mr. owl...what does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of an sbs box?

ya know...it occurs to me that a list of all the skills and knowledge needed to fully wring out every bit of the functionality available in windows small business server premium edition as it comes out of the box is in order.

so here goes:

• file & print services
  
• network infrastructure services (dns, dhcp, tcp/ip)
• active directory
• exchange
• smtp and/or pop (pesky enough to be separate from exchange)
• security (access rights, firewall)
  
• remote access (exchange mobile, vpn, rww)
• ssl & certificates
• database (sql, perhaps more than one flavor)
  
• backup
  
• web services (iis, ftp, sharepoint)

basically, all seven layers of the cake. well, really 9 layers if you include layer 0 (planning and design) and layer 8 (wrangling those users, natch)

so how can one person expect to do and know all that?

well...relying on the wizards and management interfaces embedded in sbs (the good stuff that enterprise folks wail about not having all the time) will take you pretty far. that's the first mindset you've got to get into...especially if you're coming into this from enterprise-land.

but even then...most sbs-ers don't expect to know everything. they rely on their peers in the sbs community, who specialize in one particular area or another, to help them if they run across something sticky.

take it from your friendly neighborhood happyfunboy (doing his best imitation of gordon gekko)...

sharing...is good.
sharing works.
sharing...rocks!

as proof of that...the diva was more than gracious to look over my list before i posted (thanks susan!)

and in the continuing spirit of sharing, if there's something i missed that's part of sbs premium, by all means, put it in a comment...and i'll add it to the list!