets email server that follows this same naming incorporated into
format. attachments. To counter the
problem, many email servers
scan incoming messages for
possible threats, but no
You learn more about how domains work later in this lesson.
method is foolproof.

Text files

The other major component of a simple email server is text files. Each user
account has one long associated text file that stores all composed messages.
John's text file would be named jsmith.txt, for example.
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After messages are downloaded and viewed with an email client program or in
a web browser, the messages are parsed, using the From field as a separation
point. The result is that you see your messages as separate pages to open,
categorized by who they're from, instead of seeing them as a single long page
of text.

Parsing is an orderly process of analysis. All emails are simple text files
with meaningful labels. A parser program analyzes each label in email text
files and divides them into parts, resulting in some sort of action.

If you've used Gmail or Yahoo! email, you've used webmail, which is usually
viewed with a web browser although you can configure an email client to send
and receive webmail. When you use a browser, emails are never downloaded;
instead, they remain on a server. You can access emails only by authenticating
to the webmail server with a user name and password. After authentication,
you can read, reply to, forward and delete emails. Many people use fictitious
names rather than their own names in webmail accounts, although you do have
to supply your real name when you register for a webmail account. For
example, John Smith might be smittie047t or tigerguyatlarge.

You can use any name for a webmail account as long as it's unique (isn't
being used by someone else) in the domain.
So a simple email server contains a list of account names and a list of text files
associated with those account names. The server also has to know how to
locate and communicate with other email servers; otherwise, no emails can be
sent or received. This is where the concepts of domains and DNS servers
come in.

Domains and DNS servers

A domain is a system or collection of related computers that share a common

name. So all computers at Widgets Are Us operate on one network or a series
of interrelated networks connected by routers that share a common name:
widgetsareus.com. Domain names are how computers and servers locate each
other.

A Domain Name System (DNS) server is a specialized server that keeps lists of
the associations between domains and IP addresses, distributes that
information to other DNS servers on a hierarchical basis and responds to
queries about the location of other domains, as shown in Figure 5-1.

Figure 5-1: DNS server.

Enlarge image

Small businesses generally do not operate their own DNS servers, but rely
upon the DNS services offered by their ISPs. Installing and configuring a
DNS server is beyond the scope of this course.

To send an email to a friend, you create the email message in your email client
program or on the webmail website, and then click Send. The email server
parses the message file, looks up the recipient's domain name on its DNS
servers and sends the message file to the correct IP address. After it reaches
the destination email server, it's parsed again and delivered to your friend's
email file.

Types of email servers

There's more to an email server than the simple system you've learned about
so far. In fact, there are different types of email systems: one for sending email
and two for receiving email. The sending email system is called the Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server. The receiving email systems are the Post
Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) and Internet Message Access Protocol
(IMAP) servers, explained in the following sections.
SMTP

When John wants to send an email from Microsoft Outlook on his work
computer to Chris Meyer at Cogs Unlimited, he composes the email, selects
the address stored in his address book, gives the email a subject and then
clicks Send. Here's what happens next:

1. The email travels across the LAN to his company's email server.
2. The SMTP server software receives the email and reads the recipient's
address, which is cmeyer@cogsunlimited.com.
3. The server recognizes that the email isn't part of its domain and sends a
query to the default DNS server, asking it to locate the
cogsunlimited.com domain.
4. The DNS server supplies the IP address for the SMTP server at
cogsunlimited.com, and the widgetsareus.com system then transmits
John's email to that IP address.

Demo 5-1: The SMTP server process.

That's as far as the SMTP server goes in handling emails.

POP3

POP3 is one of the two receiving email server systems. Here is its part in the
process:

1. When John's email to Chris arrives at cogsunlimited.com, it's received

by the Cogs Unlimited SMTP server and routed to the POP3 server.
2. POP3 reads the first part of the To field and matches it with the account
name and text file for cmeyer.
3. The message then waits in the queue until Chris calls for his emails by
opening his email client program or, if the program is already open,
clicking Send/Receive.
4. The entire text file is downloaded to Chris's hard disk, parsed by his
email client program and displayed as a set of messages.
5. Chris's text file on the POP3 server is emptied and acquires more
messages only when someone sends Chris another email.

Demo 5-2: The POP3 server process.

The POP3 server is used more commonly by ISPs that service home users, as
you see in the next section.

