Product Description

Windows Server 2008 Unleashed covers the planning, design, prototype testing, implementation, migration, administration, and support of a Windows 2008 and Active Directory environment, based on more than three and a half years of early adopter experience in full production environments. This book addresses not only what is new with Windows 2008 compared to previous versions of the Windows Server product, but also what is different and how the similarities and differences affect an organization’s migration to Windows 2008. Chapters are dedicated to the migration process from Windows 2000/2003 to Windows 2008, how to properly use Group Policies in Windows 2008, and tips and tricks on managing and administering a Windows 2008 environment.

 

The authors cover the technologies new to Windows 2008, such as IPv6, Network Access Protection (NAP), Network Policy Server (NPS), Terminal Services Remote Programs, Windows Deployment Services (WDS), Hyper-V virtualization, and more! This book doesn’t just describe the features and functions included in Windows 2008--there are notes throughout the book explaining how organizations have successfully used the technologies to fulfill core business needs. Tips, tricks, and best practices share lessons learned from hundreds of implementations of Windows 2008 in real-world environments.

 

Detailed information on how to…

• Plan and migrate from Windows 2000/2003 to Windows 2008
• Leverage new tools and utilities that simplify system and network administration functions
• Enable the latest security technologies to improve secured enterprise computing
• Better manage a Windows 2008 Active Directory environment
• Optimize a Windows 2008 environment for better scalability and enhanced performance
• Implement Windows 2008 for better branch office and remote office integration
• Design a Windows 2008 environment to support the latest in clustering, stretched clusters, fault tolerance, and redundant systems technologies
• Take advantage of add-on technologies available for Windows 2008, including Windows SharePoint Services, Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization, Windows Media Services, and IIS 7 web server solutions

 

Rand, Michael, Ross, and Chris work for Convergent Computing, an IT consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay area that has three and a half years of early adopter experience with Windows 2008. In collaboration with co-author Omar Droubi, the authors helped organizations of all sizes plan, migrate, implement, and test Windows 2008 in production environments. The book was written from direct experiences where Windows 2008 was put into enterprise production environments focused to meet specific strategic business requirements.

 

Category: Windows Server

Covers: Windows Server 2008

User Level: Intermediate--Advanced

 

Introduction xlix

Part I: Windows Server 2008 Overview

1: Windows Server 2008 Technology Primer 3

2: Planning, Prototyping, Migrating, and Deploying Windows Server 2008 Best Practices 39

3: Installing Windows Server 2008 and Server Core 73

Part II: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory

4: Active Directory Domain Services Primer 105

5: Designing a Windows Server 2008 Active Directory 139

6: Designing Organizational Unit and Group Structure 165

7: Active Directory Infrastructure 185

8: Creating Federated Forests and Lightweight Directories 217

9: Integrating Active Directory in a UNIX Environment 235

Part III: Networking Services

10: Domain Name System and IPv6 251

11: DHCP/WINS/Domain Controllers 297

12: Internet Information Services 331

Part IV: Security

13: Server-Level Security 375

14: Transport-Level Security 399

15: Security Policies, Network Policy Server, and Network Access Protection 415

Part V: Migrating to Windows Server 2008

16: Migrating from Windows 2000/2003 to Windows Server 2008 439

17: Compatibility Testing for Windows Server 2008 473

Part VI: Windows Server 2008 Administration and Management

18: Windows Server 2008 Administration 499

19: Windows Server 2008 Group Policies and Policy Management 533

20: Windows Server 2008 Management and Maintenance Practices 581

21: Automating Tasks Using PowerShell Scripting 639

22: Documenting a Windows Server 2008 Environment 685

23: Integrating Systems Center Operations Manager 2007 with Windows Server 2008 715

Part VII: Remote and Mobile Technologies

24: Server-to-Client Remote and Mobile Access 737

25: Terminal Services 783

Part VIII: Desktop Administration

26: Windows Server Administration Tools for Desktops 839

27: Group Policy Management for Network Clients 865

Part IX: Fault Tolerance Technologies

28: File System Management and Fault Tolerance 935

29: System-Level Fault Tolerance (Clustering/Network Load Balancing) 993

30: Backing Up the Windows Server 2008 Environment 1043

31: Recovering from a Disaster 1077

Part X: Optimizing, Tuning, Debugging, and Problem Solving

32: Optimizing Windows Server 2008 for Branch Office Communications 1111

33: Logging and Debugging 1145

34: Capacity Analysis and Performance Optimization 1189

Part XI: Integrated Windows Application Services

35: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 1233

36: Windows Media Services 1281

37: Deploying and Using Windows Virtualization 1313

Index 1339

 

