As you may know, SBS 2008 always wants to be the DHCP server in a domain. Not a problem, right? Well, if you have the Linksys WRTU54G-TM router from T-Mobile, it is a problem.

The issue is that even though you can go into the network setup on the router and disable DHCP, it never stops the service. This means that you now have two DHCP servers on one network giving conflicting addresses.

The Linksys WRTU54G-TM router from T-Mobile is absolutely necessary if you have “T-Mobile @Home“ phone service. This service allows you to connect a standard land-line phone to the router and have a pseudo-landline through T-Mobile. You have to put a SIM card in the router and as other routers don’t accept SIM cards, this is the only one that you can use with this service.

So my client needed this router AND he needed his new SBS server. Though it is possible to have the SBS stop serving DHCP, it isn’t recommended. Here is how I solved the problem of keeping the router for my client’s phone service while installing a new router for the network gateway.

1. I got him a new router to set up as the default gateway for the network and set the IP Subnet to 192.168.0.x.
2. I connected the server and all office computers to this router.
3. I then connected the old router, WRTU54G-TM, behind the new one and set it up with a different IP Subnet of 192.168.1.x.

This allowed both routers to be active while the primary network and its computers received their DHCP through the server. The phone service still worked and at the end of the day, everyone was happy. And next time I see a sys WRTU54G-TM, I’ll know exactly how to handle it. If I can’t remove it, I’ll simply make it subservient to another router.

Tim

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Have you had either your Windows Vista computer or your SBS (Small Business Server) 2008 box lose their internet connection after you reboot? This recently happened to me after I installed SBS 2008 at a client’s location. It is easy to diagnose and the fix is relatively simple if you understand how to edit the registry on your computer.

Step 1: The Diagnosis:

1. Click on the “START” button and in the small box at the bottom, type “CMD” without the quotes.
2. A black box will appear with a blinking cursor. Type “ipconfig /all” and hit “Enter”.
3. You will see a lot of text that may look completely foreign to you.
4. Look the the row that says “Default Gateway”, if it is blank, then continue on to the “The Fix” section. If the “Default Gateway” is not blank, there is another problem and the fix below will not help you.

Step 2: The Fix:

1. Close out of the black box by typing “Exit” and hitting “Enter”.
2. Click on the “START” button and in the small box at the bottom, type “regedt32″ without the quotes.
3. The registry Editor will appear and you need to navigate to HKLM/System/CurrentControlSet/Services/Tcpip/Parameters/Interfaces/
4. Here you’ll need to select the CLSID of your networkadapter where you change the settings. You’ll probably recognize it by looking at the value IPAddress that will have the IP of this adapter.
5. Open the value “DefaultGateway” by double-clicking it.
6. You will see a list of all the gateways that disappeared! ( in your case it may only be one) Very likely, the first line will be empty. I’m not sure, how this little flaw can make such a big problem.
7. Manually remove this first empty line, click OK and reboot your system everything should be working fine again.

Thanks to Ilja Herlein at http://www.netsetman.com/support/viewtopic.php?pid=832#p832 for the direction on how to fix this issue. I hope it helps you as much as it helped me!

Tim

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If you have Outlook 2007 connecting to Exchange 2007 or SBS 2008 and have been seeing the extremely persistent “Disconnected” button in the bottom right hand corner of your exchange, I think have the fix for you.

You can download the registry fix HERE or go to the PC that has the problem and edit the registry yourself.

** Warning: Editing the registry can be dangerous and Biden PC does not warrant any changes that you make.**

Navigate to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\RPC” and if the “RPC” key doesn’t exist, create it.
Add or edit DWORD value: “DefConnectOpts” and make it “0″

Thanks lesgetdown! I appreciate the help!

Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 has finally been released to manufacturing. This means that around October we’ll have the full-release version of Windows Small Business Server 2008. Check this link.

