Adding new Windows Components

[Adam]

Hi guys,

This is my first ever remote server to manage and I am slowly figuring out the rules of the game.

Is there a way I can add new Windows Components using the Control Panel without having to insert the Win2k3 CD in a server I can't even see? I attempted to add DNS and Active Directory services.

Is this something I need to buy from SB folks?

Thanks
- Adam

[Nestor]

When prompted, look on

c:\winnt\i386

You windows setup .cabs are there. I read somewhere that these servers don't have CD rom drives. Most pre-installed windows intallations are in the directory like above.

[Adam]

Hi Nestor, That was exactly what I was looking for. :-) For some reason I just assumed the directory would be under root. Thanks for your quick response. I''ve promoted my server to a domain server and activated Active Directory and DNS. Now I have enough rope to hang myself.
-Adam

[renis]

Fow what reason you need Active Directory?

[Adam]

I don't. I needed to see what it takes to host multiple domains on the same server and how to make them all appear as if hosted on their very own servers. But when I added the new domain as a slave in SB DNS I had to make my server a domain server and that came with Active Directory. I have already modified my registrar to point at my main server as DNS for this other domain.

Just want to see what is invloved in "Hosting mutiple domains" on the same server. So far I have a serious headache :)

[Nestor]

Wow! There was an easy way to do this (unless you are trying to automate the process).

In IIS 6.0 (Only on W2k03) when you create a new website, simply fill out the blank where it says "host header for this website" with the DNS names you use in the my.serverbeach.com DNS tools and that's it.

When a website is accessed, it sends the host header to IIS 6.0 and IIS will then resolve to the right directory on your hard drive.

Caution! Now that you have promoted your server to domain server, don't downgrade it. You'll loose all your user names and might wipe out your admin account with RDC access. It will still run fine only now you probably have DNS and DHCP services running.

Cheers!

[Adam]

This is no fun. It is too easy. Is the virtual server feature part of the w2k3? This looks like a serious improvement by Microsoft over all previous servers.

[Nestor]

Originally posted by Adam
This is no fun. It is too easy. Is the virtual server feature part of the w2k3? This looks like a serious improvement by Microsoft over all previous servers. Yeah, micro$oft went all out to destroy Apache on this one. In micro$oft fasion, they are alway a few years behind, but when they catch up, watch out! :eek:

[Striker]

But thats the exact reason apache will never go away, because the true system admins love the techincal setup behind vhosts in apache. I don't care that something is easy, I want full godly control over everything :)

[kbrown]

Originally posted by Nestor
Wow! There was an easy way to do this (unless you are trying to automate the process).

In IIS 6.0 (Only on W2k03) when you create a new website, simply fill out the blank where it says "host header for this website" with the DNS names you use in the my.serverbeach.com DNS tools and that's it.

When a website is accessed, it sends the host header to IIS 6.0 and IIS will then resolve to the right directory on your hard drive.

Caution! Now that you have promoted your server to domain server, don't downgrade it. You'll loose all your user names and might wipe out your admin account with RDC access. It will still run fine only now you probably have DNS and DHCP services running.

Cheers!

Hostheaders have been a feature in Windows Server for sometime not just Win2k03 and setting it up is pretty much the same way you mentioned above (at least in IIS5, not sure about IIS4). This can also be setup even after the site has been created by right clicking on the site > properties > on the Web Site tab click the 'Advanced' button at the top and there are the hostheader options.

Kevin

[Adam]

You're correct. It's been there forever. I just checked my older installs.

I come from the app/tools development world with hardly any IT type expereince which explains my lack of knowledge about IIS. I am learning alot from the guys here and from the 10+ books on Win2K3 and ASP.NET I just purchased.

My server here at SB is for tinkering purposes so far. I will be hosting some brave friends sites soon to also learn that aspect of it and all the security and management issues as well. Thanks for your input :-) cheers

Adam

[Ron]

The real question is how does win2k3 handle FTP host headers?
Or, more directly, how does everyone handle the multi-user FTP
virtualizing?

[ajn]

Hi,

You don't need FTP host headers as all FTP sites will have the same IP and DNS resolves to that IP.

The authentication will allow you to define which folders are accesible to which users.

Maybe this can help:

http://www.iisfaq.com/default.aspx?View=A2&P=147

Worked great for me.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

ajn

[Ron]

I have already found a much better solution for this a while ago. I was
just curious if M$ found a better way other than needing to add
each user to the system.

[ajn]

And that solution was... ?

Just curious as I'm still in time to change the actual process of creating FTP accounts.

Thank you for any help.

Best regards,

ajn