Windows Server 2008 How-To

J. Peter Bruzzese is an independent consultant and trainer for a variety of clients, including CBT Nuggets (the Exchange 2007 Video Series) and New Horizons. Over the past decade, Peter has worked with Goldman Sachs, CommVault Systems, and Microsoft, to name a few. His focus has been, and continues to be, corporate support and training. For the past 10 years he has specialized in Active Directory and Exchange support and education, as well as certification training, and he holds the following certifications: MCSA 2000/2003, MCSE NT/2000/2003, MCITP: Messaging with Exchange 2007, and MCT from Microsoft; can from Novell; CCNA from Cisco; CIW Master and CIW Certified Instructor from CIW; and A+, Network+, and iNET+ from CompTIA.   Peter enjoys taking complex technical topics, like Server 2008, and breaking them down so they’re easy to understand and enjoyable to learn. This has led to the formation of his company ClipTraining; at the company website, www.cliptraining.com, you can watch a variety of mini-training clips designed to assist others in learning. Peter believes that short training sessions in a familiar environment yield great results.   Peter is also a contributor to Redmond magazine, Windows IT Pro magazine, and several tech sites. He is a speaker for the TechMentor conferences, Microsoft TechEd conferences, the IT360 tech conferences in Canada, and the TEC conference, offering sessions that revolve mostly around Exchange. Last but certainly not least, he writes the Enterprise Windows blog for InfoWorld.   Ron Barrett is the founder of RARE-TECH, an IT training and consulting company. He has been a technology professional for more than a decade, working for several major financial firms and dot-coms. Ron is a specialist in network infrastructure, security, and IT management. He is coauthor of The Administrator’s Guide to Microsoft Office 2007 Servers and How to Cheat at Administering Office Communications Server 2007, and he has contributed to several other books on Windows administration. Along with book writing, Ron has contributed to several industry magazines, such as Redmond and Windows IT Pro, and he was featured in the book Tricks of the Windows Vista Masters. He has worked for Microsoft, writing research and analysis papers on Windows Server 2008, Windows HPC, and PerformancePoint Server 2007. In addition to writing, Ron has spoken at several technology conferences for CPAmerica and the AICPA, as well as TechMentor.   Be sure to catch Ron’s daily blog on Network World’s Microsoft subnet, at www.networkworld.com/community/barrett.   Wayne Dipchan has been working with IT for the past 12 years and holds MCSE, MCDBA, and MCT certifications. His experience has allowed him to work in diverse business sectors. Starting out his career as an IT trainer, Wayne has had opportunity to work with New Horizons and Alpha Technologies, as well as coauthor an exam prep book on directory service design. He has also had opportunity to engineer, deploy, and support IT infrastructures for multiple small to medium-size businesses, ranging from construction to catering to manufacturing. In addition, Wayne has worked with health care systems such as Staten Island University Hospital and with financial companies such as Barclays Capital. He is the owner of AriLex Technologies LLC, a company focused on IT support and training. Wayne is currently employed with St. Peters University Hospital and involved with the design and deployment of multiple health information solutions.

Introduction: Using Windows Server 2008 How-To     1

How to Educate Yourself About Windows Server 2008     2

How to Benefit from This Book     2

How to Continue Expanding Your Knowledge      4

 

Chapter 1 Perform the Installation     5

Determine Your Hardware Requirements for Windows Server 2008     6

Perform Other Pre-Installation Tasks     7

Check Application Compatibility     7

Disconnect the UPS     8

Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool     8

Identify Mass Storage Device Drivers     8

Back Up Servers     9

Disable Virus Protection Software     9

Prepare Active Directory     9

Decide What Edition of Windows Server 2008 to Install     10

Windows Web Server 2008     11

Windows Server 2008 Standard     11

Windows Server 2008 Enterprise     12

Windows Server 2008 Datacenter     12

Windows HPC Server 2008     13

Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems     13

Install Windows Server 2008     14

Manual Installation     14

Unattended Installation     21

 

Chapter 2 Configure and Manage Server Core     25

Determine Your Need for Server Core     26

Install Server Core     27

Server Core Installation Options     28

Extend the Evaluation     30

Configure Server Core Postinstallation     30

Configuration Commands     31

Install Roles and Features     34

Manage Server Core     36

Manage Server Core with Terminal Services     36

Manage with TS RemoteApp     36

Manage with Windows Remote Shell      37

Manage Server Core with MMC Snap-ins     37

Incorporate Server Core Changes inWindows Server 2008 R2     39

Make Progress in Server Core Administration     40

 

Chapter 3 Work with Server Manager     41

Use Initial Configuration Tasks     42

Navigate Settings with Server Manager     43

Perform Role and Feature Management     45

Know Your Server Roles     45

Know Your Server Features     49

Install Roles     52

Install Features     55

Use the Command-Line Server Manager (ServerManagerCmd.exe)      56

Know What R2 Will Bring to Server Manager     58

 

Chapter 4 Manage Windows Server 2008     59

Use the Microsoft Management Console (MMC)      60

Work with Preconfigured MMCs     64

Server Manager     64

Computer Manager     65

Utilize Device Manager     66

Work with the Task Scheduler     67

Manage Windows Server 2008 Using Remote Desktop     72

Configure Backups and Perform Restores     76

 

