This snippet from Chapter 5 of my new book Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed is brought to you by SAPIEN Press. Get your copy at http://www.sapienpress.com/Windows_Server_08.asp.

Installing Server Core
For the Windows administrator who's never seen Server Core, one great thing about it is the installation. It's more or less exactly the same as an installation of Server 2008's full version. As you'll see at the O/S installation screen the only difference is that one installs the Core version of the correct operating system edition. It's worth mentioning again that Microsoft considers Server Core an operating system "Role" within each edition rather than an edition all to itself. So if you purchase a license for Enterprise Edition, you can install it as either the full version or the Core version.

More after the fold...

 
Continue reading Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed Part #6 of 12: Chapter 5 - Server Core...

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Posted by Greg Shields | Tips & Tricks | Permalink | Comments (0)

This snippet from Chapter 4 of my new book Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed is brought to you by SAPIEN Press. Get your copy at http://www.sapienpress.com/Windows_Server_08.asp.

Starter GPOs
One feature that's completely new to Server 2008 is the concept of Starter GPOs. When I'm out consulting with other organizations and see that no Group Policies are in use anywhere in the domain, often the biggest reason is that administrators, "just don't know where to start."

With Starter GPOs, Microsoft provides the administrator that starting point for some of the common functions typically desired by administrators. To use them, the Starter GPOs folder must first be created in the domain. Do this by opening a Server 2008 GPMC and click on the Starter GPOs node. A button will appear with the text stating The Starter GPOs folder does not currently exist in this domain. Click on the button below to create this folder.

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Continue reading Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed Part #5 of 12: Chapter 4 - Group Policy...

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Posted by Greg Shields | Tips & Tricks | Permalink | Comments (0)

This snippet from Chapter 3 of my new book Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed is brought to you by SAPIEN Press. Get your copy at http://www.sapienpress.com/Windows_Server_08.asp.

Server Manager
Once you've completed and closed the Initial Configuration Tasks wizard, you're greeted with a new MMC console called Server Manager. Server Manager is Server 2008's consolidation of many of the previously-separated administrative consoles into a single location. This unified console can manage all the Roles, Role Services, and Features configured for your server. Additionally, many of the items previously found in the Manage context menu for My Computer are now found within Server Manager. Heck, you even get to Server Manager by right-clicking on Computer and choosing Manage.

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Continue reading Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed Part #4 of 12: Chapter 3 - Server Management...

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Posted by Greg Shields | Tips & Tricks | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you probably already know, my latest book Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed is now available through SAPIEN Press and on Amazon. In support of its recent availability, this week I'm bumping all 12 of my original series with snippets from chapters in the book.

If you haven't taken a look at the book, its worth your time. Here's the blurb from the back cover to whet your appetite:

Microsoft has released its next server operating system - Windows Server 2008 - and you need to know more about it. But you don't need the basics and you don't need the step-by-step. You already know Windows 2003. You just need a quick and dirty review of what's new and what's changed from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008. Get it with this ultra-quick and highly-entertaining guide, written by Windows insider Greg Shields. Focusing tightly on what's new and changed in Microsoft technologies for installing, managing, and securing Windows Server 2008, this thin guide will quickly ramp up your skills. Save yourself some time and money by skipping the basics and using your existing skills to master Microsoft's new server O/S.

Automate server installations * More effectively manage servers through Server Manager * Gain insight with Reliability and Performance Monitor * Implement powerful new Group Policy * Reduce your attack surface with Server Core * Complete better Active Directory backups * Deploy apps using Terminal Services * Secure your servers with the new Windows Firewall * Secure branch offices with Read-Only Domain Controllers * Augment passwords with Fine-Grained Password Policies

A major part of Microsoft's new strategy for automated systems management is the new Windows PowerShell. So as a bonus to get you started, you'll also get nine full and complete chapters from Don Jones' and Jeff Hicks' Windows PowerShell v1.0: TFM, 2nd Edition. Learn to use PowerShell while you discover the new and exciting technologies in Windows Server 2008.

