This might sound like a silly question. I'm ordering a w2k3 dedicated server from theplanet, but i can't find any resources on the internet on how i can setup my domain name to point to my Windows server. I've done it on a linux server, it was easy, just add it to Ensim. if my windows server doesn't have ensim or cpanel, how does it work? I'm using gmail apps for my emails (my domain).

If you have your domain name somewhere (godaddy, The Planet, etc.) you could change the dns to point to the IP address of your server. This would be the default A record for your domain. Any additional sub-domain name would be created at the domain host company and point the A record to the server IP address. This is the easiest way.

Another option would be to install MS DNS and use that in a name server setup.
ns1.yourdomain.com would rDNS to your server IP address and then the domain DNS records would exist as a primary forward lookup zone. In the domain control panel you would change the name servers to point to your name servers. This takes some careful planning so you get it right the first time.

If you have a server with ThePlanet.com then you can use their DNS server from your orbit account. Or you can also set up the DNS server in Windows, however as there is not a control panel you have to do this manually. There is one drawback to this in that Microsoft DNS servers have very poor security. You will want to search the security section of the forums in regards to hardening the server security.

DNS Technical Reference
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library...926(WS.10).aspx