Hello,I don't know much about servers, domains etc. yet, so please forgive my ignorance.I am looking after a small network of 5 PCs.Currently we don't have any server, all PCs are just connected via a workgroup.I would like to use the terminal services of Server 2008.However, I would like to keep the simplicity of the current setup.This means that currently, if one PC fails there is no problem, there are still four working ones left.Connectivity to the internet (vital!) is still availble (through the router(switch).Can I use server 2008 just like an additional PC? I mean - if the server is available the users can connect to it and use its services,if it is not available, the users should still be able to use their PC and internet without inconvenience caused besides the fact that they can't use the server's services.Perhaps in other words: can we keep the workgroup setup and add the server so that the users have the option to login and use it, but do not necessarily have to do so in order to be able to work with their PC.I hope this was not too confusing.Thanks for your attention.

Hello, Since all the PCs are connected via a Workgroup mode, you may simply add a Windows Server 2008 as a terminal server into the workgroup to run centralized application on it. You need to let all the clients know the IP address or the name of the terminal server when the server is available. In order to simply manage the network, I would like to suggest that you also install the DNS role on the Windows Server 2008 to be responsible for the name resolution of the internal resource. And then, you can enable a Forwarder on the internal DNS server to forward the name resolution of other outside network resource to the ISP DNS server on the Internet. Afterwards, please make "Preferred DNS server" of all the PCs point to the internal DNS server, and the "Alternate DNS server" point to the ISP DNS server. In this way, we can verify that both on the internal DNS server and the clients can resolve both the internal and external resource. I think this maybe meet the requirements of your demand. Hope it helps.Your potential. Our passion.

Another way to accomplish this is leaving the workgroup mode and set up an Active Directory environment.Using technologies like cached logons (which enables users to log on to their workstation when the server is not available), offline files and folders (synchronizing data between the hard disks of the computers and the server), roaming profilesand network location awareness (which tells a PC whether it is connected to the network on which the domain controller is usually found) you benefit from loads of advantages: Each of the users can log on on any of the available computers without having to remember (and change) passwords on each of the computers When a computer gets lost, stolen or defective the data it holds are (mostly) available on the server Using Group Policies you can change settings and/orinstall softwareon all of the computers at once. Computers that leave the network often (for instance laptops) can be configured to work safely in remote (and thus possibly unsafe) locations The list of benefits is much longer, but you get the picture. By configuring a little more on the server (making it an Active DirectoryDomain Controller) you gain a lot of features, get a lot of things done easily and get to sleep better at night.