Articles & Tutorials

This section is focused on networking issues for Windows 2003. Among the many topics discussed are different network protocols, Windows 2003 specific networking tools, and the new features included in Windows 2003.

Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003

Securing Printer Usage in Windows Server 2003 (Part 3): Date - May 10, 2007; Author - Brien M. Posey; How and when to audit network printers.
Securing Printer Usage in Windows Server 2003 (Part 2): Date - Apr 11, 2007; Author - Brien M. Posey; Printer permissions and other security settings.
Securing Printer Usage in Windows Server 2003 (Part 1): Date - Mar 13, 2007; Author - Brien M. Posey; How to secure sensitive printers in your organization.
Understanding Advanced TCP/IP Settings in Windows 2003: Date - Jan 24, 2007; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; The Advanced TCP/IP settings dialog and its relevant tabs.
Configuring Disk Quotas in Windows 2003: Date - Jan 18, 2007; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; What disk quotas are, when they should be used, and how to configure them in Windows 2003.
Implementing Access-Based Enumeration in Windows Server 2003 R2: Date - Sep 14, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article shows how to use Access-Based Enumeration to hide shared files and folders from network users who are not authorized to access them. This helps prevent footprinting of your network resources and helps ensure the privacy of sensitive information stored on your servers.
The How’s and Why’s of Server Virtualization: Date - Sep 07, 2006; Author - Brien M. Posey; In this article, I will explain how you can create some virtual servers of your own.
Troubleshooting File System Problems: Date - Sep 06, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article presents a systematic approach to troubleshooting file system problems on servers running Windows Server 2003. Various tools for troubleshooting disk problems are examined and best practices for using them are explained.
Creating Trusts Between Forests: Date - Aug 17, 2006; Author - Brien M. Posey; In this article, I will show you how and when to create a trust between two separate forests, through which every domain trusts every other domain.
Using Remote Assistance with Windows Firewall Enabled: Date - May 31, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article looks at how to use Remote Assistance in an environment where your desktop computers have Windows Firewall enabled.
Deploying Printers With Group Policy in Windows Server 2003 R2: Date - Apr 27, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article walks you through the steps for deploying printer connections to workstations using new Group Policy capabilities available in Windows Server 2003 R2. This greatly simplifies the management of printer connections for workstations and can save administrators a lot of time and effort.
Managing Printers with Windows Server 2003 R2: Date - Apr 19, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article examines some of the enhanced capabilities for managing printers in Windows Server 2003 R2 using the new Print Management console. These capabilities can greatly simplify the management of printers and print servers in enterprise environments.
Windows 2003: Data Backup and Recovery (Part 2) - Windows 2003 Backup Utility: Date - Apr 12, 2006; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; In this article we’ll continue where we left off in Part 1 and discuss how to actually backup and restore data using the Backup utility that comes with Windows 2003, as well as take a look at disaster recovery.
Configuring and Using DFS Replication: Date - Mar 28, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article shows how businesses can use the new DFS Replication feature of Windows Server 2003 R2 to perform tasks like simplifying branch office backups and publishing content across an enterprise. Configuration options for DFS Replication are also discussed.
Windows 2003: Data Backup and Recovery (Part 1) - A General Overview: Date - Mar 16, 2006; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; In this article we’ll take a look at Data Backup and Recovery from a general perspective. We’ll learn about what to consider when planning for backup and recovery, and what backup types and backup media types are available.
Implementing DFS Replication: Date - Mar 14, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article looks at the changes to file system replication in Windows Server 2003 R2 and walks you through an example of setting up replication to provide greater availability for a domain-based DFS namespace.
Review of Microsoft's Branch Office Infrastructure Solution (BOIS): Date - Mar 02, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article provides a detailed overview of Microsoft's comprehensive guide to deploying branch office networks based on Windows Server 2003 using automated deployment tools.
Configuring DFS Namespaces: Date - Feb 23, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article covers advanced topics relevant to administrators implementing DFS Namespaces in a multi-site enterprise environment. Topics covered include adding namespace servers, configuring referral order methods, overriding referral order, and enabling client failback after a referral.
Implementing DFS Namespaces: Date - Feb 14, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article examines the changes to DFS in Windows Server 2003 R2 and walks you through the steps in setting up domain-based DFS namespaces. Topics covered include creating a namespace, creating folders, and adding folder targets to your namespace.
