Noob question about user profiles, networks, and servers

[Brain Coates]

I have a server running Win server 2008. There are 7 workstations running windows 7. The business software I use has its own database server function, I literally have to "turn on" the software's database by clicking an icon in my server's task bar.
My network is a DOMAIN, but the software can run a peer to peer environment. For businesses using 5 or less workstations the software vendor recommends just connecting all the PCs (no server machine) to a switch, and loading software on all computers. One would get a "server + workstation" installation, and the rest get a "workstation only" installation.
QUESTION: in the event my windows Server 2008 machine goes down, can I quickly trick my PC's into thinking they are part of a peer-to-peer network by switching users? This would only be done if my server was unplugged for repair. I was thinking that if I just log off the domain, and switch users to a non-domain user, that each PC would forget about the domain, and I could redirect my software to the data folder which is now on the temporary "server PC" .
Is it as simple as just logging onto the computer, not the domain? If I made up another user, called "emergency user", who is just logged onto the local machine, do I still need to somehow join a workgroup on each machine, or could that be configured ahead of time?
What other configuration would need to be done?
Thanks

 

[Oana]

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Yes

 

[Brain Coates]

I'll assume that is "yes" to the idea of switching users and making one of the PC'S a temporary database server.
Now, do I have to specify a different workgroup or something for my new user account called "emergency user". Does it matter? Will the new user automatically try to join my existing domain? I can not remember how it gets set up.
Also, I believe that part of setting up each workstation involved setting up a local user account, so technically each computer already has a non-domain user account available. Can that be used, or is it easier just to make a new user for the purpose of disaster recovery? . I just do not want to spend all morning setting up user accounts on 7 computers on the day of the crash

 

[Henry Wong]

Peer-to -Peer and Domains are set up as a system setting...so much that changing them requires a reboot of the system even in Windows 7...I would say that it would be a lengthy process to switch from one to the other and, even though unlikely, could cause more issues than would solve...may I suggest that you look into redundancy instead...running two servers and if one goes hay wire, then you don't have to change anything other than fixing the gimp server and then updating the data.