IMAP

An IMAP server works similarly to a POP3 server. With IMAP, when Chris calls
for his emails, they're not downloaded to his computer's hard drive. His email
client program, such as Outlook, opens the emails so that Chris can read them
while they're still on the server.

Using IMAP, emails are displayed in Outlook just as though they had been
downloaded to Chris' computer. All the default folders, such as Inbox, Sent,
Drafts and Outbox, exist on the server along with any other folders Chris
decides to create.

The IMAP server is more commonly found in a business environment, and

many ISPs that service home users are also switching to IMAP servers.
Because all emails remain on the email server, they can be backed up just like
any other server data.
 Emails are legal documents and are sometimes used as evidence in civil
and criminal trials. The email system has given rise to specialized
professionals trained to recover emails, even after they've been deleted
from a server's hard drive, for use in court.

Using IMAP, you can download emails to your hard disk to work on them locally
or for archival purposes. For example, you can create a personal folders file (in
Outlook, a file with the .pst extension) and move copies of important emails to
that file for review when you're offline. Traveling users who have notebook PCs
often use this method.

Figure 5-2 compares POP3 and IMAP server features.

Figure 5-2: IMAP and POP3 server features.

Now that you know how an email server works, which one is right for your
business? Read on to learn about the important factors you should consider.

Selecting email server software

The email software you select depends greatly on two factors:

The server operating system

The experience of your IT staff

Two of the most popular email server applications are Microsoft Exchange
Server and Sendmail, described as follows: »  HP ProLiant essentials
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Microsoft Exchange Server: The Windows-based email server from
Microsoft. Like many Microsoft products, it has an intuitive graphical
interface that makes configuration and maintenance more approachable. It
also has a built-in webmail interface, Outlook Web Access, which enables
your employees to access their email remotely via their web browser.
Sendmail: An open source alternative that's been available for over 25 years.
Configuring Sendmail takes some effort, and there's a significant learning
curve for someone who isn't familiar with the technical details of email
servers. However, Sendmail allows for greater flexibility than Microsoft
Exchange Server.

When selecting an email server application, consider its shelf life. Email server
versions tend to be released as a result of security patches (in the case of
Sendmail) or as part of an overall release schedule. Microsoft generally
releases new versions of its operating system and applications every 2 to 3
years. Older versions are supported for an additional 5 to 8 years.

As email server software approaches the end of its lifecycle and will no longer
be supported by the vendor, you should create an upgrade plan. You do not
want to find yourself without vendor technical support while managing a major
email implementation.

After you select an email server solution, you need to know how to configure it.
That's covered in the next two parts of this lesson.
  

Performing preconfiguration tasks

Before you can send and receive emails across the internet, you must
complete several tasks, described in the following sections.

Getting a public domain name »  HP StorageWorks

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First, your company must have a public domain name. The domain name used
as an example for this lesson is widgetsareus.com. If you've been using your
ISP to host your company's website and email server, you've most likely
already registered your domain name with a domain name registrar. If not, visit
any registrar, such as GoDaddy or Register.com to obtain your name. You'll
need to pay an annual fee to cover the registration costs.

Your registrar will allow you to select and register a unique domain names
for use on the internet. You must still use an ISP to access the internet and
receive a public IP address. The ISP's DNS servers will then be able to link
the assigned public IP address with your chosen domain name.

Configuring email server IP addresses

Your email server will use two different IP addresses: the public address
assigned by your ISP and an internal address for use on your local network.
You should configure the email server to use only the internal address, and
configure your router/firewall to handle the translation of the public address
used on the internet to the private address used on your internal network.

ISPs use two methods to assign public IP addresses to their customers:

Dynamically: For home users, ISPs usually use DHCP, which allows them to
assign an IP address dynamically when users connect to the internet. This
way, ISPs can own a smaller pool of IP addresses because they don't need
to assign a unique IP to each user.
Statically: Assigning a static (permanent) IP address is done most often for
business users who plan to run a web server or an email server of their own.
If you aren't sure which type of IP address you have, call your ISP.

In the next section, you learn details about email server configuration.

Configuring an email server

This lesson uses Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 on Windows Small Business
Server 2008 and Sendmail on Debian Linux as examples of how to configure
email servers for an SMB environment.

Configuring a Windows Small Business Server 2008 email

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When you install Windows Small Business Server 2008, the installation
process automatically configures Microsoft Exchange to allow the sending and
receiving of electronic mail within your organization.

