Setting up Server 2008 to install over LAN

[FatRakoon]

Ok, I kind of hoping that there is a piddle-easy way to do this, so here goes.

I am being offered Windows Server 2008 ( 64 Bit ) for a song.

I have it here to give it a try and its tellign me that I have 3 days to activate it.

So, before I do, I want to decide if I actually want it, after all, its not cheap and it a big decision to go for really.

My PCs ( I have 7 currently on the LAN, 1 is this one and another is my file server, but the others are basic gaming systems for my kids and a couple of their mates ) one is XP32, one is XP64, this PC here is Win7, and my main gamer is also win7 with the others being Vista. I also have a couple of spare licences for Vista they are off the 2 Win7 PCs but they are RETAIL.

Now, if I accept the Server, it is coming with 5 CALS and with the money for SVR2K8, I am also giving the guy my Vista and Win7 Licences.

now I think that I am getting a good deal. Whether I am or am not I dont know.

But...

I have thrown it onto a PC as I said, to have a play about however I am kind of stuck.

Now, I want to be able to install the clients over the LAN, so I need to have the Windows deployment services in yeah? - Now, I also need to log on to a Domain.

The thing is that Im a knob

And not just a bit of one either... I am utterly ignorant to doing this.

Is there a "Noobs" way of doing this, or is there a simple way to set it up?

Can anyone give me a run-through on what I should do please?

Thanks in hope.

 

[FatRakoon]

Ok, cheers for the replies guys.

Sorry for the delay, been busier than I thought Id be.

Ok, so where are we? - I will try to answer multiple posts in as little words as I can yeah.

Ok, firstly, thanks for the link Ev0 - I have seen that but now its printed off.

So... Why bother in the first place? With so few, and why not ghost?

Why not? If I am to buy this ( I have now and had an even better deal ) then I want to justify the purchase. My Server is simply a Vista64 PC that has basic file access via a shared drive. Thats all it is and that all it does and to be completely honest who needs more? not me but sod it, the chance came along and now I just want to go for it.

A while back I did it with Windows 2000 Server and lots of help from my mate and we got 2 Win2K workstations installed over a LAN from a Server ( When I say we, I meant that I made the tea ) it was great fun. Infinitely useless but fun.

Whats the harm to do it now with 2008?

No benefits at home?
Yes, I know thats going to be true... If there even was benefits to be had, its clearly above my skillset.
Im just chuffed that I have such a complex network as it is without me having to include things that I have always skipped over in any books etc.

The one benefit that I was actually hoping to get, was updates.

For example a fresh install, I usually end up with several hundred MBs to download.
Id love to have it download any updates onto the Server, so that when asked for by the client PC, its on the server first before downlaoding it off the net.
Im sure this is a feature NOT available but I jump before I think.

Activation.
Yeah, I was wrong on that, however, I have now reinstalled it into a long-term trial PC and that will eventually become my Server. I have doen a few workstation is hchanges to it such as adding themes etc to make it a bit comfier to work with as I had the Vista PC so for now they are still running alongside each other while I keep sodding about, just in case I do a me and kill it all.

Licences.
Now, this is where I know I buggered up and he knew what he was doing.
I was under the impression that I could not use any of my other licences, and that all the PCs could, just by getting a CAL for each one, but it turns out that I can with some of them.

Im not that upset because in truth, I was moving thm all to Win7 anyway and I have only ended up giving him the Vista Licences which I was not really needing anyway.

PXE
Actually all my boards have PXE available I think?
...

Yup, all the PCs that I just switched on now, all show up with a PXE message if I try booting from LAN, so...

---

Anyway bottom line is that I just got a full ( and somehow LEGAL ) Windows Server 2008 Enterprise 64Bit, for a dozen copies and licences of XP, and 8 licences of Vista ( That were getting replaced anyway ) and one fairly decent spec PC ( Quad Core Intel, 4GB, 2x320GB, DVDRW, 8800GTS, XFI Gamer ) . I think I had to.

All I need now is to lear what the hell I have to do to get the best I can out of it.

 

[FatRakoon]

Of course it is yes.
As I was typing it, I remembered about asking of it before, and I have dug out my notes.

Never got far. There seems to be somethign about networking that I just have a brick wall that I seem to not only hit, but I keep building it myself too! - Most things Im good with, but networking no!

Even more ironic is that I have for years been running my 20 year old Atari TT Via Serial and through an OS/2 PC that was connected to the internet by way of a Serial Modem and I found that to be simple. I then swapped OS/2 for Linux and that too still let me connect the Atari to the internet, btu nice and easy Windows comes along and I retard myself?

Anyway yes, I see now that it was an utter waste of time, but the thign is that I was getting such a great bargain, that I just didnt think.

But hey, I got it now, so am I upset about it? - Not really. In hind sight I wish I had thought about it more, in even more hindsight, I wish the missus didnt find out, but hey ho. Divorce papers in the post.

 

[FatRakoon]

Great bargain? You've given him 14 Windows OS licenses, for an outdated Server OS that you need to buy Windows licenses for all the clients before you can "make use" of it.

The depressing thing is that you don't even seem to know why you want to set up a server in the first place, other than having centralised updates management, and initial installs performed by answer-file based WDS.

Seems like an overly complex thing to do, for little to no gain whatsoever.

I'm certainly not against home installs of Server OS's when there is a genuine need, personally I run a hypervised collection of Server 2008 R2 installs through Hyper-V, Domain Controller/DNS/DHCP, Exchange 2010, File & Print Server... but to just install a single Server 2008 server, with no real plan or need? Just seems bizzare and (in this case) expensive.

EDIT: Oh, and up that to 8GB of RAM if you want to actually do more than just WSUS on the server, it WILL eat the RAM pretty quickly for the SQLExpress back end.

Yeah, but apart from that... It was a good deal.

Seriously though... I truly thought that I was getting a good deal.

I kind of still do.

I am realising more and more that I might not have, but please dont piddle on my party too much.

 

[FatRakoon]

I thought Id just add this to kind of put a cap on the thread.

I have now been able to install my first O/S onto a PC with Server 2008

Absolutely piddled off with it to be honest. Nothign like I expected it to be at all, and quite frankly Im annoyed with myself.

I have it now so its not like Im going to waste it, but I might be putting it on some auction site and if it goes for a fair price, then it goes.

I have decided that I only really need a File Server and to be honest, I might just sort out a decent NAS and do it that way, the only reason I use a PC is really cos Im folding, but to be honest, I cannot afford to keep running 2 PCs, both folding 4 Cores plus a GPU 24/7 anymore, so I will be knocking that on the head sometimes soon ( With the Server anyway )

Thanks for everything anyway.