My workplace uses Windows Server 2008 with Exchange 2007 among other things. All the client PCs are on the domain and are controlled by Active Directory accounts and policies.I don't really know much about how this works and want to get some introductory experience at home by running Server 2008 & Exchange 2007on my laptop and controlling my main PC with it. I'vesearched "Active Directory"in the Help & Support section on Server and looked at the results, butthey just confused me, hence I would be grateful if someone could point me to some free online resources where I could learn about this.

Hello,without knowing anything aboutActive directory, DNS, Exchange, Group policies, backup strategies,i strongly sugggest to take a course for starting. This is a complex part of administration and not as simple as installing, that takes some clicks but then the work starts.Is the 2008 server a SmallBusinessServer(SBS)version or Standard edition/Enterprise edition/Datacenter edition? If SBS, that is a lot different from the other server versions and requires additional knowledge because SBS has different ways/features to hand le administration.Best regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Thanks, I appreciate that it's complex if you want to learn all of it. I guess my original question wasn'tthat clear on what I wanted to do. I mainly want to know how to create an Active Directory account and domain and get a client PC to log onto it, at this stage. Setting up an Exchange server would be nice too, but that comes second.

I think Meinolf's suggestion is still valid. Just setting up a domain can trip you up bad. Forget that there is a wizard there are just a lot of things to know. If your foundation isnt there it can make things very painful. Dislaimer 1:As usual I could be way off so no playing like I'm Frankenstein. Disclaimer 2: my Speeling and proofing skills are teh fail

Hello,start here:http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731174(WS.10).aspxAt least use"Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guide for DNS in Small Networks.doc" for starting from:https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=518d870c-fa3e-4f6a-97f5-acaf31de6dce&displaylang=enThis one will help you either:http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=41e1d8ca-2338-4868-afab-5c30d0a8a975Do not take care about R2 that deep, the basics are the same.Best regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Hi, Here are some articles for your reference: How to Join Your Computer to a Domain http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb456990.aspx Active Directory Domain Services for Windows Server 2008 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd378891(WS.10).aspx Getting Started: AD DS http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc771024(WS.10).aspx However, I agree with others that it could be a better choice for you to take a course for starting.This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Thankyou everybody - this is the sort of thing I was looking for. I'm new to TechNet, so I didn't know how to find the info I needed.

I looked at the online notes, but they weren't really something one can learn off. More a reference for someone who already knows this, so I got me the book, Windows Server 2008 Inside Out, which arrived yesterday from Amazon.As with all the other Microsoft Pressbooks I've bought over the years, it's an excellent read. There's lots of stuff in there I'd never evenheard of, let alone didn't know how to use!