Using Virtualbox With Win7 And Server 2008

[kindofconfused]

Hi All! I hope I am posting in the right section. Please accept my apologies if this is not the right section.

I am kind of new to this, but I am intrigued by what the IT guys at my work do. I am looking to do a career switch. I have recently purchased 2 "beginners" books, but after installation......I am a bit lost.

Hoping someone can help me with some of my technical questions. I will try to give a quick synopsis of what I have tried so far......

I have copies of WinXP, Server 2008 and Win7. I decided to put 2 copies of Server 2008 in Virtualbox in hopes of making one an email and intranet server.....and the other serving as a file server (shares files?).
I also installed Windows 7 and Windows XP into my virtualbox. I am running Vista as my "Real" Operating system. I have checked the hardware requirements, and as long as I don't have more than 3 virtual machines running at once....I should be fine. (I was thinking of both servers and either/or Winxp/7.) I just want to see if I can set up a small server/client network.

After Installation......I tried following one of my books, but I decided to use dynamic ip addressing. I was told this was not a wise idea.....I wasn't able to get an explanation that I could understand on why it is not a good idea.

I guess for this initial post, I am hoping that someone can advise me on whether it is a wise idea that I am trying this stuff in virtualbox. I know almost nothing about computers, but I just feel this itch to learn now. Someone told me that it would be safer to try it on a virtualbox. It took me forever to figure it out, but I got that part down now. Sorry if my post is all over the wall, but it would be greatly appreciated if somebody could take me under their wing and help me learn this stuff. I will try to learn from the books that I have purchased, but sometimes knowing that there is someone out there that I can ask might be better. I am too poor to try the whole schooling thing. Out here in the States, life is hard enough without having any school debt.

Thank you in advance to anyone willing to help.

 

[ICTCity]

For mail server you need Microsoft exchange, which is another program / license. For web server install IIS.

Fileserver and other servers should use static IP because DHCP may assign another IP to your server and your server must to re register on DNS server. If your clients try to reach that server via IP it will not work, if they use the name, they may experience problem because DNS is not yet up to date.

 

[RSchwarz]

Virtual Box or any other virtual environment is fine to learn. You should however assign the box a static private IP and open ports for the services you run in your router.

 

[kindofconfused]

Wow! You guys were quick! THank you so much for your advice on this matter. ICTCity, thank you so much for your heads up on needing Microsoft Exchange! I don't have that and I think that is too expensive, so I will go and make the other Server a Web Server, and I will probably connect a printer to see if I can make it a Print Server too. Or is that dumb?

Thank you by the way for your explanation on the Dynamic vs. Static. I still don't quite get how it works, but your explanation atleast has given me a little more understanding.


If I am understanding this correctly......., If I assign Dynamic, My Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol role will assign a new IP address to the Server.......and if that happens, the Domain Naming System will have to be updated.....because if it isn't, the Name will have a different IP address from what the Client computers know. If this happens, then there may be a name and IP conflict and I will get some type of error message. Is this correct? Sorry, I am extremely new to this, so I am breaking this down and I am also doing this corny thing where I try to break down the acronyms like DHCP=Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol so that I kind of look like I know what I am talking about. Hehehe.

Thank you guys again!

BTW, BScharz, thank you for welcoming me and letting me feel comfortable with the myriad of question that I will be asking.

If I were to come up with things that I want to try, is this the forum that I should go to? Or should it be Features Help and Discussions?

 

[ICTCity]

So the DHCP should be used only for clients, not for servers.

I suggest you to use names when a client must contact a server. The advantage is the modulation. If you server must be re configured and you can't put the same static IP, you simply can change the A record in DNS (A record points a name to an IP address), which can be pointed to another IP. Then another advantage. Let's say your server is a DHCP, file server and print server. You can put 3 A records on DNS, for example: Storage, Printers. When your clients try to contact "storage.my.domain" (just an example), they will reach your server (IP).

Now, the only drawback using names is the DNS itself. If the DNS fails, your clients will use their local cache (where are stored the successfully completed conversion from name to IP), but this cache expires (for example when a client is rebooted). If there's not in cache, your client will contact the DNS,but if it is death, your client will not be able to resolve the name.

To resolve this issue, usually you set up two DNS servers, if one fails, the other will be able to resolve names.

You can use only IPs, in this case you HAVE TO use static ip. Because of in case the DHCP will not give the same IP or it fails, you can not reach that server.

Usually the DHCP assigns the same ip to the same machine, but this is not guaranteed.

 

[kindofconfused]

That was a PERFECT explanation ICTCity! Thank you so very much!!!!!
I am going to try something today. I hope it will work. If it doesn't, would it be okay with you if I sought your advice?

 

[ICTCity]

Of course keep trying and practice

 

[kerberos]

Hi Confused,

Hopefully You will change your member name after you get the answers from all the gurus. I'm new to Server 2008 as well.
I am doing exactly the same with you. I learn and practice using Virtua Box - just a tips you could not maximize Windows Server 2008 power with Windows XP Client on your XP box :sweat:

Check below link to get more in depth Server 2008

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732131(WS.10).aspx

Cheers