You'll most likely want to allow users to send email to other sites on the internet
as well. Here's how to configure Exchange to forward mail outside of your
organization:
 1. Open the Windows SBS Console, as shown in Figure 5-3.

Figure 5-3: The Windows SBS Console window.

Enlarge image

1. Click Network on the navigation bar, and then click the Connectivity tab.
2. Click Smart Host for Internet e-mail from the list, as shown in Figure 5-
4.

Figure 5-4: Configuring the Smart Host for Internet e-mail.

Enlarge image

If you don't have the correct name or IP address to use for your smart host,
you should be able to obtain this information from your ISP.

1. Select View outbound Internet e-mail properties from the Tasks portion
of the window.
2. Click Next to advance past the welcome screen of the Configure Internet
Mail Wizard.
3. Provide the name of your smart host in the Smart Host Server
information text box, as shown in Figure 5-5, and then click Next to
finalize your changes.
Figure 5-5: Configuring the smart host.

Enlarge image

You'll also need to configure Exchange to receive email from internet users, as
follows:

1. Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 >
Exchange Management Console.
2. Expand the Server Configuration list in the left pane, and then click Hub
Transport, as shown in Figure 5-6.

Figure 5-6: Hub Transport options screen.

Enlarge image

1. In the Actions pane on the right, click New Receive Connector. The New
SMTP Receive Connector Wizard starts.
2. In the Introduction screen, provide a name in the Name field and select
Internet from the drop-down box, as shown in Figure 5-7. Click Next.
Figure 5-7: The New SMTP Receive Connector Wizard Introduction screen.

Enlarge image

1. In the Local Network settings screen, click the Add button and provide
the IP address you'll use to receive inbound mail in the Add Receive
Connector Binding dialog box, as shown in Figure 5-8. Click OK to close
the dialog box, and then click Next.

Figure 5-8: The Local Network settings screen.

Enlarge image

1. In the New Connector screen, click New to create the connector, as

shown in Figure 5-9.
Figure 5-9: The New Connector screen.

Enlarge image

1. Click Finish to close the wizard.

Once you've completed these steps, you're ready to send and receive internet
email with your Microsoft Exchange server.

Configuring a Debian Linux email server

To configure a Debian Linux email server, follow these steps at a shell prompt:

1. Type this command to install Sendmail:

apt-get install sendmail sendmail-bin

1. To add a domain to the Sendmail server, change to the /etc/mail

directory and open the local-host-names file for editing. Add your
domain to this file. If you have more than one domain, add each one on
its own line. Save the file.
2. By default, Sendmail will deliver email to users with accounts on the
system using email addresses of the form username@yourdomain.com.
You may also create email aliases by adding entries to the
/etc/mail/aliases file, as shown in this example:

webmaster: root

This example delivers mail sent to webmaster@yourdomain.com

to the root account on the server. When you're finished mapping
email aliases, save the file.

1. Run the makemap utility:

makemap -v hash ./aliases.db < ./aliases

1. Restart the Sendmail server:

/etc/init.d/sendmail restart

You've successfully configured the email server, started the service and added
user accounts. Remember that for each email user on your network, you must
add a user account on your server. Once you've completed these tasks, you
can send email through your server.

An important part of email server setup is making sure the server is secure
before you open it to internet email traffic. Email server security is covered
next.

Securing your email server

Due to the nature of email, these servers are often the targets of hackers and
other malicious users. The primary exploits directed at email servers are spam
related. Hackers attempt to break into an email server to use it to send spam,
or they attempt to flood the server with so much spam that it crashes. This is
known as a denial of service (DoS) attack. Fortunately, there are a few things
you can do to prevent these types of attacks.
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Preventing DoS attacks

The simplest way to minimize the impact of a DoS attack is to limit the number
of connections your email server will accept from a specific system at any one
time. This prevents a hacker from overwhelming your server with thousands of
messages all sent simultaneously.

Preventing a spam relay

Preventing your server from becoming a spam relay is more difficult, because
there are so many ways that a hacker can compromise your server. Insecure
web applications, insecure user passwords and simple brute force are some of
the common ways that hackers gain access to email servers. There are many
techniques used to minimize the risk of hacking, because as soon as a security
technique becomes widely used, hackers devise a way around it.

Server security is a constantly changing topic that requires vigilance.

Insecure web applications are a serious problem, because web servers are
often run on the same machine as the email server. Many widely used
applications have been written by programmers with little or no formal training,
so they lack even the most basic security checks. These applications can
represent an open door for hackers to access your server.

Insecure passwords are the other major point of failure when it comes to
securing a server. Users tend to prefer passwords that are short, easy to
remember and easy to type. Unfortunately, those qualities are also what make
passwords extremely easy to break. You should require that users change their
passwords regularly, and that they meet a minimum security level. In general, a
password that meets the following criteria is considered reasonably secure:

Length: A password should be at least eight characters long.

Characters: Passwords should contain both uppercase and lowercase
letters, as well as numbers or symbols, such as #.
Hard-to-guess words: Avoid dictionary words, including the person's user
name, names of family, friends or pets, or any other word.

Finally, you should configure your email server so that it only relays mail for
authorized users. Your server should only accept email messages that are
either to or from a user in your organization. There should never be a legitimate
reason for your server to relay messages between third parties. Servers
configured to allow this type of traffic quickly become the targets of spammers.

Antivirus scanning

Email is often used to spread spam and malicious software, such as viruses,
worms and Trojan horses. Therefore, it's extremely important that you configure
your email server to scan for and remove any spam or malicious software it
encounters. You can do this by using the Microsoft Forefront Security software
provided with Windows Small Business Server 2008 or the SpamAssassin
package in Debian Linux.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned the basic components of email server systems and
how to select email server software. You walked through the steps for
configuring an email server. Finally, you picked up important tips for securing
an email server. In Lesson 6, you'll learn what a web server is, how to configure
it and how it can benefit your business. Before you move on, complete the
assignment and take the quiz.

Assignment #5
After you set up an email client program, you should document the settings for future use. Microsoft
Outlook and Outlook Express are two common email client programs. These instructions are written
for Outlook 2007, but earlier versions of Outlook and Outlook Express function similarly. To access
user account settings in your email client program, follow these steps:

1. Start Outlook.
2. Select Tools > Account Settings. The Account Settings window appears.
3. Select the default account, and then click Change. The Change E-mail Account screen
appears.
4. The essential configuration information is listed on this screen, such as email address, POP3
and SMTP servers, and so on. Capture a screen shot using the Snipping Tool or write the
settings on a piece of paper. To view additional settings, click More Settings.
5. In the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box that appears, you see five tabs: General, Advanced,
Security, Connection and Remote Mail. Click each tab and capture a screen shot of the
settings.
6. File your screen shots or handwritten notes in a safe place.

Quiz #5
Question 1:
If John Smith works for Furniture Madness, which of the following is the most likely format for his email
address?
A) jsmith.furnituremadness@.com
B) jsmith@furnituremadness.com
C) jsmith@www.furnituremadness.com
D) jsmith.www.@furniture@madness.com
 
Question 2:
Which type of email server system sends emails?
A) IMAP
B) POP3
C) SMTP
D) DNS
 
Question 3:
True or False: Webmail messages are viewed in a web browser and then downloaded to your local workstation.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 4:
True or False: POP3 servers are more commonly used by businesses than home users.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 5:
Which of the following tasks are prerequisites for installing email server software? (Check all that apply.)
A) Get a public domain name.
B) Have public and internal IP addresses assigned.
C) Assign email addresses to users.
D) Select an email client program.
 

Configuring a web server

Websites are an essential part of doing business today; some companies wouldn't exist without them. In this
lesson, you'll learn what a web server is, how it works, how to configure one and how it can benefit your
company.
 

What's a web server?

Welcome back. You've come a long way in this class, from configuring a server
for file and print sharing to setting up database and email servers. In this final
lesson, you'll learn how to set up a web server to run as your company's
internal intranet or to serve as your company's web presence to the world.

The internet is a worldwide group of computers, routers and telephone »  HP ProLiant essentials
company (telco) switches interconnected by fiber-optic backbone cabling that rapid deployment pack
communicate by using TCP/IP. TCP/IP is actually a suite of protocols that
defines physical devices; transmission signals; encoding, encapsulation and
synchronization of applications and information; and more.

In the past, only large universities, corporations and ISPs had the necessary
equipment to host websites. Now anyone with the right tools can create a
website and have it hosted inexpensively by an ISP or on his or her own
server.

Taking a tour of a web server

You know that when you access a website on the internet, you're accessing a
web server. The following sections describe the inner workings of a web
server.