Protecting Your Network Against Spoofed IP Packets: Date - Feb 02, 2006; Author - Brien M. Posey; These days, the vast majority of administrators go to great lengths to protect the files on their network. Typically, elaborate firewalls are used to keep outsiders away from file servers. The files residing on those servers often lie behind an intricate permissions scheme and are often encrypted. Complex auditing mechanisms might even monitor access to files. The point is that in this day and age, most administrators take security very seriously. What you might not realize though is that all of this security can be easily undone through the simple action of a user accessing a file through legitimate means. In this article, I will show you how this is possible and what you can do to fight back.
Understanding the Windows 2003 Registry: Date - Jan 31, 2006; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; In this article we’ll dive into the Windows 2003 Registry and take a quick look at what it is, how you can configure it remotely and how to backup and restore it. This document is intended to be a reference that will help you to understand the core of Microsoft’s later generation operating system.
Dealing with a Device Driver Disaster: Date - Jan 26, 2006; Author - Brien M. Posey; Invalid or corrupt device drivers can wreck havoc on a server, rendering the system unbootable in some cases. In this article, I will show you some techniques for recovering from even the worst device driver mishaps in a variety of Windows operating systems.
Making the Windows Server 2003 Indexing Service Useful: Date - Jan 19, 2006; Author - Brien M. Posey; Last month I wrote an article that explained how to set up the Windows Server 2003 Indexing Service. The Indexing Service makes searching for information on your network a whole lot faster than using the built in Windows Search tool. The only problem is that the query interface is built into the server’s Computer Management console and is therefore not readily available to users. I got around this problem on my own network by designing a Web application that acts as a query tool for users on my network. In this article, I will show you how to build such an application for your own network.
Using Remote Storage To Extend Available Storage Space: Date - Jan 12, 2006; Author - Brien M. Posey; Odds are that your file servers are filled with ancient files that nobody uses anymore, but that the lawyers say that you have to keep. Traditionally, such files have been archived to tape, never to be seen again. However, Windows Server’s remote storage feature allows you to move such files to tape while still allowing them to be available to users. In this article, I will show you how it’s done.
Understanding the Impact of RAM on Overall System Performance: Date - Jan 05, 2006; Author - Brien M. Posey; Being that pretty much everybody that I know knows that I am into computers, I tend to get asked a lot of questions from friends and family regarding servers that they might manage or regarding their PCs at home. One of the questions that seem to come up most often is “Which upgrade will give me the most bang for my buck?” In most cases the answer to the question is that they should invest in more memory for their computer. In this article, I will explain why memory plays such a huge role in a computer’s overall performance.
Using Netsh with Windows Firewall: Date - Jan 03, 2006; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article examines how to configure and troubleshoot Windows Firewall using the Netsh command-line utility. The procedures covered apply to both the Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 operating system platforms.
Choosing Whether to Run Performance Monitor Locally or Remotely: Date - Dec 27, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; I have noticed lately that there seems to be a rather heated debate on various Web sites as to whether it is more appropriate to run the Windows Performance Monitor locally or remotely. There are good arguments on both sides of the issue, so I decided to put it to the test. In this article, I will attempt to answer the age old question of whether you should be running the Performance Monitor locally or remotely.
Working With the Windows Server 2003 Indexing Service: Date - Dec 20, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; As I’m sure you probably know, there are a number of system level services that are always running behind the scenes in Windows Server. In this article, I will explain why the Indexing Service is so useful, and I will show you how to use it.
Storage Monitoring and Reporting: Date - Dec 15, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article demonstrates the new storage monitoring and reporting features of Windows Server 2003 R2. Using these new capabilities, administrators can generate reports for quota and file screening activity and monitor disk space on critical servers and receive email notifications on which are approaching their limit.
Implementing File Screening in Windows Server 2003 R2: Date - Dec 06, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article walks you through how to configure file screening in Windows Server 2003 R2. File screening is a new capability in Windows Server that allows administrators to restrict what kind of files users save to their home folders and other shared network folders.
Setting Up a DHCP Server for your Organization: Date - Nov 29, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; One of the most basic processes on a network is that of assigning IP addresses to network clients. Although there are many different types of DHCP servers that can do the job, you can configure Windows Server 2003 to act as a DHCP server. In this article, I will show you how.
