Microsoft KB Archive/299909

= How To Join a Workgroup in Windows 2000 Server =

Article ID: 299909

Article Last Modified on 10/30/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server

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This article was previously published under Q299909



IN THIS TASK
SUMMARY Understanding When to Configure a Domain and Workgroup Installing Windows 2000 Server Configure Network Protocol on a Windows 2000 Server
 * Configuring TCP/IP
 * Configuring the NetBEUI Protocol

Configure Windows 2000 Server to Join a Workgroup Creating Accounts on Windows 2000 Server Sharing Data with Workgroup Users Troubleshooting



SUMMARY
This step-by-step article describes how to configure Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Professional to participate in a workgroup.

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Understanding When to Configure a Domain and Workgroup
It is important to understand the difference between a domain and a workgroup environment. The main difference been a domain and a workgroup is that workgroup environments use decentralized administration. This means that every computer must be administrated independently of the others. Domains use centralized administration, in which administrators can create one domain account and assign permissions to all resources within the domain to that one central user or group of users. Centralized administration requires less administration time and provides a more secure environment. In general, workgroup configurations are used in very small environments which do not have security concerns. Larger environments and environments that must have tight security on data should use a domain configuration. If your company has either one of those requirements please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

238369 How to Promote and Demote Domain Controllers in Windows 2000

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Installing Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2000 Advanced Server
If you have not already installed Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2000 Advanced Server, you have to do this first. During the installation process of the operating system, you have the option to choose the workgroup to which this server will belong. To do so, on the Workgroup or Computer Domain screen, click the following option:

'''No, this is not a network computer, or is a network without a domain. Type the workgroup name in the following box'''

You can also leave the default workgroup name of &quot;Workgroup&quot; in the box during Setup, and then configure the workgroup settings after the installation. Changing the workgroup settings after installation will require a server reboot.

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Configure Network Protocol on a Windows 2000 Server
It is recommended that you use either of the following two network protocols to connect your workgroup: TCP/IP or NetBEUI. The main difference between these two protocols is that TCP/IP is routable and NetBEUI is not. In addition, TCP/IP is also the Internet standard protocol. However, NetBEUI is a fast and efficient protocol and you can use it in situations in which routing and direct Internet connectivity are not required. The following steps describe how to install both protocols. In many cases, only one protocol is required, so you can choose which protocol to install.

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Configuring TCP/IP

 * 1) Right-click the My Network Places icon, and then click Properties to open the Network and Dial-up Connections window.
 * 2) Right-click the Local Area Connection icon, and then click Properties.
 * 3) Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.
 * 4) On the General tab, configure the TCP/IP address and subnet mask. If you have a routable environment, you can configure the default gateway. Make sure that all computers within the same subnet have the same subnet mask and network portion of the IP address. Also, make sure that if you are connecting directly to the Internet you are using an IP address that were registered with Internet.

If the workgroup environment is a larger network environment, you may want to user DHCP to configure all of your IP addresses automatically. Also, if your environment is separated into multiple network segments so that routing is required, you need to look into DNS and/or WINS to resolve names. back to the top

Configuring the NetBEUI Protocol

 * 1) Right-click the My Network Places icon, and then click Properties to open the Network and Dial-up Connections window.
 * 2) Right-click the Local Area Connection icon, and then click Properties.
 * 3) Click the Install button.
 * 4) Click Protocols, and then click Add.
 * 5) Click NetBEUI Protocol, and then click OK.

For more information on TCP/IP, DHCP, or NetBEUI, refer to Windows 2000 Help. If you need to connect to the Internet through your Intranet through your Intranet connection, you may find the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base useful:

237254 How to Enable Internet Connection Sharing on Network Connection

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Configure Windows 2000 Server to Join a Workgroup
For servers that were previously installed and then removed from the default workgroup setting set of workgroup, use the following directions to move workgroups:
 * 1) Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, and then click Properties.
 * 2) On the Network Identification tab, click Properties.
 * 3) Under Members, click the Workgroup option, and then type the name of the workgroup.
 * 4) Click OK.
 * 5) Click OK again.
 * 6) Restart your computer when you are prompted to do so.

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Creating Accounts on Windows 2000 Server
Because of the decentralized security of a workgroup environment, you need to create an account for every user on the network and keep the passwords synchronized:
 * 1) Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Computer Management.
 * 2) Under System Tools, click Local Users and Groups.
 * 3) Right-click the Users Folder, and then click New User.
 * 4) In the User Name box, type in the user ID that the user will be using for the logon process. If you are working with multiple workgroup computers, this name must match exactly.
 * 5) Type the required information in the Full Name and Description boxes.
 * 6) Type the password for the user. Again, this must be the same on all servers or workstations that want to share data.
 * 7) Click to clear the User must change password on next logon check box.

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Sharing Data with Workgroup Users

 * 1) Double-click the My Computer icon.
 * 2) Navigate to the desired location of the folder that you would like to share, right-click this folder, and then click Sharing.
 * 3) Click the Share this Folder option.
 * 4) The Share name box will be populated with the folder name. If you would like to change this name, type the new share name in the box.
 * 5) By default, the connections limit is set to the maximum allowed; however, you can set an allowed user limit.
 * 6) If you click the Permissions button, you can set a share-level permission on the share. The default permissions will be set so that the Everyone group has full control. Share permissions are separate but equal to NTFS permissions. In other words, by setting the share permissions, you are able to add additional permissions when users are connecting to this folder across the network.
 * 7) Click OK to close the Properties window.
 * 8) After the folder is shared, you see a hand icon under the folder.

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Troubleshooting
If you encounter problems with network connectivity, refer to the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

300986 How To Diagnose and Test TCP/IP or NetBIOS Network Connections

If you encounter problems with computer browsing, refer to the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

188305 Troubleshooting the Microsoft Computer Browser Service

If you encounter problems accessing resource due to insufficient permissions, refer to the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

301195 How To Configure Security for Files and Folders on a Network

214759 Access Denied Error Connecting to a Network Share

If you encounter problems accessing the Internet, refer to the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

163391 Troubleshooting problems communicating with a server on the Internet using a dial-up networking connection in Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows NT

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Keywords: kbhowto kbhowtomaster kbnetwork KB299909

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