I have 2 servers, both running windows server 2003 r2 enterprise. Each of them are connected to the network via NIC 1. I have NIC 2 on both of them, what would be the best way to connect the two of them together? On server 1 I have it as my domain controller, active directory, dns, and dhcp. I am wanting to make server 2 a secondary dns server. What is the best way of doing this?

Hello, is the second machine also DC? In a domain it is recommended to have 2 DC/DNS/GC per domain. Do NOT connect a second NIC of a DC to an other network machine etc. This result in multi-homing and multiple problems in the domain. More details about in: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/157025 http://msmvps.com/blogs/acefekay/archive/2009/08/17/multihomed-dcs-with-dns-rras-and-or-pppoe-adapters.aspx Best regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights.

I don't have it set up as a DC/DNS/GC yet. Are there settings to specify it as being the secondary and not the primary? and also should I set it up as a secondary DHCP as well? Thanks for the help

Hello, "Are there settings to specify it as being the secondary and not the primary? " Not for a DC by default, all DCs are the same, difference are the FSMO roles that are placed according to some rules. There is no primary/secondary DC. But BEFORE promoting the server to DC also, which roles/services are running on this server? For DHCP it is recommended to use co called split scopes: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754471.aspx Also if DHCP is used on DCs some additional settings should be made: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc771732.aspx http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753014.aspxBest regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights.

I plan on just using this server as another file server and also using it to host my website

This is more of a learning project, I bought 2 cheap servers and am planning on using them for my small business. But could really get by with just one server, figured though I might as well learn as much as possible from all the great minds on this forum.

I plan on just using this server as another file server and also using it to host my website Hello, a web server should NEVER be used for anything else the web services, keep in mind that all the world can access it. Web servers are the easiest point to attack. Think about hosting your web page on an external provider, so the internal network is not effected. I know from Germany we have the start option for web services with 1.99 Euro per month. I use it my own this way and i know lot's of others doing it also that way. Best regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights.

Hi crazyxbowler, Thanks for posting here. You may take look our Small Business Server solution which was designed with following Microsoft Best Practices suggestions to help you to keep data more secure and company more productive ina small business network scenario which contain 1 or 2 servers. Windows Small Business Server http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sbs/default.aspx http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc514417.aspx Thanks. Tiger Li Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.