Welcome to Mitch Tulloch's Section

Mitch Tulloch is lead author for the Microsoft Windows Vista Resource Kit and is a widely recognized expert on Windows administration, networking, and security. Mitch has published over two hundred articles for different IT pro sites and magazines, and he has written over a dozen books including the Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking and the Microsoft Encyclopedia of Security (both from Microsoft Press), Windows Server Hacks (O'Reilly Media) and IIS6 Administration (McGraw-Hill/Osborne). Mitch has also been technical reviewer for numerous IT pro titles and has developed and taught graduate-level courses in Information Security Management (ISM) for the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program of Jones International University. Mitch has been awarded Most Valuable Professional (MVP) status twice by Microsoft for his outstanding contributions in supporting the IT pro user group community.

Before starting on his business in 1998, Mitch worked as a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) for Productivity Point. For more information about Mitch, see his website http://www.mtit.com.

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Mitch Tulloch's Latest Contributions

Deploying Windows 7 - Part 11: Capturing an Existing Installation: Date - Oct 21, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; This series of articles on deploying Windows 7 continues with a walkthrough of how to use MDT 2010 to capture an image of an existing installation.
Deploying Windows 7 - Part 10: Capturing and Deploying an Image of a Reference Computer: Date - Oct 08, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; This series of articles on deploying Windows 7 continues with a walkthrough of how to capture and deploy an image of a reference computer.
Deploying Windows 7 - Part 9: Deploying 32-bit vs. 64-bit Windows: Date - Oct 01, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; This series of articles on deploying Windows 7 continues with examining the pros and cons of deploying 32-bit vs. 64-bit Windows using MDT 2010.
Deploying Windows 7 - Part 8: Understanding LTI Configuration Files: Date - Sep 03, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; Examining the MDT 2010 configuration files that control the automation of a Lite Touch Installation (LTI).
Deploying Windows 7 - Part 7: Automated LTI Deployment: Date - Aug 27, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; How to automate Lite Touch Installation (LTI) using MDT 2010.
Deploying Windows 7 - Part 6: Lite Touch using MDT 2010: Date - Aug 13, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; This series of articles on Windows 7 deployment continues with a walkthrough of Lite Touch deployment using MDT 2010.
Deploying Windows 7 - Part 5: MDT 2010 Enhancements: Date - Aug 06, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; This series of articles on Windows 7 deployment continues by examining the enhancements made in Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010.
Deploying Windows 7 - Part 4: Using MAP 4.0: Date - Jul 14, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; How to perform a Windows 7 Readiness assessment using MAP 4.0.
Deploying Windows 7 - Part 3: Understanding MAP 4.0: Date - Jul 07, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; This series of articles on Windows 7 deployment continues by examining the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Tool version 4.0.
Deploying Windows 7 - Part 2: Using DISM: Date - Jun 02, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; Windows 7 deployment; continuing by examining how to use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management(DISM)Tool.
Deploying Windows 7 - Part 1: Windows AIK 2.0 Enhancements: Date - May 21, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 7; Windows 7 deployment; examining the enhancements made in version 2.0 of the Windows Automated Installation Kit.
Deploying Vista - Part 31: Configuring Task Sequences: Date - May 12, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; How to configure task sequences for Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008.
Deploying Vista - Part 30: Configuring Deployment Points: Date - Apr 30, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; How to configure deployment points for Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008.
Deploying Vista - Part 29: Configuring Distribution Shares (Continued): Date - Apr 21, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; How to add packages and applications to distribution shares using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008.
Deploying Vista - Part 28: Configuring Distribution Shares: Date - Apr 07, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; Automating Windows Vista deployment continues by examining how to create and configure distribution shares using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008.
Deploying Vista – Part 27: Automating a Light Touch Installation: Date - Mar 26, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; How to completely automate a Light Touch Installation of Windows Vista using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008.