Get your copy directly from SAPIEN Press at this address: http://www.sapienpress.com/windows_server_08.asp

Or, if you're a fan of Amazon (and who isn't!), you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Server-2008-Whats-Changed/dp/0977659771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210015189&sr=8-1

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Posted by Greg Shields | O/S Features & Troubleshooting | Permalink | Comments (0)

This snippet from Chapter 1 of my new book Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed is brought to you by SAPIEN Press. Get your copy at http://www.sapienpress.com/Windows_Server_08.asp.

Windows Server Editions
When Vista released to the consumer markets in early 2007, we had eight different versions to deal with. Figuring out the differences between Vista Home Premium, Vista Enterprise N, and Vista Ultimate took some fancy slide rules and cheat sheets. With Server 2008, at least the editions are fewer in number and easier to understand.

More after the fold...

 
Continue reading Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed Part #2 of 12: Chapter 1 - Introduction to Windows Server 2008...

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Posted by Greg Shields | Tips & Tricks | Permalink | Comments (0)

This snippet from Chapter 2 of my new book Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed is brought to you by SAPIEN Press. Get your copy at http://www.sapienpress.com/Windows_Server_08.asp.

Windows Deployment Services
With Server 2008, Windows Deployment Services (WDS) has been encapsulated into an installable Role through Server Manager. Without giving too much away for the next Chapter where we talk about Roles and the installation of Roles, you can install the WDS Role just like any other on the system.

More after the fold...

 
Continue reading Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed Part #3 of 12: Chapter 2 - Installing Windows Server 2008...

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Posted by Greg Shields | Tips & Tricks | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you're further along with your virtualization deployment than with just the MAP, you may be interested in knowing about Microsoft's Virtualization Cookbooks. These cookbooks provide a step-by-step approach for configuring virtualization for numerous architectures. You can get them all from: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1dba286b-9ec9-4a6c-b682-823affcd5a1b&DisplayLang=en

Here's the list:

• Backup and Recovery using Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1 and Acronis True Image 9.1 Enterprise Edition
• Deployment Cookbook: Branch Office--Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1
• Deployment Cookbook: High Availability with Virtual Server Host Clustering
• Deployment Cookbook: Hosted Backup--Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1
• Deployment Cookbook: Offsite Backup--Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1
• Deployment Cookbook: Onsite Backup--Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1
• Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007, Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1, and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager
• Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager
• Mobile User Access of Applications. Terminal Server running on virtual machines using Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1
• Quick Migration with Virtual Server Host Clustering Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition & Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1

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Posted by Greg Shields | Virtualization | Permalink | Comments (0)

Back in the early days of virtualization (and probably still today) consultancies everywhere would sell you a package whereby they'd tell you which of your servers would make good virtualization candidates and which would not.

What they didn't tell you was that those services mainly used free tools -- like PerfMon -- that you already had at your disposal. Nowadays, we know more about virtualization and what types of performance characteristics make good candidates (rather than just saying "Terminal Servers won't work"). You just need to know what those PerfMon characteristics are.

Microsoft helps the process by providing a three-step process to assist you with understandinging and determining virtualization candidates. The process is pretty easy:

1. Server Inventory - collect information regarding all existing servers across your network
2. PerfMon Capture - capture performance counters including CPU, Disk and Network Utilization of each server that you want to consider virtualizing (note: we recommend you run this for at least a few days if not a few weeks so you can capture all the "peaks and valleys" of utilization)
3. Virtualization Candidates Reporting - generate a report with virtualization candidacy recommendations

Even better, they provide the tools to make all of this extremely easy. Just install, run, and go. Learn more about the MAP (Microsoft Assessment and Planning) tool at this web site: http://blogs.technet.com/mapblog/archive/2008/04/23/how-to-series-for-microsoft-assessment-and-planning-part-1-server-virtualization.aspx

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Posted by Greg Shields | Virtualization | Permalink | Comments (0)