A static IP address may not be assigned to a new server that has uppercase characters in its name in Windows Small Business Server 2003

When you use the Small Business Server Setup Wizard in Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 to add an additional server to your Windows Small Business Server network, a static IP address that you set for the new server may not be assigned.

For example, consider the following scenario:

1. You use the Small Business Server Setup Wizard to add a new server to your network, and you set a static IP address for your server.
2. On the new server, you visit the following Web site:
   http://SmallBusinessServerName/ConnectComputer
3. You click Connect to the network now to start the Small Business Server Network Configuration Wizard.
4. You follow the steps in the Small Business Server Network Configuration Wizard.

In this scenario, when you log on to the new server after it restarts, you may notice that it does not have a static IP address assigned to it.

Additionally, the SBSNetSetup.log file on the new server displays an entry that is similar to the following:Note In this entry, Server1 represents the name of the additional server. The SBSNetSetup.log file is located in the following folder:

You assign a server name by using the Small Business Server Setup Wizard. This problem occurs if the server name that you assign in this way contains uppercase characters. For example, this problem occurs if you assign a server name such as NewServer1.

When you add a new server to your network by using the Small Business Server Setup Wizard, an entry that is similar to the following is added to the Server.txt file: Note By default, this file is located in the following folder on the Windows Small Business Server-based computer: In this entry, the server name is converted to lowercase characters. For example, if you assign the name "NewServer1" in the Small Business Server Setup Wizard, "_SBSnewserver1" is added to the Server.txt file.

When you run the Small Business Server Network Configuration Wizard on the new server, the wizard examines the Server.txt file when it searches for the server name that you select. However, the wizard does not convert this server name to lowercase characters. Therefore, the wizard cannot locate the server name in the Server.txt file. Because the wizard cannot locate the server name, it uses the default settings to configure the new server.

To resolve this problem, make sure that any server name that you assign when you use the Small Business Server Setup Wizard contains only lowercase letters.

To work around this problem, manually assign a static IP address to your new server. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type ncpa.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Right-click the network connection, and then click Properties.
3. Double-click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
4. Click Use the following IP address, and then type the following information in the corresponding boxes:
   1. The IP address
   2. The subnet mask
   3. The default gateway
5. Click Use the following DNS server addresses, and then type the IP address of your Windows Small Business Server-based computer in the Preferred DNS server box.
6. Click OK two times.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information about how to configure or troubleshoot Windows Small Business Server, see the Windows Small Business Server product documentation. To do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site: