Workshops
MONDAY, May 12TPR1Windows PowerShell Speed-Start & Scripting
Don Jones
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
What is Windows PowerShell? How does it work? How can you use it to manage Windows, Exchange Server, and other server technologies? Windows PowerShell MVP, author, and guru Don Jones, Director of PowerShellCommunity.org and co-author of "Windows PowerShell: TFM" guides you through PowerShell's fundamentals, including its powerful pipeline, simple scripting language, and awesome capabilities. You'll learn the core skills needed to manage ANY PowerShell-based product, including Exchange Server, the System Center family, and more, and you'll be prepared for the PowerShell-related courses on our Windows PowerShell & Windows Automation Track. This is not a hands-on workshop, and no previous scripting or PowerShell experience is expected.
TPR2Introducing Windows Server 2008: What’s New / What’s Changed
Greg Shields
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Windows Server 2008 is here and it’s time to learn the ropes. In this, the first of two sessions on Windows Server 2008, we’ll introduce the new OS, talk about installation and rapid deployment, unveil the new server manager and event log, and discuss improvements to Active Directory like Read Only Domain Controllers. In a short few hours, you’ll learn plenty about Server 2008.
TPR3Windows Deployment Tools
Rhonda Layfield
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
When it’s time to roll out Vista, do it the smart way – by automating your Vista installations. In this session Rhonda Layfield (Deployment MVP) will show you how to automate your Vista Installations using the new Microsoft Deployment tool (the new BDD). Leaving this session you will be fully equipped with the knowledge and step-by-step instructions for automating your vista installations. Let Rhonda show you some tips and tricks to make your automation of Vista installations rollout smoothly and efficiently. When you get back to the office you will be ready to start using the new deployment tools immediately.
TPR4Dominate and Repress Your World Using Group Policy – Foundations and Possibilities
Derek Melber
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Group Policy is one of most important elements in managing Windows Server 2008 and Vista. Before you can unleash this power over users, you must understand the basics of Group Policy. In this pre-conference workshop, you’ll get critical tips and learn foundational concepts so you can move forward with Group Policy. We will cover processing, inheritance, creation, storage, configuration, management, security, and much more in a short amount of time.
TPR5Your Network from the Wire Up: How it Works, How to Spot Problems
Don Jones
2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
What really happens when you run Ping? What's going on under the hood when you access a Web site? If you don't understand your network "from the wire up," you're doomed to a life of frustrating troubleshooting and sub-optimal network performance. Why not let popular instructor Don Jones show you how your network works? Forget stuffy OSI models and boring lectures; Don makes the network fun with easy-to-understand examples, interactive exercises, and more, while still providing you with powerful tools and techniques to see your network's operation, understand what's happening, and keep your network running smoothly and efficiently. This is not a hands-on workshop.
TPR6Advanced Windows Server 2008: What’s New / What’s Changed
Greg Shields
2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Chances are you know the basics of Windows Server 2008. Now it’s time to learn more. Digging deeper into what’s new and what’s changed in Server 2008, this advanced session will go over the tough topics like Group Policy, Hyper-V, Server Core, the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, IIS, Windows Clustering, and more. Whether you attend one pre-con or both, join Windows Server 2008 expert Greg Shields to get the must-have info about Microsoft’s new server operating system.
TPR8Dominate and Repress Your World Using Group Policy – Design and Implementation
Derek Melber
2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Group Policy is in the palm of your hands! You understand the basics and now are ready to unleash the beast! This precon will show you how to implement the most efficient Group Policy design, as well as how to create and deploy GPOs quickly. We will cover PowerShell, Group Policy templates (every possible option), AGPM, and as many GPO settings as possible. When you get back to the office, you can implement GPOS that will give you dominion over your world!
FRIDAY, May 15
TPO1Automating Active Directory Management with Windows PowerShell
Brandon Shell
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
You've got Active Directory to manage and you have PowerShell. What can you do? It turns out, quite a bit. PowerShell MVP Brandon Shell will teach you how to use PowerShell to manage Active Directory users, groups and computers. You'll learn how to manage individual objects as well as bulk creation and management. You'll learn how easy it is to import a CSV file with 1000 new users and create fully populated accounts in a matter seconds. We'll explore the ADSI type adapters, the Active Directory PSDrive provider from the PowerShell Community Extensions and the free Quest Active Directory Management Console. This will be a demo-heavy session with many real-world and practical examples you can take home and use immediately. You may bring a laptop to follow along, but this is NOT instructor-led training with hands-on labs. If you come with a laptop, it should have a virtual machine running a Windows 2003 domain controller. The virtual machine should be running PowerShell v1.0 and the current versions of the PowerShell Community Extensions and the Quest Active Directory Management console.
Greg Shields
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
There’s a lot of excitement and new players in the virtualization space, but the leader of the pack is still VMware ESX and Virtual Infrastructure. But how do you use it? Where does it work best? And how can you set up your own demo environment without expensive equipment? In this highly-rated session, Redmond columnist and TechMentor Track Lead Greg Shields will guide you through deploying, managing, and troubleshooting virtual machines in your data center. You’ll discover the best ways to build and deploy your server hosts as well as how to rapidly deploy new virtual machines. You’ll analyze system sizing tricks and performance optimizations that prevent bottlenecks and resource overuse. And, you’ll leave with proven solutions for virtualizing your entire server infrastructure.
TP04Transitioning Exchange from 2000/2003 to 2007
J. Peter Bruzzese
2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Learn all about the design and deployment factors involved in a migration or transition from Exchange 2000/2003 to Exchange 2007. We’ll cover everything from which servers to deploy first, how you decommission your 2000/2003 servers (or DO YOU decommission them?) to what do you need to do to get Exchange 2007 up and running smoothly. Exchange Server expert J. Peter Bruzzese guides you through the tough decisions, demonstrates best-practice procedures, and teaches you the techniques you'll need to know to successfully migrate to Microsoft's newest communications platform.
TPO5Network Monitor: What’s on Your Wire?
Rhonda Layfield
2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Want to know what’s on your network wire? Then stay late at TechMentor for this down and dirty session on Microsoft’s Network Monitor 3.1. Not just for network administrators, this session is for anyone who wants to know how applications are behaving on the network.
In this session, Master Network Monitor Rhonda Layfield will take you on a tour of NetMon. You will learn the tricks of capturing network traffic and displaying only what you want to see through filtering. You’ll discover the secrets of isolating and tracking specific conversations between computers. You’ll even take a few side trips through printing and saving your traces. There are no prerequisites to this session, so novices and experts alike will leave with great info that can be put to immediate use. Stick around a little longer at TechMentor for your chance to learn an incredibly powerful troubleshooting tool from the ground up.
