server installation

You can't have two operating systems run in parallel on the same machine at the same time.

What you can do is pick one operating system to be the native or "host" operating system, then through virtualization install the second operating system as a "Guest" operating system. This will allow you to have both operating systems running together at the same time, although in reality only one is installed onto the native hardware.

For your example I would suggest using Ubuntu as a host or native operating system, then using virtualisation such as Xen, KVM, or Vmware (just 3 examples) install windows 2003 as a guest operating system.

Informtion on the virtualisation can be found here

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/KVM
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Xen
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/XenVirtualMachine
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VMware

thanks, for the help so help on the step by step on installing Ubuntu. i want to have a file server and all users on it?

ok, well from the sounds of things you sound a like a new Linux user and new to Ubuntu certainly, so lets make this as easy as possible.

the first thing to do is install the Ubuntu operating system.

As your a new user I'd suggest using the desktop install CD.

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

download the Ubuntu desktop CD for 32bit or 64bit (AMD64 image) if you want a 64bit install (your hardware must support 64bit).

Then burn this cd and boot from it, you'll be presented to with an option to "install ubuntu". Select that option and you'll get an Ubuntu desktop. On the desktop is an install icoon, click the install icon and you'll be walked through a selection of questions (name your machine, user account name, time zone, disk layout etc)

As your new pay attention to the questions. When asked about the disk usage as this is a new install allow ubuntu to partition your disk for you (you will lose all data on this disk).

your machine will then carry out the installation for you, and then reboot, it will ask you to remove the cd and your done. You have an ubuntu install.

You then need to select a Virtualisation method (I'd suggest kvm as a personal preference for me, or vmware as it's an easy technology to use and install).

The guides I posted the URLs for earlier will walk you through setting up the virtualisation you want.

That should answer your question in pretty good detail.

i have already installed the ubuntu Desktop on on of my conmputers. i now want to install the server version on the server.
I have decided as you said that i should have ubuntu as the native, and i no longer want Win2003 on my server Ubuntu onnly?

well, I strongly suggest you install the ubuntu desktop edition, there is no different in the desktop edition other than

a.) It is aimed at home user hardware better
b.) it has X running by default (you can disable this if you want it to use the command line interface only)

to run a server you don't need the "server" os.

But that choice is yours.

This should answer your question in detail now.

i have all the copies of Ubuntu server and desktop 8.04 downloaded and burnt on the CD.

can you please clarify, what you mean? the desktop can run as a server software. so Why have Ubuntu server when you can use the desktop version as a server????

The server platform is meant for enterprise server products and as such as various tweaks to help it work better in enterprise situations.

The home desktop cd is pretty much the same setup / system but aimed at home users, hence the better support for home hardware.

Which hopefully now will answer your initial question of how to deal with the two operating systems and a little bit of additional background information

It did thanks for enlightening me, so now will i be able to install a domain on the desktop version? Add users and run my server remotely?
Sorry for the trouble !!!

it's no trouble, but you may want to consider closing this question and asking future questions in seperate questions so it's easy to track.

To install a domain on the desktop version, and run your server remotly, you'd do this exactly the same as you would in the server install. For all the things you want to do, there is zero difference between the desktop and server version.

eg:

You want to add users, you can still add users using the useradd command, or you can use the gui in system --> Administration --> Users and Groups

for a domain - I assume you mean for windows clients, in which case samba is the only real option, which there are many guides around for, many views on www.ubuntuforums.org and https://help.ubuntu.com

It's a bit too long to do a walk through in this question.

Thanks Matt Darcy, that solved my question.

i have bumped into another problem, in the terminal when i try to access the root, its say unable to resolve host.
am stuck i would like to install samba

Thanks Matt Darcy, that solved my question.