Working with Workgroups

A workgroup is a cluster of networked machines that normally rely on only one or sometimes no server - a workgroup normally relies heavily on shared resources that exist on multiple machines. A workgroup can consist of just two machines, each of which has resources that the other machine requires. The key to the workgroup is that each member of the workgroup is a peer of all the other machines - no single machine is in charge of the network.

Some people associate workgroups with small configurations. However, it's possible to create large workgroups, and sometimes they have multiple central servers. One of the defining workgroup elements is that workgroups lack Active Directory support. If you don't elevate your server to a domain controller and don't install Active Directory (the Active Directory support is automatic when you promote the server to a domain controller), then you have a workgroup.

This tutorial helps you understand workgroups, prepare to create a workgroup, set up a server and users for a workgroup, and then perform some workgroup-specific configuration tasks. When you finish this tutorial, you should know how to create a workgroup configuration. The workgroup won't have all the features you need to support a production environment, but it will function as a workgroup. (A production environment is one in which users can perform useful work, such as editing a document, accessing a database, or using an intranet.) Each machine can then access other machines on the network, and you can share resources as needed.