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #126829 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1488 pages

About the Author

Rand Morimoto, Ph.D., MCSE, CISSP Rand Morimoto has been in the computer industry for more than 30 years and has authored, co-authored, or been a contributing writer for dozens of bestselling books on Windows 2003, Exchange 2007, Security, BizTalk Server, and Remote and Mobile Computing. Rand is the president of Convergent Computing, an IT-consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay area that was one of the key early adopter program partners with Microsoft, implementing beta versions of Windows Server 2008 in production environments more than 3 years before the product release. Rand speaks at conferences and conventions around the world on tips, tricks, and best practices on planning, migrating, and implementing Windows 2008 and Exchange 2007.

 

Michael Noel, MCSE+I, CISSP, MCSA, MVP Michael Noel has been involved in the computer industry for nearly two decades and has significant real-world experience with enterprise information technology environments. Michael has authored several major publications, such as SharePoint 2007 Unleashed, Exchange 2007 Unleashed, ISA Server 2006 Unleashed, Windows Server 2003 Unleashed, and many more, with a total worldwide circulation of more than 150,000 copies. Currently a partner at Convergent Computing in the San Francisco Bay area, Michael’s writings are leveraged from his real-world experience designing, deploying, and administering IT infrastructure.

 

Omar Droubi, MCSE Omar Droubi has been in the computer industry for more than 15 years, has co-authored one of Sams Publishing bestselling books, Windows 2003 Unleashed, and has been a contributing writer and technical reviewer on several other books on Windows Server 2003 and Exchange 2000, 2003, and 2007. Omar has been involved in testing, designing, and prototyping Windows Server 2008 infrastructures for the past 2 years, and has primarily focused on upgrading existing networks and utilizing many of the new features included in the product. Also during this time, Omar has assisted several organizations with the development of technical roadmaps to plan for future deployments of Windows Server 2008 and Vista.

 

Ross Mistry, MCTS, MCDBA, MCSE Ross Mistry is a seasoned veteran in the Silicon Valley and has spent more than a decade in the computer industry. As a principal consultant and partner with Convergent Computing (CCO), he has had the opportunity to work with Windows Server 2008 for 3 years before the product released to the public. Ross focuses on Active Directory, Exchange, and SQL Server, where he designs and implements solutions for Fortune 500 organizations with a global presence. His specialties in the Windows space are Active Directory upgrades, high availability, and disaster recovery. Ross has also taken on the roles of lead author, contributing writer, and technical editor for many bestselling books published by Sams. His recent works include lead author on SQL Server 2005 Management and Administration, contributing writer on Exchange Server 2007 Unleashed and SharePoint 2007 Unleashed, and technical editor on SQL Server 2005 Unleashed. In addition to consulting and authoring, Ross is also a public speaker and conducts seminars on Microsoft topics around the world, in which he leverages best practices based on his experiences in the industry.

 

Chris Amaris, MCSE, CISSP Chris is the chief technology officer and cofounder of Convergent Computing. He has more than 20 years’ experience consulting for Fortune 500 companies, leading companies in the technology selection, design, planning, and implementation of complex information technology projects. Chris has worked with Windows 2008 3 years before its release to the general public. A Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with an Information System Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP) concentration, Certified Homeland Security (CHS III), Windows 2003 MCSE, Novell CNE, Banyan CBE, and a Certified Project Manager, Chris is also an author and technical editor for a number of IT books, including Network Security for Government and Corporate Executives, Windows Server 2003 Unleashed, SQL Server 2005 Management and Administration, Exchange Server 2007 Unleashed, and Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Unleashed. Chris presents on messaging, operations management, security, and information technology topics worldwide.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Windows Server 2008 is the latest release of the Windows Server operating system. Over the years, it has evolved quite dramatically from the early days of Windows NT Server or even Windows 2000 Server. With the release of Windows 2008, Microsoft again has introduced a number of new technologies intended to help IT professionals improve their ability to provide network services to the clients they serve.

I've had the opportunity to write a book on every version of Windows Server over the past dozen years, and when my coauthors and I set out to write this book, we wanted to once again provide you, the reader, with a lot of really valuable information. Not just marketing fluff that talks about features and functions, but to really dig down into the product and share with you best practices on planning, preparing, implementing, migrating, and supporting a Windows 2008 environment.