URL

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is the combination of a protocol, a domain

name and the specific web page you wish to access on that domain. As you
learned in Lesson 5, domain names are associated with IP addresses, and
DNS servers resolve domain names to their associated IP addresses. When
users want to locate a web server, they must open an internet connection, start
a web browser and type the URL into the browser's address field. Your web
browser then requests the location of the website you want to visit. The DNS
server on your LAN or the internet returns the location, and your browser then
establishes a connection and opens the website's default or index page.
A URL has three components that perform different functions, as shown in
Figure 6-1. All three must be present to locate and open a specific web page on
a server.

Figure 6-1: A URL broken down into components.

Protocol: A protocol is a common set of rules that networked entities use so
that they can communicate in a particular format. Hypertext Transfer
Protocol (HTTP) is the primary communications protocol of the World Wide
Web (WWW) that allows documents to be transferred over network
connections.

HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP, commonly used for e-commerce and
online banking. When you enter a URL in a browser, if you omit the protocol
prefix, the browser assumes you want to use HTTP. You can also use File
Transfer Protocol (FTP) to transfer files across the internet, but it's not
nearly as common at HTTP.

Domain name: A domain name identifies a collection of related computers,

such as all computers on a company network. For more details on domain
names, refer to Lesson 5.
File name: The file name specifies the actual document the web page
consists of. If you don't type the file name as part of the URL, the browser
automatically requests the domain's default main page, which is usually
index.html or default.htm.

Therefore, to locate and open the main page of the Widgets Are Us website,
you could enter the full URL: http://www.widgetsareus.com/index.html.

A website is just a set of files stored on a server and written in a markup

language, such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The file structure, as
shown in Figure 6-2, can be accessed through the main page or by entering a
specific file name in the URL. The related files are linked (interconnected) in a
particular structure, which is how hyperlinks let you navigate from the main
page to other pages.
Figure 6-2: Website file structure.

If you want to access a certain page on the website, you can go directly to it if
you know the file name. For example, if the file name for the miniwidgets page
is miniwidgets.html, you just type
http://www.widgetsareus.com/miniwidgets.html to go directly to that page.

Markup languages

If HTTP is the primary protocol of the internet, HTML is the primary language of
web pages. HTML is the set of semantic rules for describing a web document's
content in terms of how it's formatted. You can use many HTML editing utilities
to create a website without seeing, writing or understanding the underlying
HTML code. This is what a very simple HTML page could look like:

<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Hello!</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Hello!</p>
</body>
</html>

Some editors are WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), which means
whatever you type and format in the editor is what you see when the file's
opened in a browser.

A newer markup language for exchanging data on the internet is Extensible

Markup Language (XML). It provides a wider range of instructions, including
straight text data and types of forms, such as medical forms, court documents,
banking documents, purchase orders and so on. In other words, XML allows
you to put data into a structure that computers can easily read, or parse, but
people can still understand.

For more information about both markup languages, head to your favorite
bookstore or visit W3 Schools and go through the tutorials.

Putting it all together, a web server is a special type of server containing file
structures that represent websites, with each site composed of interconnected
web documents. Each web document is written in a markup language, HTML,
XML or XHTML (or a combination of one or more), and that information is
transferred across the internet or a LAN by using the HTTP format.

Now that you understand the essentials of a web server, read on to compare
intranet and internet servers.

Comparing intranet and internet servers

All websites can be accessed via the internet and transfer data with HTTP. An
intranet is similar to the internet, with the same basic components, but it's much
smaller. You have a web server containing files, most likely in HTML, that other
computers on the network can access. Those computers can open web
browsers and access information on the web server by using HTTP.

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The purpose of a company intranet is usually to communicate confidential
information to employees that should not be shared on the internet. This
information could include business objectives, reports on goals reached, virus
alerts, commendations for outstanding employee production or whatever is
considered valuable internal information.

These are the main differences between internet and intranet servers:

The internet is composed of a worldwide network of millions of computers.

An intranet is made up of tens, hundreds or thousands of computers in a
single company's LAN.
An intranet site isn't designed to be accessed by computers outside the
company's LAN, so the intranet web server is given a static IP address
consistent with the internal network's IP addressing scheme.
An intranet server doesn't have a direct connection to the internet, as an
internet web server does.

Differences aside, an intranet site can look and function exactly like an internet
site.

Why use an internal web server?

