How to configure SBS with an MSN-managed website and Comcast as ISP

[msltechie]

Hello. I’m a Win2k3 network admin pressed into service helping a friend migrate her small business from a sneakernet and Hotmail email setup to a real business server setup with SBS 2003. After lots of fits and starts, I’ve run into some stumbling blocks finishing this project. Here is a review of the network infrastructure and my questions/issues.

This company uses MSN to host and manage their external website and she wants to keep it that way. They’ve already purchased a domain name and they don’t want to change that, either. However, they want to use the Exchange Server that comes with SBS. I had them switch from a residential internet account to a business services account so they now have a static IP address with a block of 5 addresses. Her ISP is Comcast and they’ve provided and installed the combo cable modem/router. She wants wireless so I’ve set up a second Linksys router. I’ve installed 2 network cards in the SBS server and successfully configured the system so that there is a 10.1.10.x subnet on the Comcast/Internet side and a 192.168.1.x subnet on the internal side. The Comcast router is not uPnp, but the Linksys one is. I can log into the Comcast router but to make major changes they remotely access the router to make changes. The internal clients all get their addresses from the SBS server via DHCP; I’ve turned off DHCP on both routers.

What domain name should I use for our Exchange server? The

http://www.clientsbizname.com

domain name is managed by MSN. I used clientsrealname.local for my inside domain name.

What’s the best way to allocate the IP addresses we purchased? Obviously the gateway address is already used, but do I need a separate one for the Exchange Server, the RWW gateway, an FTP server, and a Sharepoint server? Do I need one to access the SBS from my home for remote server work? I wasn’t sure, so I had them buy 5 just in case.

When I try to run the SBS wizards, it tries to change the Linksys router. I know I have to configure the Comcast router somehow. Is there a list of ports I need to set give the needs I mentioned above? Do I have to configure them on the Linksys router as well? The server has IP addresses on both subnets, of course.

This client bought an iPhone and wants to use it for remote access (I cautioned against this!) Anyone have any luck connecting an iPhone to an SBS system?

Thanks to everyone who takes a stab at these questions.

Michael Levy, MCP, Net+, A+, reluctant SBS admin...

 

[Eddy203]

First off,

If you are a Windows 2003 administrator, forget everything you know about setting up Windows 2003 and only use the wizards in the server management window on your SBS server. Start with the wizard at the top of the page and work your way down the page in order.

Second, keeping your web site at MSN is a good idea. If you want to host your own email in Exchange go to whomever host the DNS entries for your MSN web site and add an A & MX records for your SBS server. If you are going to leave your email where it is skip adding an MX record.
Second consider using the 10.1.1.X IP addresses on the NIC adapter for your local area network.
Use one of the static Comcast IP addresses on the 2nd NIC for Internet access. Make sure this address is routable. i.e. a public IP.

Disable the router in your Comcast modem and turn off DHCP, you'll want to do DHCP on your SBS server. Comcast also likes to setup a firewall in the modem, turn it off.

You didn't say whether you are using SBS standard or Enterprise. If you are doing Enterprise use ISA to provide NAT and firewall capabilities. If you are using standard the built in SBS firewall will protect your network. Running the Internet Connection Wizard will set this up for you.