I. Overview of SBS 2008

A.  MEDIA

    SBS 2008 Standard ships with two disks.  Disk one is the install disk. It is a self contained installation dvd that is a image base install of the Small Business Server 2008 product.  Disk two is a repair disk that includes software parts that can be used to repair  the install at a later date.

    SBS 2008 Premium ships with those two disks as well as Windows 2008 32bit disk, a Windows 64bit disk, SQL server 2008 (32bit and 64bit) and SQL 2005 (32bit and 64bit).

B.  PRODUCT KEYS

    SBS 2008's product keys are only on the back of the media.  They are not available in VLSC Web site.  It is highly recommended that you order the media from your distributor and have it in hand before you begin the installation.  If you get stuck you can download trial media, install without a key and place the key in the server at a later date. The trial period can be extendedif you need it.  The media will have two keys, one is labeled "physical" the other is labeled "virtual". If you install SBS 2008 as a guest in a HyperV server use the key labeled "virtual".  If you install the key on a physical box, use the "physical" key.  You can only install one key. 

C.  HARDWARE

    Some say SBS 2008 works the best with a minimum of 16 gigs.  Some argue that 10 gigs is the right fit.  Don't let those statements scare you.  While 4 gigs is the minimum, when installing SBS 2008 in an active small business where people are using email and have large OST files, line of business applications installed on the server and networked printers, at least doubling the minimum requirements ensures a happy server.  There are many factors which will affect your choice of RAID subsystem but one thing is sure: you want hardware RAID. The particular form of RAID you choose to implement and whether this is 'best practice' is outside the scope of this document.  Buy your favorite hardware guru a beer and start an argument as to what he believes is the right RAID for the servers he designs and why he chooses that.

    Please note: If you are building your sever offline with no connection to the Internet (such as a lab, etc) please connect at least a simple switch to the primary network card of your future SBS server.  The install will fail if you have no network connection.

D.  PLANNING OF THE SETUP

    Partitioning a server is a religious argument.  Whatever configuration you decide, ensure that you configure at least 100 gigs for the main C: paritition.  While the minimum needed is 60 gigs, you'll have more breathing room with 100 gigs.  When you install SBS 2008 it installs the entire server image on the C: drive and then once the server is completed you have the option to go back and use the console wizards to move Exchange data, SharePoint data and WSUS data.

E.  INTERNET GATEWAY (FIREWALL)

Unlike previous versions of Small Business Server, since SBS 2008 does not have the ability to provide Internet sharing, there is a need to purchase an Internet gateway device beforehand. There are a number of different vendors providing gateways/firewalls that provide anything from basic filtering all the way up to antivirus and e-mail sanitation services at the box.

Once the gateway appliance has been purchased and is at hand, one needs to do the following:

1. Configure the LAN IP address and the Internet IP address.
2. Configure port forwarding to the new SBS 2008 IP.
   1. SMTP Port 25
   2. HTTPS Port 443
   3. Companyweb HTTPS Port 987
   4. Optional: HTTP Port 80
      1. Note: Any request to port 80 gets redirected to the HTTPS port. By opening HTTP port 80 in the first place provides another possible attack vector. So, a suggestion would be to leave 80 closed.
   5. Optional: PPTP VPN Port 1723 + GRE (GRE should automatically get included by the device)
3. A Handy visual chart for this is available here.

See the following TechNet article for more information: Windows Small Business Server 2008 Technical FAQ.

F.  VIRTUALIZATION

    Installing SBS 2008 as a guest inside a HyperV server parent is fully supported.  Installing the HyperV role ON SBS 2008 is not.  With the premium version of SBS 2008 you can take the Windows Server 2008 standard media and install it as a basattack vector. So, a suggestion would be to leave 80 closed.