A single server running an SMB network OS and a website program isn't

enough to handle a major internet site. It's technically possible to build and host
a website on a small single server with a broadband internet connection, such
as digital subscriber line (DSL) or cable, but it would bog down quickly under
large volumes of traffic. Even SMBs should have e-commerce sites hosted by
their ISPs or a specialized web hosting company with a connection to the
internet backbone. The real advantage of using a small internal web server is to
control the company's intranet.

That being said, an internal web server can serve a purpose for internet
websites. Let's say you want to change your internet website's look or
functions, but you're not quite sure exactly what you want to do. You can
construct the website on your internal web server first as a test so that you can
experiment with settings and see the results. You can also run the website
through a set of usability studies using internal staff or even community
volunteers. The feedback you get from these studies can help you modify the
design before publishing the final product on the internet.

Pros and cons of hosting an intranet server

Hosting your company's intranet (internal web server) site offers benefits that
include the capability to do the following:

Post announcements and messages

Post documents, memos, spreadsheets, projects, graphics and
presentations
Access archived documents
Access the help desk
Create a survey
Host a discussion group

With Windows Small Business Server 2008, creating and modifying an intranet
site is easy using the SharePoint-based web server. Debian Linux, which
comes with Apache Web Server, has fewer built-in features but offers more
flexibility.

The cons

Running your own web server requires you to maintain and monitor it, which
could negatively impact the productivity of your IT staff if they're already
working at capacity. If your business doesn't already have an intranet site, you
need someone to build and update the site and encourage employees to use it
on a regular basis.
If your business will benefit from having an intranet (that is, an internal web
server), you need to decide which server platform to host it on. The next
section lists the criteria you should use to make that decision.

Selecting a web server platform

Selecting a web server platform to use for hosting your website or intranet
depends on the experience and budget you have for this project. This lesson
briefly covers two web servers: Apache and Microsoft Internet Information
Server (IIS). Apache is the open source web server of choice. It has been in
use since the beginning of the web, and is the web server used by most ISPs
and web hosting companies. It's highly configurable, stable and secure. Apache
runs on the Windows operating system but it's built for Linux. The Windows »  HP ProCurve networking
version often lags behind the Linux version and is not considered as stable. portfolio

Apache is a free software product (open source). If you need technical

support, you can pay for it from a number of companies.

Microsoft IIS is built into Windows Small Business Server 2008 and comes with
an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) configuration interface. If you
already decided to run Windows Small Business Server 2008 as your server
operating system, you will probably opt to run your intranet site on Microsoft
IIS.

Microsoft IIS does not run on Linux.

Upgrade considerations

Apache web server releases are infrequent, and older versions are supported
and used for many years after a new version is released. You should consider
upgrading an Apache web server if the new version has been released for
several months to one year, and if it includes functionality that your business
needs.

Microsoft releases new versions of its IIS web server on a regular schedule.
However, unless you need the features included in the newest version,
upgrading isn't necessary. You should, however, apply security patches on a
frequent basis to ensure that your web server continues to run securely.

The HP server buying guide can help you find the right server solution that
meets your requirements.

Next, learn how to configure a web server.

Configuring a web server

For the purposes of this lesson, you learn how to configure a web server for
your company's intranet using Windows Small Business Server 2008 and
Debian Linux as examples. However, every server operating system provides
some web server functionality, and most are able to run a version of Apache.

Configuring a web server on Windows Small Business Server »  HP ProLiant essentials

2008 rapid deployment pack

Different server roles require configuring and starting various services. If you
haven't performed those tasks, those services don't exist on your server and
can't be accessed from your LAN. The web server service is a bit different.
Windows Small Business Server 2008 comes with a basic set of intranet pages
already configured and ready to be adapted.

To change the default intranet pages on your web server, follow these steps:

1. Open a web browser and enter http://companyweb/ in the Address text

box. The default intranet website appears, as shown in Figure 6-3.

Figure 6-3: The default intranet website.

Enlarge image

1. Click the links in this window to view, manage or change site content. To
begin, click Welcome to your Internal Web site.
2. Click the Edit Item button to change the default content of the
announcement, as shown in Figure 6-4. Change the announcement to
be a welcome to users of your organization.

Figure 6-4: Editing the default announcement.

Enlarge image

1. After you've made your changes, click OK. As shown in Figure 6-5, the
announcement has been changed accordingly.
Figure 6-5 The revised home page.

Enlarge image

1. To add an announcement, click New on the announcement screen.

Type any text you want, and then save and close the screen. Now you
have a second custom announcement, as shown in Figure 6-6.

Figure 6-6: Another custom announcement.

