The US version of SBS we tested for this review proved negative on both accounts. In addition, it remains to be seen whether the German Internet authorities with their reputation for being rather slow will ever be able to adapt to this pace. Registering online does, however, already work for private users, even in Germany. Theoretically, registering with an ISP triggers a fair number of configuration tasks, for example setting up a proxy server for Internet access from the LAN environment and a mail server. Given better starting conditions the automated set up is, therefore, likely to work.
Similar things apply to the proxy server.
As soon as an administrator wants more than the SBS-Console can offer, he is dipped into the usual administrative NT mess, sometimes even earlier. Hardly ever does the Console substitute the traditional tools completely. If nothing else, the Console's online help feature offers support. All is new More promising were the fax server and modem sharing features. They can be managed almost entirely via the console and worked almost straight from the beginning.