Use over a network/community calendar/address book

[jimdreyer]

I've been using MSoffice on my personal computer for some time. I
would like to use it at my business (6 computers). Can I load MSoffice
on the server and additional copies on each computer and set up the
program so that we have a community calendar, address book, notes,
tasks and projects? If so, is there any special hardware need? I have
a server running now. Is it just a matter of loading new software on
each computer and selecting "sharing"? There doesn't seem to be an
option for that with calendar/notes/tasks/address book.

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Jim:

The short answer is "No" you cannot easily do this.

The "longer" answer is "Yes, you can, if you purchase a PC and a copy of
Microsoft Windows Server Small Business Edition." This is not as expensive
as it might sound: about five grand all up, I think.

The Small Business Edition is a "Big company computer room in a box". It
contains all the various servers you need to run a company of your size, all
pre-configured to run well together on a single small server. The best way
to buy it is from a solution partner, who will supply both the PC Server
hardware and the software, and wheel it through the door all set up and
running for you

The one you really need is Microsoft Exchange Server, which is part of SBS.
Once that is on your network, your six Macs can connect Entourage to it, and
share their calendars, appointments, meetings, and email.

Hint: If you are not from the Windows World, pay a consultant their
outrageous $900.00 to get Small Business Server up and running for you. It
is actually extremely simple: you stick the DVD in the hole and say Yes or
No to the prompts, and enter the required information, and "voila" you have
a running server ready to log on to.

The catch is that you have to "know" all the information, and how to make
the choices.

Get a consultant who knows the product well, and you will be migrated and up
and running in half a day. Or you can do it yourself and put up with the
crashes and hangs and "doesn't work right" for a month while you get it all
sorted out

Cheers

I've been using MSoffice on my personal computer for some time. I
would like to use it at my business (6 computers). Can I load MSoffice
on the server and additional copies on each computer and set up the
program so that we have a community calendar, address book, notes,
tasks and projects? If so, is there any special hardware need? I have
a server running now. Is it just a matter of loading new software on
each computer and selecting "sharing"? There doesn't seem to be an
option for that with calendar/notes/tasks/address book.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[jimdreyer]

Hi Jim:

The short answer is "No" you cannot easily do this.

The "longer" answer is "Yes, you can, if you purchase a PC and a copy of
Microsoft Windows Server Small Business Edition." This is not as expensive
as it might sound: about five grand all up, I think.

The Small Business Edition is a "Big company computer room in a box". It
contains all the various servers you need to run a company of your size, all
pre-configured to run well together on a single small server. The best way
to buy it is from a solution partner, who will supply both the PC Server
hardware and the software, and wheel it through the door all set up and
running for you

The one you really need is Microsoft Exchange Server, which is part of SBS.
Once that is on your network, your six Macs can connect Entourage to it, and
share their calendars, appointments, meetings, and email.

Hint: If you are not from the Windows World, pay a consultant their
outrageous $900.00 to get Small Business Server up and running for you. It
is actually extremely simple: you stick the DVD in the hole and say Yes or
No to the prompts, and enter the required information, and "voila" you have
a running server ready to log on to.

The catch is that you have to "know" all the information, and how to make
the choices.

Get a consultant who knows the product well, and you will be migrated and up
and running in half a day. Or you can do it yourself and put up with the
crashes and hangs and "doesn't work right" for a month while you get it all
sorted out

Cheers



--
Don't wait for your answer, click here:http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltdhttp://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

John: thanks for taking the time to respond with such a detailed
answer. Not what I wanted to hear, but good to find out now before I
buy 6 copies of MSoffice.

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Jim:

Yeah, well If you think about it, with six users you HAVE to have "some
kind of file server". Might as well be SBS: it does a very good job and has
some really nice "I'll take care of that for you" features that make life a
lot simpler in a small business.

For example: SharePoint. SharePoint is a product I just love to hate, but
the end users love it, and it comes built-in to SBS (along with Fax Server,
and Print Server, and Terminal Server and a heap of other things you never
knew you wanted ....)

That said, I don't run the thing either, even though I do run a Windows file
server.

Some (not many, but SOME) Internet Service Providers will actually run
Exchange Server for you. That's another available option, although from
what I can see, most of them are charging so much it's cheaper to run your
own.

Or: You can of course cobble together your own solution using open-source
freeware. Personally, I am not "that" brave. But it is an option for
people who like that sort of thing.

Cheers

John: thanks for taking the time to respond with such a detailed
answer. Not what I wanted to hear, but good to find out now before I
buy 6 copies of MSoffice.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]