Connecting a Mac to a W2K server

I have a Windows 2000 server with around 40 PC clients. On the server, I
have Exchange 2000 and ISA for internet connections. I want to connect a
Mac (OS X) to this network. I want the Mac to be able to connect to the W2K
server and share all its resources (Exchange server, also share files and
have an internet connection). Is this possible and if so, how? Thanks for
any help in advance.

On 11/28/03 8:42 AM, in article #(E-Mail Removed), "ann
smith" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> I have a Windows 2000 server with around 40 PC clients. On the server, I
> have Exchange 2000 and ISA for internet connections. I want to connect a
> Mac (OS X) to this network. I want the Mac to be able to connect to the W2K
> server and share all its resources (Exchange server, also share files and
> have an internet connection). Is this possible and if so, how? Thanks for
> any help in advance.

Hi Ann!

To do all of this, first make sure your Mac is configured to use TCP/IP for
your network. It can talk to DHCP servers to get an IP address, use DNS
servers to resolve names, etc. None of this is platform specific, so what
works for Windows will work for the Mac. You can configure the Mac's
settings by choosing Apple menu --> System Preferences --> Network.

For file sharing, you have two options. You can install File Services for
Macintosh on the server or you can simply use the SMB protocol on your Mac.
Using the SMB protocol on your Mac is the better of the two choices because
it requires no additional software to be installed. To connect to your
server, locate the Go menu while in the Mac's Finder and choose Connect to
Server... (you can also type Command + k). Enter "smb://servername" or
"smb://serverIPAddress" without the quotes. You'll be asked to authenticate
with the name and password of a user on the server. You can refer to your
Mac's Help menu for more information.

To access Exchange, you have a few choices. I'll refer you to this page on
Microsoft's website, which provides a decision tree to help you determine
what's best for you http://www.microsoft.com/mac/support.aspx?pid=exchange.
Nothing special has to be installed or configured on your Exchange server.

As for Internet connectivity, you'll set up your Mac the same way as you
would your Windows clients. It needs at minimum an IP address, gateway
address and DNS servers. All of this can be configured manually be acquired
via DHCP, which is easier.

Hope this helps! bill
--
William M. Smith
(Microsoft Interop MVP)
Who are MVPs?
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/