The less versatile of the two main high availability technologies in Windows Server 2008 R2, Network Load Balancing offers functionality that cannot be easily facilitated through other native OS means. This article examines its features and how to deploy it.
One common administrative challenge in Windows environments involves configuring user-based credentials that provide arbitrary security context to non-core services. Active Directory schema extensions incorporated into Windows Server 2008 R2 introduced a new feature, managed service accounts, which eliminate a number of drawbacks associated with such configuration.
Active Directory is one of the primary infrastructure components of many Windows environments. Its resiliency and recoverability are inherently linked to operational continuity. Issues affecting its availability translate into monetary losses. Since Microsoft introduced this technology, it has continually improved native restore capabilities, most recently in Windows Server 2008 R2.
High availability has been a core component of Microsoft's growth as an enterprise player. Virtualization and the addition of Live Migration in Windows Server 2008 R2 are now key to this strategy. Learn how Live Migration can ensure your Windows Server 2008 install stays up and running.
We've looked at the basic principles behind Windows Server 2008 Directory Services and explained its categorization, which divides preferences into Windows Settings and Control Panel Settings. Now it's time to check out the common options that provide additional functionality and impact settings in both categories.
In Windows Server 2008, Group Policy Preferences simplifies client management to make it possible to reap the chief benefits of an Active Directory environment. The Control Panel Settings nodes in the Group Policy Management Editor makes this possible.
Group Policy Preferences makes it possible to reap the biggest benefits of an Active Directory environment by simplifying client management. Control Panel Settings help facilitate this.
Group Policy Preferences makes it possible to reap the biggest benefit of an Active Directory environment -- simpler client management.
The new version of Group Policy Management Console, while not a significant departure from its problematic predecessor, offers various notable and useful improvements.
The latest iteration of Group Policy templates offer much-improved manageability.
Windows Server 2008 brings a host of improvements to Active Directory Group Policies. This article introduces enhancements as well as other Active Directory-related implications.
Open the SYSVOL folder from the Windows Server 2008 domain functional level and you can take advantage of Distributed File System Replication, which offers more robust capabilities than its File Replication Service predecessor.
Windows Server 2008: It's pretty much a given that auditing functionality is found within the OS these days. In Windows Server 2008, this means tracking Active-Directory-related events. This article examines how it works and steps through an implementation.
Windows Server 2008: Need to go beyond fine-grained password policies available in Windows Server 2008? Consider Special Operations Software, software designed to fill functionality and manageability gaps in Microsoft-designed products.
Learn the characteristics of Active Directory Snapshots, a new feature implemented on Windows Server 2008 domain controllers, as well as some third-party utilities to further simplify its use.
Recovery is one of the more complex aspects of Active Directory infrastructure management. Windows Server 2008 adds many new capabilities and challenges. Learn how you can use them to streamline your remediation process.
Learn how to implement password properties and lockout behavior at a granular level.
Managing password properties and lockout behavior gets granular in Windows Server 2008.
We revisit Read Only Domain Controllers, a bundle of standard Active Directory mechanisms that has been released as a new product feature set. Learn the requirements and restrictions that come into play when planning and managing a deployment.
If you've been concerned about hosting full-fledged domain controllers in environments that could be easily compromised, consider a Read Only Domain Controller. Microsoft recently released this bundle of standard Active Directory mechanisms as a new product feature set.
We've looked at where Directory Services have been; let's see where Windows Server 2008 is taking them.
SWatch Reader Favorite! Life is filled with challenges for a sys admin rolling out a large-scale operating system install. Windows Preinstallation Environment, a stripped-down version of the OS designed specifically for deployment, simplifies the process.
The directory services infrastructure is a key component of Windows Server 2008. We kick off our newest series with an overview of its capabilities.
Message Queuing has become a popular option to ensure reliability. Because it uses a queue-based infrastructure, which provides message store and delivery mechanism as well as other features, applications stay up -- even when the target or intermediary systems are not.
In the quest for increased reliability and integrity, transactions, a sequence of related tasks that constitute a unit of work and pass the ACID test, make a fine complement to server clustering.
