Windows Server Technologies
Windows Server 2008 has arrived! With Windows Server 2008 comes some of the most exiting technologies that have been produced by Microsoft. TechMentor’s “Windows Server Technologies” track offers insight into the most important technologies that you need to run your network. This track will cover Active Directory, Group Policy, security, SharePoint, DFS, and much more. Microsoft MVP Derek Melber leads the charge with a full entourage of industry experts, showing you everything you need to know to design, migrate, implement, manage, and control Windows Server Technologies.
Track Chair
Derek Melber
Derek Melber, MCSE, MVP, CISM, is an independent speaker and contractor that specializes in Windows Group Policy, Active Directory, security, and desktop management. As President of BrainCore.Net, Derek provides custom training and consulting on his specializations, as well as for auditing security of Windows networks. Derek has authored over 15 books, including The Group Policy Guide (MSPress) and 4 books on Auditing Windows Security (The IIA). Bring Derek directly to you at derekm@braincore.net.
Tuesday, May 13
TW5Unveiling What’s New & Exciting in Server 2008’s Terminal Services
Greg Shields
9:45 a.m.
Terminal Services may well be one of the biggest reasons why you move to Server 2008. Its new capabilities for deploying applications, its new Web interface, much improved printing, and new security features all make Terminal Services a real winner. Join Server 2008 expert Greg Shields on a journey through all the new features. You’ll see the new TS RemoteApps in action, learn how to deploy Terminal Services apps directly to your user’s desktops, and in the end wonder why you haven’t upgraded already.
TW10Active Directory Infrastructure Planning and Design Crash Course
Derek Melber
11:15 a.m.
Active Directory is more than user and group accounts. There are many moving parts that need to be designed for a successful AD implementation. In this session, we will look at all of the key aspects of your AD design and implementation. All areas need to be evaluated and designed, such as forest and domain structure, namespace, domain controllers, FSMO roles, sites, site replication, and much more. After you are done with this session, you will be ready to join the AD design team!
TW15Disgustingly Deep Dive Look at Group Policy
Derek Melber
2:00 p.m.
If you want to dive deep into Group Policy, you have found the place. Here, we will look at the inner workings of Group Policy. CSEs, caching, custom registry entries, tattooing, security files, and more. The goal of the session is to get you to Group Policy GURU status, so you can troubleshoot anything that comes your way with Windows Server 2008 and Vista Group Policy. Bring your wet suit and dive gear… we are going deep!
TW20Drive the IPv6 Technology in Windows Server 2008 and Vista
Todd Lammle
3:30 p.m.
Repeat after me: “IPv6 is my friend!” I’ve been saying this for a couple years now and no one repeats it back to me with confidence. Come to this session and you’ll be shouting the benefits of IPv6 without having to subnet or learn IP addressing! Microsoft is always an easy company to crack jokes about, but in this area they are no joke! IPv6 works - and works well. You need to come to this session and find out what exactly is taking place on your network between Vista and Server 2008. Come to this session so you can take advantage of this routed protocol and make your network sing with IPv6 – without a lot of work or network knowledge.
Wednesday, May 14
TW25You Have Replication Options – SYSVOL and DFS-R in Server 2008
Rhonda Layfield
9:45 a.m.
Have you ever had a group policy setting fail to replicate? After all, GPOs are how we configure security for our servers and workstations right? GPOs reside in the SYSVOL container which should replicate to all DCs. So, when SYSVOL fails to replicate bad things happen. SYSVOL now has choices for the replication engine used. In the past we all used the File Replication Service (FRS) regardless of how well it worked. FRS had its limitations and problem areas such as: journal wraps and morphed files and folders. The new replication engine -- Distributed File System - Replication (DFS-R) offers superior functionality over FRS. DFS-R replicates only the data that has changed in a file, not the entire file, and it self-heals when journal wraps are encountered. Rhonda will walk you through how FRS replicates data compared to DFS-R and the NEW migration tool to migrate from FRS to DFS-R for your SYSVOL replication. When you leave this session you will have step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting both FRS and DFS-R and migrating to DFS-R. Don’t get stuck using old technologies -- Know your options!
TW30Merging Old and New Group Policy Technologies - Without Bringing Down the Network
Derek Melber
11:15 a.m.