Chapter 5 Install and Configure Specific Server Roles     81

Install and Configure the DNS Server Role     82

Create and Configure DNS Lookup Zones     83

Manage a DNS Server     86

Manage a DNS Zone     87

Install and Configure the DHCP Server Role     90

Configure Additional Settings in DHCP     93

Configure IPv4 and IPv6 Settings     93

Configuring Scope Options     94

Configure IPv6 in Windows Server 2008     96

Make Progress with IPv6     98

Install and Configure the File Services Role     98

Work with Share and Storage Management     101

Work with the File Server Resource Manager     102

Work with DFS Management     103

Understand the Improvement Windows Server 2008 R2 Brings to Server Roles     105

 

Chapter 6 Work with IIS 7.0     107

Install the Web Server Role     108

Create, Configure, and Manage New Websites     114

Secure Websites     118

IP and Domain Restrictions     119

Restrictive Authentication     119

HTTP Request Filtering     119

Restrict Directory Browsing     120

Delegate Rights Assignments     121

Use the Command Line with IIS 7.0     124

Add a Website Using appcmd.exe     126

Configure a Website Using appcmd.exe     127

Delete a Website Using appcmd.exe     127

Back Up Your Configuration     127

View Available Configuration Backups      127

Restore Configuration Backups     127

Improve IIS 7.0 Performance     128

Output Caching     128

Compression     129

Logging Frequency     130

Windows Server Resource Manager (WSRM)      130

See What’s New in Windows Server 2008 R2      131

 

Chapter 7 Implement and Utilize Hyper-V     133

Install the Hyper-V Role     134

Install Hyper-V on a Full Installation of Windows Server 2008     135

Install Hyper-V on Server Core     137

Manage Hyper-V Remotely     137

Create Virtual Hard Drives and Machines    138

Virtual Hard Drives     139

Create Virtual Machines     141

Work with the Virtual Machine Connection Tool     143

Install Integration Services     145

Monitor Hyper-V Performance     146

Utilize System Center VMM     147

Prepare for New Features to Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2     149

 

Chapter 8 Install and Configure Terminal Services     151

Determine Which Terminal Services Roles to Install     152

Install Terminal Services     154

Install the Terminal Server Role Service     154

Install the TS Licensing Role Service     156

Install the TS Session Broker Role Service      157

Install the TS Gateway Role Service      157

Install the TS Web Access Role Service      160

Configure Terminal Services        160

Configure the TS RemoteApp Manager     161

Configure the TS Gateway Manager      163

Configure a Load-Balanced Farm with TS Session Broker     166

Configure Terminal Services     167

Manage Terminal Services        169

Add RemoteApp Programs     170

Monitor Terminal Services     173

Get More from Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008 R2     175

 

Chapter 9 Understand and Manage Active Directory     179

Understand the Functionality of Active Directory     180

Visualize the Physical and Logical Sides of Active Directory     180

Utilize Domain Controllers Appropriately     182

Read-Only Domain Controllers (RODCs)      183

Promote Servers as Domain Controllers     184

Install the First DC of the Forest     184

Setting Up Additional DCs     187

Prepare an Existing Domain Schema     191

Create Active Directory Objects     192

Design and Create an OU Structure     192

Create Computer Objects     193

Create User Objects     195

Work with Site and Domain Consoles     198

Active Directory Sites and Services     198

Active Directory Domains and Trusts     202

Utilize Other Active Directory Services     204

Improve Active Directory with Windows Server 2008 R2     205

 

Chapter 10 Utilize Group Policy     207

Grasp the Structure of Group Policy     208

Group Policy Objects     208

The Group Policy Central Store     208

The Application Order of Group Policy     209

Use Starter GPOs     210

Create and Apply Group Policies     211

Access Group Policy Settings     211

The Group Policy Management Editor     212

Change an Existing GPO     216

Create a New GPO     216

Apply a GPO     218

Create and Apply a GPO     218

Configure Group Policy Application Settings     218

Raise or Lower the Link Order     219

Disable a Policy     220

Disable Half a Policy        220

Delete a Link or a Policy     221

Block Inheritance     221

Enforce a Policy     221

Filter GPO Application     222

Work with Group Policy Modeling and Results      224

The Group Policy Modeling Wizard     224

The Group Policy Results Wizard     225

Prepare for Windows Server 2008 R2 Enhancements to Group Policy     226

 

Chapter 11 Configure Security     229

Understand Security Improvements in Windows Server 2008     230

Built-in Security Features     230

User Account Control (UAC)     233

Additional Security Components     234

Configure Windows Firewall with Advanced Security     235

Create Inbound and Outbound Rules      237

Create Connection Security Rules    239

Monitor Windows Firewall and Advanced Security     241

Configure NAP         242

Install the Network Policy Server      242

Configure NAP Health Policies     243

Configure System Health Validator and Remediation Server Groups          245

Configure Policy Properties     247

Plan for Security Changes and Additions in Windows Server 2008 R2        248

Changes to Security         248

 

Chapter 12 Monitor Performance and Troubleshoot     251

Monitor Performance in Windows Server 2008     252

Use the Performance Monitor and the Reliability Monitor     253

Create a Data Collector Set     257

Configure Data Collector Sets     259

Use Reliability Reports     260

Troubleshoot Windows Server 2008     262

Troubleshoot Using the Event Viewer      262

Manage Event Viewer     263

Create a New Subscription     265

Troubleshoot Using Command-Line Tools     266

Use the Problem Reports and Solutions     266

Monitor Performance and Troubleshoot in Windows Server 2008 R2     269

 

Index     271