Configuring Volume and Folder Quotas: Date - Nov 24, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article walks you through the steps involved for configuring volume and folder quotas using File Server Resource Manager, a new feature of Windows Server 2003 R2. The article also explains how to create and use templates that can be used to quickly and easily configure quotas on home folders for users on your network.
Configuring Windows Server 2003 to act as a NAT router: Date - Nov 17, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; More years ago than I care to think about, IP addresses were handed out to companies on an indiscriminant basis. As the popularity of the Internet increased, IP addresses soon grew to be a scarce commodity. Internet service providers began to strictly limit the number of IP addresses that they would lease to companies. This presented an interesting challenge. A PC has to have an IP address in order to communicate with the Internet, but there weren’t enough IP addresses left for every PC to be given one. The solution to this problem was a technology called Network Address Translation (NAT). Today, NAT is alive and well, and more popular than ever. In this article, I will explain what NAT is and how you can configure Windows Server 2003 to act as a NAT router.
Slipstreaming Windows Service Packs: Date - Nov 01, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; Have you ever had to reinstall Windows in an effort to fix a malfunctioning machine? Performing a clean install of Windows is no big deal, but reinstalling a non service packed version of Windows on top of a copy of Windows that does contain a service pack can cause some major problems. One solution to this dilemma is to create a Windows installation CD that already contains the service pack. That way, when you install Windows, you are installing the correct version. In this article, I will show you how to create such a CD.
Creating an FTP Drop Site: Date - Oct 27, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article walks you through creating an FTP site that users can anonymously upload files to, but can't list or retrieve any files that have been uploaded. The article also discusses uses for such sites in a corporate environment.
Outlining Components Needed for Creating a VPN Server: Date - Oct 13, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; Over the last few years, VPNs have gone from relative obscurity to great popularity. Even so, you don’t want to throw together a VPN haphazardly. After all, a VPN is a direct portal into your private network, and it is essential that it be secure. If your VPN isn’t secure, then nothing else on your network will be secure either. In this article, I will help you to plan your corporate VPN. In doing so, I will discuss the various components that make up a VPN and some of the decisions that you will have to make regarding those components.
File System Planning for Active Directory 101: Date - Sep 20, 2005; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; When you are going to install Active Directory in an organization, it’s always wise to consider the base operating system install and to verify that a few important configurations are done in advance. One of the most important being the planning of the local server file system. Although commonly not overlooked, it is not commonly understood why it’s so important to plan for it. In this article we will cover how to verify your file system configuration and what to do if you need to convert the file system for the Active Directory installation.
Window Server 2003 R2, what’s new with Active Directory?: Date - Sep 06, 2005; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; In this article we will look at a few new things that are coming out in Active Directory with Windows Server 2003 R2. Some of the new features included are Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) which allows you to securely extend Active Directory over the public Internet when trying to do business with other businesses, partners, clients and customers. This article covers some of the new features available with this new directory services addition.
Determining the Functional Level in Windows Server 2003: Date - Aug 08, 2005; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; In this article we will cover how to find out what your domain functional level is as well as why it’s important to understand. Whenever you deploy Windows Server 2003 in your production environment, you should always consider high level design items such as what your functional level is. This will determine what features you have available to you when you use Active Directory and Windows Server 2003. This article covers how to determine the level and how to change it if needed.
Windows Server 2003 Performance Tuning: Date - Jul 28, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; Computers running Windows operating systems always seem to have a way of slowing down over time. If your server seems to be running more slowly than it should, then you have a couple of choices. You can add some extra memory and maybe a processor or two and hope for the best, or you can figure out why the server is running so slowly. There are lots of different things that can cause a server to run slowly. In this article, I will explain how you can use some of Windows’ built in diagnostic tools to determine the cause of your server’s sub-par performance.
Issues Involved In Converting Basic Disks To Dynamic Disks: Date - Jul 21, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; One of the Windows Server 2003 features that I’ve always found most useful is the ability to convert basic disks to dynamic disks. The advantage of doing this is that the Windows operating system allows you to span a single volume across multiple dynamic disks. By spanning a volume across multiple disks, you can create a larger volume than what a single disk can hold, you can achieve better performance than what a single disk would provide you with, and you can even achieve a degree of fault tolerance against hard disk failure. Even with all of these benefits, there are some serious issues that you need to be aware of before you even think about converting a basic disk into a dynamic disk. In this article, I will discuss these issues.