Re-Do! Microsoft has done a complete facelift on Group Policy for Windows Server 2008 and Vista. With all of the new features, settings, and architecture… how will you integrate it with what you have today? Should you wait to implement Windows Server 2008 for fear of breaking your current Group Policy structure? We will look at ADMX files, the central store, ADM templates, the GPME, Policies, and Preferences so you’ll know how to integrate new Group Policy with what you have today!
TW35Best Practices in Managing the New Windows Event Log
Greg Shields
2:30 p.m.
There’s a lot to see in the new Windows Event Log that comes with Vista and Server 2008. Better sorting and filtering, custom views, log segregation, event forwarding and subscriptions, and event tasks all take much of the guesswork out of troubleshooting a broken server or desktop. In this not-to-miss session, you’ll learn about all the new features, as well as tips and tricks to using them wisely and solving problems quickly.
TW40Advanced DNS Management for Windows Server 2008
Rhonda Layfield
4:00 p.m.
DNS is possibly the most important technology in your environment, without it bad things happen to Active Directory and just try to access the Internet. In this session Rhonda will start with basic concepts such as DNS zone types, resource records and how to secure them. Then we shift it into high gear and hit some more advanced topics: forwarding, conditional forwarding, stub zones, round robin, netmask ordering, Domain Aliases and much, much more on Server 2008. Last but definitely not least, we will cover how DNS and AD relate to each other. How do your users find Domain Controllers for logon purposes? Service locator records are the answer, learn how to troubleshoot them.
Thursday, May 15
TW45WSUS 3.0: Getting Up-to-Date with Windows Update
James Conrad
8:30 a.m.
Patches, drivers, service packs, critical updates - Oh, my! Manually tracking all these updates would be a full-time job, but not with WSUS 3.0. This fantastic and free tool automatically creates and manages your update database while automatically deploying them with powerful group policy objects. In this exciting session with update expert James Conrad, you'll learn the inner secrets of WSUS 3.0. You'll avoid updates that could potentially cause problems. And you'll discover the very best ways to quickly deploy what's important to keep your systems safe, secure, and stable!
TW50
When and Where to Use Virtualization
Greg Shields10:00 a.m.
Are you looking to virtualize portions of your network? Production systems? A new testing environment? This session will discuss the various virtualization platforms available to enterprise administrators and outline the use cases for each platform. For any administrator looking to reap the benefits of virtualization this session will help identify the right technology and the right systems to virtualize.
SharePoint Diaries: Learn to Leverage MOSS
Rick Taylor
10:00 a.m.
The benefits of a SharePoint are great, but getting that point across to executives can be a tough sell. SharePoint is a complex product to explain to upper management. And getting them to support you with the necessary resources will take careful thought, planning, and execution. Come to this session to learn how to present a proposal to the powers-that-be and at the same time ensure a successful SharePoint implementation.
TW55Hardening Windows Server 2008 and Active Directory
Mark Minasi
11:30 a.m.
Once upon a time, all you had to do to make a server or workstation useful was install it and configure it to the client’s needs. Unfortunately, now that’s only part of the job. Nowadays, you’ve also got to tailor it against the needs of the other clients on your system – the bad guys. Configuring a system to be harder to attack isn’t hard. It just requires understanding and implementing an array of settings. In this informative and enjoyable talk, A7-level computer expert Mark Minasi explains how you can make your system as dirtbag-proof as possible, and as simple as possible.
TW60SharePoint Diaries: Learn to Leverage MOSS
Rick Taylor
2:45 p.m.
The benefits of a SharePoint are great, but getting that point across to executives can be a tough sell. SharePoint is a complex product to explain to upper management. And getting them to support you with the necessary resources will take careful thought, planning, and execution. Come to this session to learn how to present a proposal to the powers-that-be and at the same time ensure a successful SharePoint implementation.
TW65Managing and Monitoring Windows and Active Directory Performance
Rhonda Layfield
4:15 p.m.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know which servers need help before your users or your boss does? With Windows Server 2008, you can. The new server OS has new features to help in monitoring Windows and AD. Who would have thought that Event Viewer was going to be one of the star attractions in Server 2008? Rhonda Layfield will show you how to forward events from a Server 2008 to a central location (Vista or Server 2008) by setting up “Subscriptions”. She’ll also show off the new and improved Performance and Reliability Monitor that allows you to create data collector sets (find out what those are -- you’ll be using them). And there is much much more!
