Windows Server 2008 Tutorials

Windows Server 2008

Written by Chris Walker

Assorted video tutorials for the operation of Microsoft Windows Server 2008.

Installation: This is the initial setup for Server 2008. These are the types of tasks that you need to do on every new server.

1. Install Windows Server 2008 Part 1
2. Install Windows Server 2008 Part 2
3. Set a static IP Address
4. Enable Remote Desktop

Active Directory: This is a Microsoft technology based on LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). It is used for authentication on a network. All clients and users authenticate to a centralized server. This allows users to have a single username and password on every computer and application that you use. This also makes it possible to have the same user experience no matter what computer they use.

1. Install Active Directory
2. Add an Organizational Unit (OU)
3. Delegation of Control wizard
4. redirusr, redircmp (Change Active Directory defaults)
5. Add a computer
6. Add a group
7. Add a user
8. Query for users
9. Active directory templates for users
10. DSADD (Add users via command line)
11. DSGET (Get info via command line)
12. DSMOD (Modify Users via command line)
13. DSMOVE (Move users via command line)
14. DSRM (Remove users via command line)
15. LDIFDE (Add users via command line with LDF file)
16. CSVDE (Add users via command line with CSV file)
17. Manage groups via command line
18. Manage groups via CSV and LDF

Group Policy: Group policy is a feature available on local computers and domain controllers (Active Directory server). Group policy will regulate the user’s experience and permissions. It does numerous things such as control the desktop wallpaper, Internet Explorer home page, and even install software.

1. Group Policy Precedence
2. Group Policy Results
3. Group Policy modeling
4. gpresult (Command line results)
5. Create a group policy
6. backup a GPO
7. create a Group Policy Store
8. Group Policy Update (gpupdate)
9. Restricted Groups (Manage group membership via GPO)
10. Install software through GPO
11. Update software through GPO
12. Control Passwords via GPO
13. Password Settings Object
14. block USB drive via local GPO
15. Block hardware via GPO
16. block software with gpo hash rule
17. AppLocker to block programs in Windows 7 (requires Server 2008 R2)

DNS: Domain Name Service is a service for translating names (such as .com or .net names) into IP Addresses. Computers speak to each other via IP Addresses, but humans are much better at remembering names. These names are organized into a structure know as a FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name). An FQDN will end in a common top level domain name such as Com, Net, or Org. Then sub-domains are assigned such as technoblogical.com, youtube.com, or microsft.com. Those may be further divided into sub domain names to the point that all the resources may be located via this tree-like structure. They are called trees because they branch from a root domain. When your organization contains two trees, it is called a forest.

1. DNS console
2. Network card binding
3. Forwarders, Root Hints, and Recursion
4. Round Robin and Netmask Ordering
5. Scavenging old records
6. Debugging and logging
7. Zone Types and Replication
8. Start of Authority (SOA)
9. Zone transfers and name servers
10. Enable WINS (NetBIOS lookups)
11. Clear the DNS cache
12. Create records
13. Reverse lookup zones
14. Active Directory Partitions
15. Global Name Zones

DHCP: Dynamic host configuration protocol is the method of assigning IP Addresses to devices on the network. Without it, all devices would need to be assigned its IP address manually. Since this would not change it is called a static IP Address. While this is a logical solution for servers and network resources, it is not required that client machines have the same IP Address every time. Therefore the DHCP server’s sole purpose is to assign an IP address to devices that request one. It then keeps track of the leases and should the client not renew that lease, it will make that IP Address available to another device.

1. Install DHCP (IPv4)
2. DHCP Console
3. Scope Options
4. Reservations
5. Scope classes
6. MAC filters

Managing Resources: Always an important part to any system administrator’s role. Users need printers and shared folders to do their jobs. It’s your responsibility to know how these things work and keep them running. Then they never have to think about it and can do their work in a care-free environment.

1. Share Printers
2. Audit Object Access Part 1
3. Audit Object Access Part 2
4. Audit account logon events

Computer Management: These tasks are available on nearly every operating system that Microsoft has. They serve as regular maintenance and keep your machines running well.

1. Add a hard drive
2. Defragment a hard drive
3. chkdsk (Check Disk)
4. MMC (Microsoft Management Console)
5. Local Security templates
6. Security Template and Analysis
7. Security Configuration Wizard
8. scwcmd (Security Configuration Wizard via command line)

Server Core: New to Windows 2008, Server Core is a command line only version of Windows Server 2008. It is extremely limited in functionality, but it can do some very critical tasks. Also, since it runs with just a command line, it also requires a much less powerful server.

1. Server Core install Part 1
2. Server Core install Part 2
3. Server Core install part 3
4. Server Core install part 4
5. Server Core install part 5

Active Directory Forests: Much like DNS forests, but with active directory integrated into it. Each part of the forest has its own domain controller and they must communicate to authenticate each others users.

1. Active Directory Forest part 1
2. Active Directory Forest part 2
3. Active Directory Forest part 3

Read Only Domain Controllers: These are new to Windows Server 2008. They are much like a proxy server to Active Directory. They allow for portions of Active Directory to be stored in a remote location. When a user logs into the remote location, then that user’s information is stored in the RODC located at that remote location.

1. Install a RODC
2. Manage a RODC

PowerShell: Much like command line, PowerShell is capable of executing common functions through text. It has a lot more functionality than command line since it also incorporates various programming languages and even Linux commands.

1. PowerShell installation
2. Add Active Directory users
3. Modify Active Directory Users
4. Modify Active Directory Users with Visual Basic