All, before I get into the questions here is an overview of the server I am using and the services it is currently running, which are minimal. Server 2008 R2 Standard Active Directory Enabled Single Domain controller 8Gb Memory 64 Bit OS DNS Server File Services (Future) DHCP Server 1. I inherited this server, so how can I verify that I have a full installation, or just a server core installation? 2. I know that the .NET framwork is not installed, but again before I get to far along; there are some things I would like to know in advance. Since I have only one server which has the services mentioned above, is it safe/reliable to run WSS 3.0 and SQL Express on it? 3. If I am not mistaken, WSS 3.0 installs SQL Express as well. I know that a backend DB server is the optimal approach, but I just don't have another server to use. Is this approach safe? SQL on the same box as WSS 3.0? I thought I read some place that Microsoft didn't support such installations. Perhaps it was something else the article referred to. I suppose the questions will be irrelevant if I am not running on a full installation. Thanks for your responses. Curious

First, I would recommend finding out if you not only inherited the hardware, but the license for the OS as well. If not, I would also recommend purchasing your own copy. Using someone else’s license can get sticky if they decide to come back on you for it. For security, I would wipe the HD and do a full re-install anyway, as you have no idea what the other party may have tampered with. From this post, it seems that you arent really sure what exactly you have inherited. As far as how “safe” it is, it really depends on what you are doing with the server and the WSS installation. Are you using it for production? To learn WSS? Publish content? Business? Alot of these factors will determine what other precautions you should take. Again, as stated above, I would recommend reinstalling the OS just to weed out any underlying security concerns (from the previous owners). Reliability is going to depend on your hardware and what else you will be running on the server. It will be safe for your hardware to run them both on the same server. One of the installation options when first setting up WSS is to include the database on the same machine and run it as a Single Server or Stand Alone installation. As it is a default option, one could assume that it is fully supported. Many people run single server set-ups and they work great.

I have a slightly different take But only slightly. 1. WSS 3.0 will only run on a full Windows Server installation - it will not run on core only. 2. Net framework must be installed because otherwise WSS 3.0 wouldn't be working. (It's a pre-requisite before the installation). Conclusion from 1. and 2. is that the previous poster is right and you should go right back to the metal with FDisk and install it all yourself. (In which case you should consider installing the equivalent current product (questions on that to a SharePoint 2010 forum only)). The Basic installation (or the Advanced Installation + selecting single-server) will create a system using a built-in version of SQL Server 2005 Express. This could be installed in 1GB of memory so with 8GB you have plenty to run this. The next step up would be to use instead full SQL Server 2005 for the database system (Advanced Installation + *not* single-server [even if the full SQL Server 2005 is on that same server]) and then while it still can be on the same server it is probably more sensible to have a second server for the db system. The built-in version of SQL Server 2005 Express ("Windows Internal Database") is however free to use (but must be on the same server). SP 2010 "FAQ" (mainly useful links): http://wssv4faq.mindsharp.com/default.aspx WSS3/MOSS FAQ (FAQ and Links) http://wssv3faq.mindsharp.com/default.aspx Both also have links to extensive book lists and to (free) on-line chapters

Thanks for the replies. When I mentioned I inherited this system (network) which is in production, I did leave out a few details. 1. While I did inherit this network, I was present upon the installation of the new server within the company. The initial setup was complete before the transition was made. I trust the individual that I replaced, so no concerns on tampering. The server was brand new in April 2010. 2. When I asked if it was "safe" I meant having SQL express running along side of WSS 3.0 (Stability). I had always used a separate DB server. Anyway, this concern was address by Rick in the post above. Thanks again for the responses.