Date: 08/26/05 (IT Professionals)    Keywords: software, web, hosting

Hi all, I am having an issue with a network that I have been hired to set up. I'm in WAY over my head, my specialty is Cisco, and I'm doing Windows Server 2003 setup and administration.

Current Situation:

The Company is running their systems in a workgroup, with a central computer acting as the "server" for their shared software program. They currently have about ten employees on-site. The propreitor wants to make sure the new network is secure, and wants to be able to track his employees' internet usage. He also wants his two off-site employees to be able to VPN in to their internal network.

Proposed Solution:

Transferring the duties of the central computer to a server, which will also provide AD, DHCP, DNS, WINS, ISA, and Exchange(!).

Problems:
1. When I attach the computers to the new domain, a new profile is created for each domain user that logs into the network from a particular machine. However, the old local machine profiles have all the necessary user data for their old way of working (Desktop, Start Menu, and the like). This would not normally be an issue, except that their Outlook (and in one case, ActiveSync) data does not transfer to their domain account (note: we are using local profiles, not roaming). Is their any way to merge the old profile and the new profile, so all is as it was before I installed the server (except for the authentication)?

2. The company has an external web site hosted by a hosting service. The web address for this is companyname.com (no, that's not the ACTUAL URL). The AD is also named companyname.com. When an internal user goes to check his/her Outlook (their e-mail is currently hosted offsite as well, see #3), it cannot resolve the mail server (currently set to mail.companyname.com). Is there any way around this, besides taking a grenade to AD, and starting from scratch (which literally means I will have to start from scratch)?

3. Because my schedule and their company cannot permit a daytime install, the installation is to be done in phases:
1. Test (completed)
2. Domain Authentication/File Server (currently working on)
3. ISA configuration (as of right now, I am only using the internal NIC, and am using the DSL modem for DHCP and gateway services...when ISA is installed, the network config will go Internet---DSL Modem---Server---Inernal Network)
4. Exchange server (changing the MX record on their current public domain, to point to our static IP)
I have NEVER used Exchange...and it is already stumped me. How do I know everything is working as it should with Exchange, before any critical e-mails are lost?

Source: http://www.livejournal.com/community/itprofessionals/20267.html