Making Your DNS Service Fault Tolerant: Date - Jul 07, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; Most network administrators know that Active Directory is dependant on DNS. What you might not realize is that there is a good chance that your DNS server is performing several other critical tasks in the background. A DNS failure can be more catastrophic than most people realize. In this article I will explain why this is the case and how to avoid such a situation.
Review of Microsoft’s Windows Server System Reference Architecture: Date - Jun 28, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article reviews Microsoft’s Windows Server System Reference Architecture (WSSRA) and provides details concerning what it is about and how useful it is to enterprise IT implementers.
Troubleshooting Group Policy Processing: Date - Jun 21, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article outlines some common mistakes made in implementing Group Policy and how to troubleshoot Group Policy processing issues.
How to: Disable the Shutdown Event Tracker in Windows 2003: Date - Jun 16, 2005; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; In this article I will show you how to disable, and enable, the Shutdown Event Tracker in Windows 2003, as well as how to view Shutdown Event Tracker events. The Shutdown Event Tracker is a means of recording why the system was restarted or shutdown, or why it had shutdown without warning. It pops up every time you attempt to shutdown the machine manually via the Start menu or when the system restarted or shutdown unexpectedly; due to a software crash or power failure for example. For reasons of annoyance you may want to disable it.
How to Implement Group Policy Security Filtering: Date - Jun 14, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article explains how to use security filtering to apply policy to a specific group of users or computers in Active Directory. Included are tips on when and how to implement security filtering for best performance, and troubleshooting problems associated with security filtering.
Optimizing Group Policy Performance: Date - Jun 07, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article explains how to ensure Group Policy processes quickly so users aren’t frustrated by delayed logons. Topics covered include myths about Group Policy processing, proper use of WMI filters, Windows XP Fast Logon Optimization, and more.
Best Practices for Designing Group Policy: Date - May 26, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article summarizes best practices for planning the implementation of Group Policy in an Active Directory environment. Topics covered include designing an OU structure to facilitate management by Group Policy, minimizing use of blocking and enforcement, and more.
How to: Disable Error Reporting on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003: Date - May 17, 2005; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; In this article we will cover the basic steps on how to remove error reporting features on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 systems. Error reporting is when your system attempts to connect to Microsoft’s website to send a report of the problem you are experiencing in hopes to help fix it by documenting it. You may have systems where you want to turn off this functionality for reasons of annoyance or functionality. This article shows you step by step how to turn off this feature.
Key Performance Monitor Counters: Date - May 10, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article looks at key Performance Monitor counters you may want to watch to ensure your Windows Server 2003 machines are running smoothly.
Troubleshooting Startup Problems: Date - Apr 21, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article examines a number of common problems associated with booting Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 systems and offers tips on how to resolve them.
Implementing Fault Tolerance on Windows Networks: Date - Apr 05, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article provides a high-level survey of the different fault tolerant technologies available for Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. These technologies, implemented in both hardware and software, help make Windows Server 2003 a highly available and reliable platform for running business critical applications.
Making The Transition From SUS to WUS: Date - Mar 24, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; Although the Windows Update Service (WUS) is still in beta testing, WUS is an important software release and it’s worth looking at now. In this article, I will explain how to implement WUS and have it co-exist with your existing SUS deployment. I will then explain how you can begin testing WUS and make the transition once WUS is finally released.
Terminal Services Group Policy: Date - Mar 22, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article looks at how you can use Group Policy to manage Terminal Services environments in Windows Server 2003. The article summarizes the various policies available and focuses on some key policies to configure.
Managing Active Directory FSMO Roles: Date - Mar 15, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article explains the function of Flexible Single Master Operations (FSMO) roles in Active Directory and outlines best practices for implementing and managing these roles on a Windows Server 2003-based network.
Upgrading Windows NT/2000 to Windows 2003 (Part 1): Date - Mar 08, 2005; Author - Ricky M. Magalhaes; This article covers the upgrading caveats that need to be considered when upgrading from Windows NT and Windows 2000 Network environments to Windows 2003. Issues encountered during installation and understanding the importance of the minimum requirements prescribed for installing the software, understanding the fundamentals described below will resolve and reduce problems that are usually encountered.
