More Microsoft Support Online Articles Discuss SBS 4.5

In last week’s Small Business Connection, I introduced you to recent and updated Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) bulletins for Small Business Server (SBS) 4.5. I reviewed Microsoft Support Online articles that discuss HP JetDirect software, network faxing cover page enforcement and dynamic data exchange (DDE), printer installation, and POP3 mail clients. If you missed last week’s column, go to http://www.winntmag.com/News/NewsStory.cfm?NewsID=1329. This week, I’ll highlight a few more SBS 4.5 articles that might affect how you install and support the upcoming network operating system (NOS) suite upgrade. - “Upgrading SBS Using the Version Upgrade SKU” (Q218971, updated 4/13/99)
If you plan to use Microsoft’s free version upgrade policy for moving from SBS 4.0 to 4.5, this affects you. Although Microsoft will bundle the SBS 4.5 retail version upgrade SKU with Office 2000, the free version upgrade won’t include the Office upgrade. As more details become available on how to order the free SBS 4.5 version upgrade, I’ll pass them along to UPDATE readers and post them in the SBS discussion forum. This Microsoft Support Online article also has a few basic instructions on preparing for the version upgrade: backing up the server, documenting the company information and administrator password, closing all open applications, disconnecting all users from the server, and updating your emergency repair disk (ERD). http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q218/9/71.asp - Email Confirmation for Faxes May Not Be Received (Q217121, updated 2/24/99)
The SBS fax server sends an email back to you confirming that it has successfully sent a fax. Apparently, some SBS 4.5 Beta 2 users experienced problems receiving these email confirmations for outbound faxes when the email names were similar. Although I didn’t experience this problem with SBS 4.5 Beta 2, the Microsoft Support Online article gives an example of how email name resolution could fail when two similar names (e.g., John and JohnY) are both listed as domain accounts and global address list (GAL) entries. The suggested resolution involves changing one of the email account names, either through the SBS Console or Exchange Administrator. http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q217/1/21.asp - Proxy Server 2.0 Client Not Removed from Add/Remove Programs” (Q216691, updated 3/17/99)
This problem only seems to affect the Japanese version of SBS, which likely explains why I haven’t heard about this problem yet; most SBS reader email I receive comes from North America, Europe, and Australia. (If you’re an SBS administrator outside those three regions, let me know how you’re faring with SBS.) The Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel will not properly remove Proxy Server 2.0 client software on an SBS network. To remove Proxy Server, you’ll need to select Microsoft SBS within the Add/Remove Programs applet and then selectively remove the Proxy Server 2.0 client from a subsequent dialog box. http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q216/6/91.asp - Incorrect SQL Server 7.0 Product Version Displayed in SBS 4.5 (Q216699, updated 3/17/99)
You can check which product version of SQL Server that you’re running by right-clicking the server name in SQL Enterprise Manager and looking at the properties. However, under SBS 4.5 the properties information is incorrect because it displays “SQL Server Standard Edition,” when it should state “Small Business Server Edition for Windows NT 4.0.” You can see the correct version by running this query “Select @@version” in Query Analyzer. http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q216/6/99.asp - SBS: What the Client Setup Disk Does (Q216106, updated 3/4/99)
Can you set up an entire SBS network by reusing the same SBS client setup disk? This Microsoft Support Online article helps to set the record straight. You don’t need to run the client setup disk on each SBS desktop. You can skip the disk and make your own changes to the client. However, you should still run the Setup Computer Wizard on the server because this process creates the additional support files required for installing the client applications. The client setup disk begins by attempting to install the network card if it is not already installed. Then if TCP/IP is not installed, the client setup disk installs TCP/IP, binds it to the network card, and configures the client for using DHCP. Next the client setup disk changes the computer name to the name you specified when running the Setup Computer Wizard on the server. Learn more about the remainder of the client setup disk process by reading the article. http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q216/1/06.aspI received a lot of reader feedback and war stories as a result of last week’s discussion of the updated Microsoft Support Online articles on SBS 4.5 In fact, the response was so positive that next week I’ll discuss one more set of SBS 4.5 technical bulletins. In the meantime, I encourage you to stop by our newly relaunched SBS discussion forum. Send your comments and feedback to [email protected].