This version of SBS is based upon Server 2008 Longhorn which was based upon Windows Vista. One advantage of this is for those of us who use USB keyboards. There is no text-based installation section and the whole thing is USB keyboard compatible. OK, maybe I’m a bit more excited about that part than most, but that’s ok. =)

The pricing has changed also.

1. 2003 Standard: $599 with 5 CALs
2. 2008 Standard: $1,089 with 5 CALs
3. 2003 Premium: $1,299 with 5 CALs
4. 2008 Premium: $1,899 with 5 CALs

So Small Business Server 2003 was less expensive than Small Business Server 2008. But…

1. 2003 1 CAL Standard: No such thing.
2. 2008 1 CAL Standard: $77
3. 2008 1 CAL Premium: $189
4. 2003 5 CALs: $521
5. 2008 5 CALs Standard: $385
6. 2008 5 CALs Premium: $945
7. 2003 20 CALs: $1,841
8. 2008 20 CALs Standard: $1,540
9. 2008 20 CALs Premium: $3,780

There are now more options for CALs (Client Access Licensing). For instance, you can now purchase a single CAL if you only need one. Previously you had to purchase 5 just to get 1.

I can’t wait to actually get my hands on this new version of Microsoft Windows Small Business Server.

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

As great as it has been to work with Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, SBS 2008 looks to be even cooler. There are a bunch of changes that are quite exciting.

1. The software works on 64 bit hardware. Only.
2. It deploys as Single-NIC only, with a router required as ISA Server will no longer be offered.
3. Setup automatically detects your router if addressed between at 192.168.x.1 and 192.168.x.255
4. A new Administrator account created during setup and the built-in is disabled out of the box. This means that the admin account can be locked out in the event that it is being bombarded with hacking attempts.
5. The system software versions have been updated to Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Windows SharePoint Services v3, WSUS v3
6. “My Documents” redirection is no longer all or nothing. You can choose which users should have their “My Documents” redirected to a folder on the server
7. CALs for SBS 2008 Standard are now less expensive and you can get “Standard” CALs for users that aren’t using the features in Premium.
8. CALs purchased in 1, 5, or 25 packs instead of just 5 or 20.

There are many more cool features in Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 200. And if this interests you, I highly recommend that you take a look over at Sean Daniel’s SBS 2008 blog.

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

I recently ran into a blog by a guy named Sean Daniel. He is a member of Microsoft’s Windows SBS Product team. That means that he is intimately familiar with Windows Small Business Server 2003 and 2008.

Sean posts new factoids to his blog just about every day. Some posts are about new features, others are about training opportunities and still others are actual “how to” posts. I am excited about his blog and I wanted to share it with you in the event that you are also interested in Windows Small Business Server 2003 and 2008.

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

Do you own a small business? How many computers do you use at your location? What, you don’t have a server? How do you back up all of your files from individual computers? How do you share important files among your employees?

A server really isn’t as large an investment as most small businesses imagine and the benefits are immense! A server running Windows Small Business Server 2003 can cost as little as $1,500 and for this you can:

• Host your own email and website
• Store user’s data on the server for backup or review
• Share a contact list and calendar
• Control who has access to your computer network
  
• Control which users have access to which public files and folders
• Access work computers from anywhere else in the world via a web browser
• Access email via a web browser
• Automate the Windows update service for user’s PCs
• Control user’s password complexity for security
• Reset a user’s password in case one forgets theirs or leaves the company
• Share Printers
• Receive faxes via email

Windows Small Business Server is an excellent platform for small businesses because it has many of the features that a large company needs with a much smaller price tag. You get the Windows Server platform, Microsoft Exchange for email as well as to share appointments and calendars, Microsoft Web Server and in the Premium Version you can also get the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database.

Whether your company has 3, 25, 50 or even 75 computer users, your company can still use all the functions of Microsoft Small Business Server on just 1 computer. When you are ready to make your small business more efficient and take productivity to the next level, contact Biden PC for your free server consultation.

Remember, servers do more than just store files. They provide backup, security, increased productivity and peace of mind.

Happy Computing,
Tim

Biden PC is a Computer Network Consulting Company.

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