Profile and Folder Redirection In Windows Server 2003: Date - Mar 01, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; Assigning roaming profiles to users can greatly reduce your day to day workload. However, implementing roaming profiles can become a nightmare unless you know how to avoid the performance problems associated with them. In this article I will discuss the advantages and the common pitfalls associated with roaming profiles.
Overview of Terminal Services: Date - Feb 24, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article presents a high-level overview of Terminal Services technologies on Microsoft Windows platforms. Topics covered include a brief history of Terminal Services, its usefulness in enterprise environments, solutions from Microsoft and Citrix, and some special challenges for deploying and using Terminal Services.
Deploy Windows Server 2003: Considerations for Planning Network Bandwidth: Date - Feb 17, 2005; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; Site links are a critical part of building Networked Windows Networks – How do Domain Controllers speak to each other without having synchronization problems? Network bandwidth being over utilized can play havoc with your network, at the same time affecting your Windows Server 2003 systems by creating errors in your logs seen in the Directory Services Log in the Event Viewer on our Domain Controller (DC). In this article we discuss things to consider when planning and designing site links.
Planning Trust Relationships in a Windows Server 2003 Environment: Date - Feb 15, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; In a Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 based forest, every domain automatically trusts all of the other domains in the entire forest. However, there are situations in which this automatic trust relationship constitutes a major security risk. In this article, I will explain what some of these situations are and how you can create the necessary trust relationships without posing a security risk.
Mastering the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit: Date - Feb 08, 2005; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; The Windows 2003 Resource Kit is by far the most underutilized arsenal I have seen in my work as a Manager. I see many Administrators doing tasks or not having solutions for tasks that are totally provided with this toolkit. In the next series of articles I present, we shall cover the Windows 2003 Resource kit 'In Depth'. This article starts the series by fundamentally covering where to get the software, the basic use of the resource kit, online resources and file set.
Microsoft Speech Server and Speech Technologies … What's all the talk about?: Date - Feb 03, 2005; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; Revolutionizing the Speech Industry this year and beyond will be Microsoft and the release of its Speech Technologies. Microsoft, already underway creating API’s, .NET functionality and so on, is working hard to take advantage of a market mired with proprietary, clunky and expensive technologies. Windowsnetworking.com will become the authority on Speech Services this year as well. This article covers Microsoft ‘Speech’ Services and Speech Technologies to be introduced this year.
Using WebDAV with IIS: Date - Feb 01, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article walks you through the process of using Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) to publish content to an Internet Information Services (IIS) web server. The article also explains why WebDAV is a more secure and better solution to publishing content than the traditional FTP approach.
MSI Packaging Tools: Date - Jan 27, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article discusses various third-party tools you can use to repackage applications into MSI files so you can deploy them using Group Policy in your Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 enterprise environment. The article also includes helpful links to resources on Microsoft.com and third-party sites where you can find out more about repackaging applications and deploying them using Group Policy.
Managing Printers Using Group Policy (Part 2): Date - Jan 18, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article and the previous one describe how to use Group Policy to manage printers in an Active Directory environment. Topics covered include controlling how printers are published in Active Directory, how printers can be tracked by location, how to disable Internet printing, how to prevent users from adding or deleting printers, and more.
Understanding How Cluster Quorums Work: Date - Jan 13, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; Quorums are one of the most often misunderstood topics in clustering. In this article, I will explain what a quorum is, what it does, and what some of your quorum options are.
Managing Printers Using Group Policy (Part 1): Date - Jan 11, 2005; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article and the one following describe how to use Group Policy to manage printers in an Active Directory environment. Topics covered include controlling how printers are published in Active Directory, how printers can be tracked by location, how to disable Internet printing, how to prevent users from adding or deleting printers, and more.
Resultant Set of Policy Planning and Logging: Date - Jan 06, 2005; Author - Brien M. Posey; Because of the way that Windows collects group policy elements from so many different sources, it can be difficult to predict what security policy will actually apply to a specific user. However, a utility in Windows Server 2003 allows you to accurately predict the outcome of policy changes and to track down the source of an unwanted policy.
