I run an active directory domain but it''s not all that and you could get by just by running a stand alone server box. Since I share out my wifi connection with the neighbors it adds a layer of security for my internal network against them in case they get nosy.

I have some test OU''s for studying and such but the only GPO I''m running is for the System Update Services which will basically turn your ServerOS box into a network windows update server. With the GPO you can configure if your managed clients will have the option of installing the updates or if they just get installed w/o interaction and other such stuff. It can be used in a AD enviro or used as a local GPO if you''re a workgroup enviro and as the domain admin you get to approve/disapprove of what updates are authorized for your enviro.

I''m currently running Win2k AS for my DC but when I''m done with the 2K MCSE (two tests left!) I''m going to upgrade it to 2K3 SBS. I have a friend at MS who can shop at the store otherwise I''d probably do the Action Pack for partners it''s 300$ a year for pretty much all the software you''d need to run a home Windows based IT consultant business.

The DC is 550MHZ P3 with 384MB ram. Two drives, one 15GB for the system files and an 80GB for the file shares. I''m only hosting 2 users (me and my wife) and 5 pcs at the moment so my shares are kind of small but it was nice to get all of my personal downloads onto the network and off my D:\\drive. I also have a 20/40 dds tape for backups in the server and do those once a month. My test workstation is Win2k Pro and has my transcenders, it got to be too much of a bitch to call them to reactivate whenever I rebuilt the server where as the workstation is pretty static and can be unjoined/rejoined to domains more painlessly than dcpromos on the server. My other three clients are XP Pro.

My pet project right now is a Presario 800 a friend of mine got me with a P2 400proc and a gig of ram. I just ebayed for two P3 600''s to put into the box. Next paycheck will be the SATA raid card and then the next few paychecks will be the 4 250GB drives for a raid 5 setup. My old linux media file server drives are dying so I''ve got to get that thing running to replace it, it will be my new SBS DC when all is said and done. I''ve got a copy of Win2K3 server sitting here too that I''ll probably use to convert the current DC to a redundant DC when the presario is finished. The new box will be a bit better for the SBS2k3 although my current system wouldn''t really choke on it. I''ll setup my linux web box as a backup mail box (it''s a bitch to configure but I think I''ll learn a lot doing it) for the exchange in SBS.

As I said, right now I don''t worry too much about password or environment GPO''s but when we have kids and they start getting PC age I''m going to lock them down airtight and start enforcing password histories and complexities.

You won''t run into too many problems going AD but the thing to be mindful of is that converting profiles can be a bitch. You''ll want to mess with your settings for offline files, roaming/mandatory profiles and My Documents redirection to see if they will be something worth pursuing prior to setting up your users. I didn''t think the redirection or roaming profiles was worth it and my wife is saavy enough to know everything gets saved in MyDocs on H:\\.

I''m not sure if you''re married or not and how many other people will be affected by your decision but you''ll want to back up everything. My wife was almost in tears when I couldn''t find the address book back up I know I had made until I found it. If you''re using Outlook express now you''ll want to back up your store folders and all that. You may want to test with your own profile and just be mindful of everything you had to go back and get from your undomained profile to be knowledgable of what to get for other users before you cut them over.

That said once I implement exchange I think my wife is really going to like the calendar function and that could end up being bad for me in the long run

I love me my *nix and I deal with windows enough to know what to do with it to stay employed. There just aren''t that many decent linux admin type jobs up here in Bill''s part of the country.

I''ll second that notion . I finally got my server (old P3 450 with 128MB of ram) back up and running (Fedora Core 2) after a many month hiatus. It''s basically just a place to put family pictures, and for me to have access to a non-work Linux box (having an offsite box can really help troubleshoot various network issues).

AD/Domain will let you manage the workstations that are a part of the domain. A stand alone server (not promoted to domain controller) will let you run the server services that can run on Windows server but won''t authenticate users and verify permissions (so like current XP you''d have to setup user accounts that have the same name/password for seamless operation of file shares and such or just leave them wide open). These include DHCP, RIS, and DNS. You can still use the server as a file server or print server in ''stand-alone'' status, in fact you''ll see that it''s not a good thing to have every server in an AD enviro be a DC.

The primary reason for an AD domain is it''s a security boundry, you''ll see this time and time again as you move ahead. You''re right the power of the domain lies in the ability to promote the server to AD, create user accounts map the drives and all the other bennies of running a centralized network. My wife and I can use each others computers and the stuff we know is there is there.

However if you''re going to be running this at home you want to think of the ramifications for both you and your family for when you move on. You''ll either be forced to support them from here on out or remove the nice things they''ve gotten used to (depending on what you implement).

The best way to learn any OS is practice, the problem is after a certain point in life you''ve got to fight harder and harder to make time for that practice. YOu can buy used PC''s for cheap now a days (there are ads for 50$ P2''s with 64MB of ram in our local tech rag), the power of linux is that you can run all of the services I listed above off any linux distro for FREE. Basically if you decide to go into IT you''re going to see

Paper Tigers - Those who studied the material needed to pass the tests and got certified but have no idea how it really all works.
Uncertified Geniuses - There are more of these than you know. It''s almost as if you go retarded when you get certified but at a certain point it''s like a college degree you''ll need to get some certs to get some raises.
Certified Smart People - These are the people fighting the paper tigers and the perception that you retarded when certified. You have to talk to someone for a little bit to see if they actually belong here.
And like any job you have the people naturally gifted and the total idiots who make you want to kill.

Whether you concentrate on Linux or Windows you''ve got to seek out others doing the same thing, it''s nice to have a support group when your sh*t goes haywire and someone else to push/encourage you to keep going.

Two or three workstation networks are great practice arenas, sh*t some buddies and me replicated active directory using a null modem to simulate sites. It wasn''t my idea but I learned a lot from the setup and watching it in action. Start scouring the local techrags for the ads and start thinking about investing in a KVM switch so when you start aquiring boxes you don''t need to worry about desk real estate.

If you have any more questions feel free to PM me.

I also run a Win2k Active Directory at home. Eezy really has done an execellent job explaining it so I don''t have much to add. My primary domain controller is a reasonably beefy dual Athlon MP 2000+ with 2 GB RAM, but it also doubles as my file/mail/FTP/print/SnapStream BeyondTV server. I also have a five workstation domain, having a domain makes it easy to access a centralized server or remotely administer workstations.

If you''re looking to do this as a test environment, I strongly recommend doing it with VirtualPC or VirtualServer. It''s a lot easier to roll-back an image when it gets borked than screwing your production domain, even if it is just at the house.

Well I wasn''t really knocking Windows as I was the terminology renaming it likes to perpetrate.

For instance
Windows Domain vs Real Domain

I have to disagree, there''s no terminology renaming (here at least), just use of the generic term ""domain"" which is accurate. e.g., Also from your linked site broadcast domain.

I''ll have to find it somewhere but I have a spare Seagate Hornet Travan 20/40 in the house someplace. If you''re interested I can let it go for 50$ and shipping.

For Edwin, Technet (although they''ve changed its format and it seems harder to find things) is your friend. An overview of RIS from MS.

I know the difference between a web domain and a net domain, but at the time of posting it was late and I was tired. So for the sake of being cheap I copped out.