Win2k Advanced Server Machine and Domain Naming

[Palindrome]

Hi,

I have to set up a Win2k Server to use with Exchange 2003. Exchange is
only going to be used on the local LAN.

(I have only set them up before when I have had a fully qualified domain
name to give the machine, correctly associated with its IP address.)

The machine has a private IP address, eg 10.0.0.100.
I gave it a made-up domain, eg plug.local and a machine name of "exchange".

All seemed well - until I tired to connect mail on user machine. When
trying to create a new mail Exchange account, I put in
"exchange.plug.local" - and it couldn't find it. I put in 10.0.0.100 and
when I tested the account name, it changed it to "exchange.plug.local"
and underlined the account name. I thought "Great".. however...

However, the amail account doesn't work within Outlook..

I am about to rebuild the whole thing from scratch (there doesn't seem
to be any way of changing the domain details).

But,as I don't have a valid fully qualified domain name to set the
machine to, what domain details should I put in?

Oh, I tried adding "10.0.0.100 exchange.plug.local" to "hosts" - but I
still couldn't ping it by name, only by address..

--
Sue