Diagnosing Server Performance Problems With Server Performance Advisor: Date - Nov 25, 2004; Author - Brien M. Posey; The Windows Performance Monitor is a great tool for analyzing a server’s performance. The problem is that it can be complicated to use and the results can be hard to understand. However, Microsoft has recently released a new tool that will test a server’s performance for you and compile the results into an easy to read report. In this article, I will tell you all about it.
Configuring the Windows Time Service: Date - Nov 18, 2004; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article walks you through the process of setting up an authoritative time server for a Windows Server 2003-based network running Active Directory. The article outlines procedures for syncing to both an internal and external time source, and also lists additional resources for configuring the Windows Time service and troubleshooting time synchronization problems.
Remotely Administering Windows Servers: Date - Nov 02, 2004; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article looks at the various ways you can deploy the Windows Server 2003 Administration Tools Pack (adminpak.msi) to remotely administer Windows 2000/2003 servers from administrator workstations running Windows XP. It also examines various incompatibility issues using these tools and workarounds for resolving them.
Streamlining the backup process with Microsoft’s Data Protection Server: Date - Oct 12, 2004; Author - Brien M. Posey; Although it is extremely common for organizations to back data up to tape each night, the technology behind tape backups is over twenty years old. At the same time, network administrators are being asked to back up more and more data in less and less time and to be able to perform nearly instant restore operations. The old tape backup technology is having a hard time keeping pace with such demands. Fortunately, Microsoft is about to release a new, disk based, backup solution called Data Protection Server that is designed to solve all of these problems. In this article I will tell you all about it.
What Can You Expect From Windows Server 2003 "R2": Date - Oct 06, 2004; Author - Brien M. Posey; Microsoft has announced a new version of Windows Server 2003 that will be released late in 2005. Although details about this new release, code named R2, are sketchy, R2 promises to greatly enhance the Windows Server platform. In this article, I will attempt to separate fact from rumor and explain what you can expect from R2.
Creating and Configuring FTP Sites in Windows Server 2003: Date - Aug 11, 2004; Author - Mitch Tulloch; In this article we'll walk you through the steps of creating FTP sites in Windows Server 2003 using both Internet Services Manager and scripts. The tutorial will also will explain how to perform common administration tasks involving FTP sites and also how to implement FTP User Isolation, a new feature of Windows Server 2003 enables users to have their own separate FTP home directories.
Windows 2003 DFS (Distributed File System): Date - Aug 04, 2004; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; This document will explain what the distrubuted file system is and how to set it up in Windows 2003. After having read it you will have a general idea of why it is used and why you might want to consider making use of it in your organization.
Creating and Configuring Web Sites in Windows Server 2003: Date - Jul 22, 2004; Author - Mitch Tulloch; In this article we'll walk you through the steps of creating web sites in Windows Server 2003 using both Internet Services Manager and scripts. The tutorial will also walk you through the steps for hosting content both locally and remotely using virtual directories, and will explain how to perform common administration tasks involving web servers.
Deploying the Windows SharePoint Services: Date - Jul 01, 2004; Author - Brien M. Posey; The Windows SharePoint Services are a free ad-on for Windows Server 2003. They allow users to collaborate on projects while preserving multiple versions of shared documents.
Working with the Windows Server 2003 Volume Shadow Copy Service: Date - Jun 24, 2004; Author - Brien M. Posey; New to Windows Server 2003, the Volume Shadow Copy Service provides users with a way of restoring files themselves without having to involve you. This article explains how to implement and configure this service.
Installing and configuring virtual PC (Part 2): Date - Jun 03, 2004; Author - Ricky M. Magalhaes; In the first part of this article I took you through the installation of Virtual PC, in this article I will guide you through the configuration of Microsoft’s virtual PC. The article will focus on how virtual PC should be configured so that your system functions effectively and makes use of the hardware efficiently.
Installing and Configuring Virtual PC (Part 1): Date - May 13, 2004; Author - Ricky M. Magalhaes; In this two part article I will guide you through the installation of Microsoft’s virtual PC. The article will also focus on how virtual PC should be installed so that your system functions correctly.
DNS Conditional Forwarding in Windows Server 2003: Date - May 06, 2004; Author - Mitch Tulloch; In this article we'll look at conditional forwarding, a new feature of DNS in Windows Server 2003. Conditional forwarding can be used to speed up the DNS name resolution process by directing queries for specific domains to specific name servers. This tutorial explains in detail when conditional forwarding can be useful and how to set it up.
