1.
just run dcpromo and provide it with a WINDOWS 2000 DNS domain name for the forest
and your root domain. It is not necessary a registered DNS domain (it's better if it
isn't, by the way...) for instance, if your comany is named "MyCorp" and have the registered
(public) DNS domain name mycorp.com, then use mycorp.net or mycorp.local etc...)
once you enter these information, the DCPROMO wizard will install DNS services automatically
make sure your AD logs & databases are not configured to remain on the system drive (by
default, the wizard wants you to install AD & logs in %SystemRoot%\NTDS. Separating LOGS and
NTDS on two physical drives (not only partitions on the same drive =P) is also a good idea
if you are looking for the best performances
once everything is set up, configure DNS :
- make sure your DNS zone is set up to use AD and if necessary set it up in "secure mode"
- make sure you create reverse-lookup zones for your network
- if you are using a DNS forwarder, remove the "." zone and configure your DNS server to use
this DNS a forwared for unresolved queries, for example your ISP's DNS
- if you are not planning to use a forwarder, make sure your server can perform DNS queries on
the Internet to contact the root servers (i would not recommend it, tho) -- this will be the case
if you cannot rely on your ISP to cache DNS lookups etc...
2.
regarding Exchange 2000, simply install it and be sure you applied all patches (SP3 +
latest fixes), take some time reading docs on how to create recipient polices etc...
very recommended: read docs about DNS, SMTP and open relay to prevent your server being used
by spammers
to share an Internet connection, you have many choices, i would recommend a proxy server, preferrably
NOT the same server as the DC and certainly NOT the Exchange server. You can use a rackable server such
as Compaq/HP 1U servers with high networking performance and very reliable storage tolerance
the other idea, not recommended also, may be to use a direct connection to the Itnernet through your
router, or use ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) built-in with Windows 2000.
hope this helps