Advice for Web Server - Active Directory or not?

[Peter Scott]

We are replacing our web server that sits at our ISP

If we are only using this Windows 2003 Ent Server as a web server that will
host sites using MySQL, (maybe MSSQL later), ASP.NET, ASP, PHP and be a FTP
server and DNS server, is there any benefit running active directory?

Obviously we would have user accounts on the server - and if there is no
active directory then we will make use of the local user & groups and give
these users access to the appropriate directories and sites.

Currently our existing Win2k server is our web server running at the ISP and
is setup as a DC in its own domain. We would want to migrate the user
accounts and data to the new Win2k3 server (if possible).

All comments welcome.

Regards - Peter Scott

 

[Enkidu]

We are replacing our web server that sits at our ISP

If we are only using this Windows 2003 Ent Server as a web server that will
host sites using MySQL, (maybe MSSQL later), ASP.NET, ASP, PHP and be a FTP
server and DNS server, is there any benefit running active directory?

No, there is no advantage in AD under those conditions.

Obviously we would have user accounts on the server - and if there is no
active directory then we will make use of the local user & groups and give
these users access to the appropriate directories and sites.

Yes, that is the way that I do it, and it works well.

Currently our existing Win2k server is our web server running at the ISP and
is setup as a DC in its own domain. We would want to migrate the user
accounts and data to the new Win2k3 server (if possible).

Migrating from AD users and groups to local users or groups will, I
think, be difficult. Unless you have a script whizz, I suspect that
this will be a manual task, if even a script whizz could manage it.

Cheers,

Cliff

 

[Stefan Buchman]

I would agree. Getting the users from AD to a local workstation could
be done fairly easily using a script... what you are going to have
problems with is maintaining the same password.

If it's acceptable to have all your users reset their password right
after you migrate the accounts you should be all set.

- Stefan