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Best Practice - SBS 2003 Installation

Update firmware to latest versions
Set up RAID array
Allocate 6144MB C: drive
Format the partition usign NTFS (not quick)
Change the Language and Regional Options
1. Short date format: dd/mm/yyyy
2. Language, Location and Installed Services to: English (Australia)
3. Remove English (United States) from Installed Services
Enter SBS as computer name, set a complex administrator password (will also be dsrestore password)
Set timezone to GMT +9:30 (Adelaide)
Cancel SBS Setup and delete the "Continue Setup" icon from the desktop

Change the CDROM to Z:\ (and then search registry for D:\, replace with Z:\)
Download latest versions of required drivers
Install chipset drivers
Install any other drivers missing from Device Manager
Install Intel Proset from apps\PROSETDX\Win32 (in the downloaded network driver zip file)
Install RAID management software
Set the page file to 1.5x RAM (both minimum and maximum)
Create D: partition using remaining space. (if using 2 drives, D: is the entire disk 0. remaining space on disk 1 is e: drive and kept spare) - format D: as NTFS labelled "Data"

If you are performing a swing migration, this is where you would replicate the TempDC. Read the Swing documentation for more info.

Disable the second NIC. Make sure the first NIC is plugged in to a switch, but not on any production network with a DHCP server
Restart the server

Inset SBS disc 1 to start the install
Enter company info
Choose a domain name eg. mundy.local
Leave server name as SBS
Choose the NIC that is enabled
Leave IP address as 192.168.16.2 / 255.255.255.0 (info: router should be 192.168.16.1)
Enter password for automatic logon
Install all components even if you will not use them (eg. Exchange and Fax)
Change folder path of all files except Exchange Transaction Logs to D:\ - leave transaction logs on C:
Complete SBS Setup and reboot

Run the Configure Email and Internet Wizard
Choose to save removed email attachmens in "D:\Removed Email Attachments"
Configure password policies when prompted. Tick all boxes, change minimum characters to 8
Install SBS service packs and updates (if building on production LAN, disable the DHCP server service and re-run CEICW. Not possible if this SBS has the same hostname as your production SBS!)
Create and share "Company Data" folder in D: drive (assign "Domain User" modify permissions
Create MSLicense folder in D: drive
Create Support folder in D: drive, share as Support$
Activate the server
Add client licenses, back up to D:\MSLicense
Add printers (migrate if replacing another server), save any printer drivers to D:\Support\Printers\\
Add users and groups in Active Directory (create SBSmonitoring group)
Set up folder structure and apply appropriate permissions
Migrate application based data folders (create a target folder for each application in the D: drive)