NAT in Windows 2003: Setup and Configuration: Date - Apr 29, 2004; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; This article will describe how to setup and configure NAT in Windows 2003. NAT, or Network Address Translation, is a widely used IP translation and mapping protocol that works on the network layer (level 3) of the OSI model. It is sometimes referred to as a routing protocol because of the way it allows packets from a private network to be routed to the Internet.
DNS Stub Zones in Windows Server 2003: Date - Apr 15, 2004; Author - Mitch Tulloch; We would like to extend a warm welcome to Microsoft expert Mitch Tulloch as he presents his first article to the WindowsNetworking.com community. In this article we'll learn about stub zones, a new feature of DNS in Windows Server 2003. Stub zones can help reduce the amount of DNS traffic on your network by streamlining name resolution and zone replication. We'll examine how stub zones work, when you would use them, and how to set them up in this tutorial.
Installing DNS On Windows 2003: Date - Apr 08, 2004; Author - Ricky M. Magalhaes; This tutorial will cover the installation of DNS on a Windows 2003 system. By reading through this tutorial you will learn about caveats that need to be noted when installing one of the most important services on a Windows network.
Windows 2003 Performance Monitor: Date - Mar 29, 2004; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; This article will focus on how the Windows 2003 performance monitor utility can be used to monitor the performance of your network. Apart from this, we will also take a look at why it should be used as well as an introduction to this tool that gives you a background of what is involved.
Windows 2003 Terminal Services (Part 2): Date - Mar 18, 2004; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; Welcome to part two of my Windows 2003 terminal services article. This section will be of interest to terminal server administrators and clients. It includes a step-by-step guide of how to logon to a terminal server, troubleshooting common logon problems, and a tips section.
Windows 2003 Terminal Services (Part 1): Date - Mar 08, 2004; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; Terminal Services, known to some as an Admin’s best friend, uses RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol), relies on TCP/IP, and falls under the application layer of the ISO 7-layer model. It has been improved by offering more features, greater reliability and scalability in Windows 2003.
Setting up & managing a file server in Windows 2003: Date - Jan 22, 2004; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; A file server is a computer responsible for the storage and management of data in a central location. Network clients can access these files, therefore saving them from having to physically transfer data from one computer to another. Users are able to access files and applications at the same time. This will serve as a step-by-step guide on how to setup a file server in Windows 2003.
Setting up a DHCP server in Windows 2003: Date - Jan 15, 2004; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is an IP standard designed to reduce the complexity of administering IP address configurations." - Microsoft's definition. A DHCP server would be set up with the appropriate settings for a given network. Such settings would include a set of fundamental parameters such as the gateway, DNS, subnet masks, and a range of IP addresses. Using DHCP on a network means administrators don't need to configure these settings individually for each client on the network. The DHCP would automatically distribute them to the clients itself.
Setting up a client based VPN connection via PPTP: Date - Dec 29, 2003; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; A VPN (or Virtual Private Connection) allows the connectivity of remote users to the organizational network. By means of a secure, encrypted "tunnel" to the private network, a user is able to dial into a server and become a member of that network, as if that user was directly linked to the network itself.
A quick look at the Windows 2003 support tools: Date - Dec 23, 2003; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; The Windows 2003 support tools are a collection of resources with the aim of assisting administrators to simplify management tasks. These include: troubleshooting operating systems, configuring networking and security features, managing Active Directory, and automating application deployment. With the use of these tools, the user is able to pin-point problematic issues with the system and will therefore be able to find a solution more easily.
Windows 2003 Active Directory: An overview: Date - Dec 18, 2003; Author - Oliver Marshall; Active directory has been around since the release of Windows 2000 several years ago, and is now a standard sight in many offices. Its inclusion marked a radical change at the heart of the Windows Server platform, one that people are still adjusting to today. In this article, we will be taking a brief look at the history of Active Directory, as well as the current version, Active Directory 2003, and possible future inclusions to the platform.
An Introduction to the Windows 2003 POP3 Service: Date - Dec 11, 2003; Author - Andrew Z. Tabona; This document is intended to give the reader a brief introduction to the Windows 2003 POP3 service - just one of the many new features offered by the Windows 2003 Server family.