Even though Windows 2008 released in early 2008, we've been fortunate enough to work with Windows Server Codename "Longhorn" since as early as 2005, so we've had almost three full years on an early adopter program. The thing about being involved with a product so early on is that our first experiences with Longhorn Server were without any documentation, Help files that provided guidance, or any shared experiences from others. We had to learn Longhorn Server from experience, usually the hard way, but that has given us a distinct advantage of knowing the product forward and backward better than anyone could ever imagine. And we started to implement Longhorn Server in production environments for a select group of our enterprise customers over a year before the product release—where organizations were depending on Longhorn Server to run key areas of their business.

So, the pages of this book are filled with years of experience with Windows 2008, live production environment best practices, and fully updated RTM code specifics that will hopefully help you design, plan, prototype, implement, migrate, administer, and support your Windows 2008 environment!

This book is organized into 11 parts, each part focusing on core Windows Server 2008 areas, with several chapters making up each part. The parts of the book are as follows:

• Part I: Windows Server 2008 Overview—This part provides an introduction to Windows 2008 not only to give a general technology overview, but also to note what is truly new in Windows 2008 that made it compelling enough for organizations to implement the technology in beta in production environments. We also cover basic planning, prototype testing, and migration techniques, as well as provide a full chapter on the installation of Windows 2008 as well as the new Server Core.

• Part II: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory—This part covers Active Directory planning and design. If you have already designed and implemented your Active Directory, you will likely not need to read through this section of the book in detail. However, you might want to look through the best practices at the end of each chapter because we highlight some of the tips and tricks new to Windows 2008 that are different from Windows 2000/2003. You might find that limitations or restrictions you faced when designing and implementing Windows 2000/2003 and Active Directory have now been revised. Topics such as federated forests, lightweight directory services, and identity lifecycle management capabilities might be of interest.

• Part III: Networking Services—This part covers DNS, DHCP, domain controllers, IPv6, and IIS from the perspective of planning, integrating, migrating, and coexisting. Again, just like in Part II, you might find the Notes, Tips, and best practices to have valuable information on features that are new in Windows 2008; they might have you reading these chapters in-depth to understand what's new and different that you can leverage after a migration to Windows 2008.

• Part IV: Security—Security is on everyone's mind these days, so it was a major enhancement to Windows 2008. We actually dedicated three chapters of the book to security, breaking the information into server-level security such as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate services; transport-level security such as IPSec and NAT traversal; and security policies, network access protection (NAP), and network policy server (NPS) that are new to Windows 2008.

• Part V: Migrating to Windows Server 2008—This part is dedicated to the migrations from Windows 2000/2003 to Windows 2008. We provide a chapter specifically on tips, tricks, best practices, and lessons learned on the planning and migration process to Windows 2008. We also have a chapter on application-compatibility testing of applications currently running on earlier versions of Windows Server and how to test and migrate applications to a Windows 2008 platform.

• Part VI: Windows Server 2008 Administration and Management—After you get Windows 2008 in place, you end up spending the rest of your time managing and administering the new operating system platform, so we've dedicated six chapters to administration and management. This section covers the administration and management of users, sites, organizational units, domains, and forests typical of a Windows 2008 environment. Although you can continue to perform tasks the way you did in Windows 2000/2003, because of significant changes in replication, background transaction processing, secured communications, Group Policy management, and Windows PowerShell management tools, there are better ways to work with Windows 2008. These chapters drill down into specialty areas helpful to administrators of varying levels of responsibility. This part of the book also has a chapter on managing Windows 2008 using System Center Operations Manager 2007.

• Part VII: Remote and Mobile Technologies—Mobility is a key improvement in Windows 2008, so this part focuses on enhancements made to Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) in addition to significant improvements in Terminal Services. Instead of just providing a remote node connection, Windows 2008 provides true end-to-end secured anytime/anywhere access functionality. The chapters in this part highlight best practices on implementing and leveraging these technologies.

• Part VIII: Desktop Administration—Another major enhancement in Windows 2008 is the variety of new tools provided to support better desktop administration, so this part is focused on desktop administration. The chapters in this part go in depth on client-specific group policies, the Group Policy Management Console, Windows Deployment Services (WDS), and desktop administration tools in Windows 2008.

