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.
MONDAY, March 31
TW5
Active Directory in Windows Server 2008 — Designing, Integrating, and Implementing
Derek Melber10:15 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!
TW10
Drive the IPv6 Technology in Windows Server 2008 and Vista
Todd Lammle11:45 a.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.
TW15
Use Windows PowerShell to Pass Your Next Audit
Don Jones3:00 p.m.
Can a command-line interface (CLI) be the key to preparing for, and passing, your next security or compliance audit? You bet! Windows PowerShell expert Don Jones provides you with the recipes to successfully use Windows PowerShell to analyze security settings, check Active Directory groups, and more. All samples are either provided or freely downloadable, and rely only on the free Windows PowerShell itself, as well as freely-available snap-ins. You'll explore a variety of common audit scenarios and see how you can use the shell to quickly self-audit, and to produce professional-looking reports to help speed auditors about their business.
TW20
Unveiling What’s New & Exciting in Server 2008’s Terminal Services
Greg Shields4:30 p.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.
TUESDAY, April 1
TW25
SYSVOL in Server 2008 — Know your Options
Rhonda Layfield10:15 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!
TW30
Merging Old and New Group Policy Technologies — Without Bringing Down the Network
Derek Melber11:45 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!
TW35
Best Practices in Managing the New Windows Event Log
Greg Shields3:00 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.
TW40
Managing DNS in a Server 2008 Active Directory Environment
Rhonda Layfield4:30 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.
WEDNESDAY, April 2
TW45
When and Where to Use Virtualization
Greg Shields9:00 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.
TW50
SharePoint Diaries: Learn to Leverage MOSS
Rick Taylor10:30 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.
TW55
Hardening Windows Server 2008 and Active Directory
Mark Minasi12:00 p.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.
TW60
Storage Solutions Using Microsoft Technology
James Conrad3:00 p.m.
Data is everywhere! But who needs access? And how can they find what they’re looking for? In this session we’ll explore the various data storage, collaboration, and management solutions available through Microsoft technologies. From enterprise LAN storage access with the Microsoft iSCSI initiator to end-user tools like Distributed File System, Windows SharePoint Server, and Groove, we will look at the advantages of each of the different data access and management tools available.
TW65
Managing and Monitoring Windows and Active Directory Performance
Rhonda Layfield4:30 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!.