Enlarge image

You can use the links along the side of the home page to navigate and modify
the basic intranet website. The default configuration allows you to include many
different types of content:

Shared documents
Faxes
Calendar
Tasks
Team discussion
Archived emails
Photos

The easiest way to get started with your intranet site on Windows Small
Business Server 2008 is to spend some time exploring the various links.
Microsoft dramatically simplified the process of getting your site up and running
by eliminating configuration steps and making the content publishing process
extremely simple.

Configuring Apache Web Server on Debian Linux

You can install Apache, the most commonly used Linux web server, on a
Debian Linux system in one of two ways: Use the Synaptic Package Manager (
System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager) or type the following at
a command prompt:

apt-get install apache2

Once the installation completes, you need to perform a few simple

configuration steps to set up your web server. The general steps for configuring
Apache are as follows:

1. Using a text editor, edit the main Apache configuration file, in the
/etc/apache2/apache2.conf directory, to reflect your server settings.
2. After you've edited the apache2.conf file, test your configuration with this
command:

apache2ctl configtest

1. Assuming your configuration is error free, restart your web server with
this command:

/etc/init.d/apache2 restart

See how to configure Apache Web Server on Debian Linux.

In this lesson, you've just scratched the surface of what you could do with a
company intranet site. There are many more options to explore for designing
an intranet site with features and options that communicate your corporate
vision to employees.

Intranet on the internet

Sometimes you might need to let portions of your company's intranet be

accessed from the internet. For example, you might want to provide remote
workers with the ability to access your file servers as if they were in the office.
The easiest way to do this is through the use of a VPN.

VPNs allow users outside the office to connect to the company LAN via a
secure tunneled connection through the internet. The data exchanged is
encrypted, so it's secure from others on the internet. A VPN requires a server
running VPN software or another type of hardware device. Remote users must
be using VPN client software on their computers.

Overview of web server security issues

Although it's possible to hide database servers and other internal servers
behind a corporate firewall, web servers must be exposed to the internet by
their nature. After all, what use is a public web server that isn't accessible to the
public? This level of exposure requires that you pay particular attention to the
security of a web server. »  HP SAN product &
solution portfolio

Many of the security techniques you learned in Lesson 5 are applicable to web
servers as well. Here are a few other things you can do to secure your web
server:

Keep your software patches up to date and read the latest security
announcements. You should check your software vendor's website
 periodically to see if any patches have been released. Some software
vendors, such as Microsoft, release patches automatically and regularly
(e.g., Patch Tuesday). Many vendors also have a security announcement
mailing list.
Enforce password security, both for users and administrators. Make sure
that only authorized personnel have access to administrative or root
passwords.
Monitor web server activity. There are many very good log file analysis
programs available that will alert you to suspicious activity.

Remember, security is a constantly evolving field. We covered only the basics

in this section. If you run your own web server, especially one that's publicly
accessible, you should take the time to become knowledgeable about internet
security.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned the benefits of having a web server, how a web
server works and how to configure and secure one. Throughout this class, you
reviewed a small sample of the roles servers play. You can also use servers for
remote access, proxy, FTP, DHCP, DNS, fax and firewalls, among other uses.
Before you move on, complete the assignment and tackle the quiz for this final
lesson.

Assignment #6
Intranets play a valuable role in many organizations, allowing team members and other
groups of employees to share information with each other. Here are some common uses of
intranet sites:

Project collaboration and management

Distribution of human resources information
Posting of internal job opportunities
Sharing of financial results
Calendaring and scheduling

Think about the benefits that an intranet might provide to your organization. Sketch out the
outline of an intranet site that would add value to your business.

Quiz #6
Question 1:
What is the most commonly used web server on Linux systems?
A) IIS
B) HTTP
C) Apache
D) Firefox
 
Question 2:
What are the three components of a URL? (Check all that apply.)
A) Protocol
B) Domain name
C) Language
D) File name
 
Question 3:
What's the primary protocol for transferring web page information over the internet?
A) HTTP
B) FTP
C) HTML
D) XML
 
Question 4:
Which of the following languages is used to create web content? (Check all that apply.)
A) HTML
B) HTTP
C) FTP
D) XML
 
Question 5:
Which of the following can you do on a company's intranet site? (Check all that apply.)
A) Post announcements and memos.
B) Create a survey.
C) Post a spreadsheet.
D) Post a photo of the company picnic.
 

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