• Part IX: Fault Tolerance Technologies—As networks have become the backbone for information and communications, Windows 2008 needed to be reliable and more manageable and, sure enough, Microsoft included several new enhancements in fault-tolerant technologies. The four chapters in this part address file system management and file-level fault tolerance in Distributed File System (DFS), clustering, Network Load Balancing, and backup and restore procedures. When these new technologies are implemented in a networking environment, an organization can truly achieve enterprise-level reliability and recoverability.

• Part X: Optimizing, Tuning, Debugging, and Problem Solving—This part of the book covers performance optimization, capacity analysis, logging, and debugging to help optimize and solve problems in a Windows 2008 networking environment.

• Part XI: Integrated Windows Application Services—The last part of this book covers core application services integrated in Windows 2008, including Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Windows Media Services, and Hyper-V server virtualization.

It is our hope that the real-world experience we have had in working with Windows Server 2008 and our commitment to relaying information that will be valuable in your planning, implementation, and migration to a Windows 2008 environment will help you get up to speed on the latest in the Windows Server operating system software!

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

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Customer Reviews

Incredible Resource!!!
I went to the Windows 2008 launch event and got excited about migrating our company to Windows 2008, but wanted to get a third party book to help me better understand the REAL features, functions, and experiences of the product (rather than Microsoft's rendition of it). I jumped on Amazon and searched for a book, and this Windows 2008 Unleashed book was already rated with a couple 5-stars, so I bought it. I just got it last week.

At first, I was a little overwhelmed as the book is almost 2-inches thick and hard bound (definitely worth the cost for the shear volume and amount of paper it took to print this book)! I read the introduction chapter and got a lot more comfortable with Windows 2008 as the author provided a really good comparison of Windows 2008 to Windows 2003 (which I already know pretty well). The intro chapter also gave me links to different parts of the book that helped me organize the way I was going to review the text of the book (I prioritized chapters in the book based on my interests, which was outlined and highlighted very well in the first chapter).

I was most interested some of the new things I've heard about Windows 2008 such as the security stuff, Windows virtualization, terminal services, and Active Directory Federation. I flipped to each of the chapters that covered these topics, and I found the content very easy to follow. Each chapter started off with an overview of the topic (like an introduction of the concepts) and then as I got further into the chapter, it got more into the details on how to implement the technologies, and it had notes and tips throughout the chapters that made it obvious to me the authors have worked with Windows 2008 for a long time and provided great guidance!

After reading about 5 chapters, I then focused on what it would take to implement and migrate to Windows 2008 and flipped to the chapters on installation and on migration. Those chapters also were VERY well structured and helped walk me through what was involved. I was greatly relieved to read that the migration process from Windows 2003 to Windows 2008 wasn't that complicated. And while I have only been fiddling with Windows 2008 for about a week in the lab here at the company I work for (which is a pretty extensive lab with over 30 servers mirroring a portion of our production environment), I've gone from being overwhelmed to pleasantly relieved that our migration to Windows 2008 will be well planned, staged, and executed thanks to the content of this book!

I am grateful to the authors of this book! I just bought the books on Exchange 2007, SharePoint 2007, and Windows Vista written by the same authors (Rand Morimoto and Michael Noel) as I think their writing style and the value of the content is wonderful!

B

Impressive!!!
This book is a monster at 1337-pages (sorry, I don't count the 100-page index that brings this book to 1432-pages) and hard bound cover, REALLY NICE, I felt I got my money's worth! I've bought several of Rand's books in the past, this one is another winner! 37-chapters on everything from design and planning, through testing, through migrations, plus chapters on security, clustering, performance optimization, SharePoint, Hyper-V, etc. I went through the RTM product and the book, it covers everything end to end which is GREAT! Another winner, very impressive!!!

Excellent Book!
I've been waiting for a complete book on Windows 2008, and glad to have gotten in a pre-order and purchase of this book! 1400+ pages!!! I jumped straight to the migration chapter as we're looking for tips on how to plan our migration from Windows 2003. Very complete and detailed process along with tips and hints, which was great to see someone has actually done the migrations before and could share best practices! I also found the chapter on clustering and high availability (chapter 29) to cover the new Windows 2008 clustering in detail as being very helpful! And since we have several sites, Chapter 32 on branch office was a good read! I think I'm only 120 pages thru the most pertinent chapters to me, but expect to read the thing cover to cover. GREAT book, I highly recommend it!!!