File server role overview

A file server provides a central location on your network where you can store and share files with users across your network. When users require an important file such as a project plan, they can access the file on the file server instead of having to pass the file between their separate computers. If your network users will need access to the same files and network-accessible applications, configure this computer as a file server. This topic explains how to use both the Manage Your Server and the Configure Your Server Wizard to install and configure a file server. When you have finished setting up a basic file server, you can complete additional tasks by using Manage Your Server.
Configuring your file server
To configure a file server, start the Configure Your Server Wizard by doing either of the following:
• From Manage Your Server, click Add or remove a role. By default, Manage Your Server starts automatically when you log on. To open Manage Your Server, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Manage Your Server.
• To open the Configure Your Server Wizard, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Configure Your Server Wizard.
On the Server Role page, click File server, and then click Next.

This section covers:

File Server Disk Quotas
On the File Server Disk Quotas page, you can set up disk quotas, which track and control individual user's disk space usage on NTFS volumes on a per-volume basis. The Configure Your Server Wizard automatically applies disk quotas to new users of any NTFS file system, using whatever disk space quota is already applied. You need to change the information on the File Server Disk Quotas page only if you want to prevent a server from consuming a certain amount of disk space or if you have a limited amount of disk space. In most cases, you can accept the default system settings.

File Server Indexing Service:
On the File Server Indexing Service page, do one of the following:If users will be searching the contents of the files on the server regularly, click Yes, leave Indexing Service turned on. If you want to conserve CPU and memory resources, click No, turn Indexing Service off. Indexing Service can slow server performance.
Indexing Service provides a fast, easy, and secure way for users to search for information locally or on the network. Users can search in files in different formats and languages, either through Search on the Start menu or through HTML pages that they view in a browser.
After you finish, click Next.

Summary of Selections:
On the Summary of Selections page, view and confirm the options that you have selected. If you selected File server on the Server Role page, the following appears:

• Install File Server Management
• Run the Share a Folder Wizard to add new shared folders or share existing folders To apply the selections shown on the Summary of Selections page, click Next.

Using the Share a Folder Wizard:
After you click Next, the Configure Your Server Wizard starts the Share a Folder Wizard automatically, which you use to configure shared folders. By sharing resources, you make them available for use by other users on your network.
ImportantUse caution when sharing folders that contain system files and resources. Verify that the folder or resource that you specify does not contain information that you do not want users to access.

Completing the Configure Your Server Wizard
After you complete the Share a Folder Wizard, the Configure Your Server Wizard displays the This Server Is Now a File Server page. To review all of the changes made to your server by the Configure Your Server Wizard or to ensure that a new role was installed successfully, click Configure Your Server log. The Configure Your Server Wizard log is located at systemroot\Debug\Configure Your Server.log. To close the Configure Your Server Wizard, click Finish.
After completing the Configure Your Server Wizard, be sure to visit Windows Update to download any additional updates available .
Removing the file server role
If you need to reconfigure your server for a different role, you can remove existing server roles. If you remove the file server role, files and folders on this server are no longer shared and network users, programs, or hosts that depend on those shared resources will be unable to connect to them.
To remove the file server role, restart the Configure Your Server Wizard by doing either of the following:

• From Manage Your Server, click Add or remove a role. By default, Manage Your Server starts automatically when you log on. To open Manage Your Server, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Manage Your Server.
• To open the Configure Your Server Wizard, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Configure Your Server Wizard.

On the Server Role page, click File server, and then click Next. On the Role Removal Confirmation page, review the items listed under Summary, select the Remove the file server role check box, and then click Next. On the File Server Role Removed page, click Finish.

Server Roles

• Server roles
  The Windows Server 2003 family provides several server roles. To configure a server role, install the server role by using the Configure Your Server Wizard and manage your server roles by using Manage Your Server. After you finish installing a server role, Manage Your Server starts automatically.
  To determine which server role is appropriate for you, review the following information about the server roles that are available with the Windows Server 2003 family:
  · File server role
  · Print server role
  · Application server role
  · Mail server role
  · Terminal server role
  · Remote access/VPN server role
  · Domain controller role
  · DNS server role
  · DHCP server role
  · Streaming media server role
  · WINS server role