Server 8's on the way, and with every new version of Server comes a bunch of new goodies for us AD administrators. Server 8 carries on this tradition with a few big changes and a larger number of small -- but very welcome -- changes.
First, if you know anything at all about Server 8 then you're probably guessing that AD gets a bit more virtualization-friendly... and your guess would be right. With pre-8 versions of server, virtualizing a DC and then rolling back a snapshot on that virtual DC (without doing a bit of arcane Registry fiddling) is, well, one of the quickest ways around to screw up your AD, but try that with a Server 8-based DC, and it's problem-free.
Furthermore, once you've got that virtual DC set up, just a few mouse clicks and a minute or two with Notepad lets Hyper-V clone that DC quickly and easily, making deploying virtual DCs a snap, as well as greatly simplifying disaster recovery plans.
Ever had to figure out how constrained delegation works in Server, but walked away kind of feeling as though it sort of worked backwards from what you'd expected? Server 8 fixes that. It also reduces the pain of running Key Management Servers (KMS) because now AD-joined systems can receive their Windows Activation from their domain controllers. (Those DCs can automatically unlock their BitLockered drives as well, simplifying BitLocker management a bit.) And AD Admin Center gets smarter, too... come find out more at this session!
You will learn:
- Discover what Server 8's AD offers in a quick, concise, easy-to-understand manner
- Learn how Server 8's Active Directory changes the game when it comes to virtualization
- Get a quick introduction to AD's new management tools