Deploying Vista – Part 26: Deploying Vista Using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit: Date - Mar 19, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; How to perform a basic install of Windows Vista using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.
Deploying Vista – Part 25: Preparing Microsoft Deployment Toolkit for Deploying Vista: Date - Mar 10, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; How to prepare Microsoft Deployment Toolkit to perform a basic installation of Windows Vista.
Deploying Vista – Part 24: Understanding Microsoft Deployment Toolkit: Date - Feb 24, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; Windows Vista deployment continues by introducing Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.
Deploying Vista – Part 23: Unattended Image Deployment Using Windows Deployment Services: Date - Feb 12, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues by showing how to perform unattended image deployment using Windows Deployment Services.
Deploying Vista – Part 22: Deploying Images using Windows Deployment Services: Date - Feb 03, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; How to deploy Windows images to bare-metal hardware using Windows Deployment Services.
Deploying Vista – Part 21: Working With Capture Images: Date - Jan 22, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; How to create and use Capture Images.
Deploying Vista – Part 20: Working With Discover Images: Date - Jan 08, 2009; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; How to create and use Discover Images.
Deploying Vista – Part 19: Managing Windows Deployment Services (Continued): Date - Dec 16, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues from the previous one by examining how to manage and configure Windows Deployment Services servers.
Deploying Vista – Part 18: Managing Windows Deployment Services: Date - Dec 03, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues by examining how to manage and configure Windows Deployment Services servers.
Deploying Vista – Part 17: Working With the Windows DS Image Store: Date - Nov 25, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues by examining how to populate the image store of your Windows Deployment Services server.
Deploying Vista – Part 16: Configuring Windows Deployment Services: Date - Nov 13, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues by looking at how to perform the initial configuration of your Windows Deployment Services server.
Deploying Vista – Part 15: Implementing Windows Deployment Services: Date - Nov 04, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues by looking at how to implement Windows Deployment Service.
Deploying Vista – Part 14: Understanding Windows Deployment Services: Date - Oct 23, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues by examining how Windows Deployment Services works.
Deploying Vista – Part 13: Performing Image-Based Deployment: Date - Oct 15, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues by examining how to perform an image-based install using ImageX and Windows PE.
Deploying Vista – Part 12: Understanding Image-Based Deployment: Date - Sep 30, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues by examining how image-based deployment works.
Deploying Vista – Part 11: Working with Windows PE: Date - Sep 16, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues by walking you through the steps of creating a bootable Windows PE CD.
Deploying Vista – Part 10: Understanding the Windows Preinstallation Environment: Date - Aug 28, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating Windows Vista deployment continues by examining the Windows Preinstallation environment and its role in deployment scenarios.
Deploying Vista – Part 9: Automating the Machine OOBE: Date - Aug 12, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; Finishing the walkthrough begun in the previous two articles for creating a basic answer file for unattended deployment of Vista.
Deploying Vista – Part 8: Unattended Install from DVD Method: Date - Jul 29, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating the deployment of Windows Vista to desktop computers continues by continuing the previous article’s walkthrough of creating a basic answer file for unattended deployment of Vista.
Deploying Vista – Part 7: Creating a Minimal Answer File: Date - Jul 15, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating the deployment of Windows Vista to desktop computers continues by walking you through creating a basic answer file for unattended deployment of Vista.
Deploying Vista – Part 6: Using Windows SIM: Date - Jun 24, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating the deployment of Windows Vista to desktop computers continues by looking at how to use the Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM) tool to create and edit answer files.
Deploying Vista – Part 5: Using Sysprep: Date - Jun 10, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating the deployment of Windows Vista to desktop computers continues by examining the System Preparation (Sysprep) tool and its role in deploying Vista.
Deploying Vista - Part 4: Understanding Deployment Scenarios: Date - May 20, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating the deployment of Windows Vista to desktop computers continues by examining the different types of deployment scenarios you can use to deploy Vista.
Deploying Vista - Part 3: Understanding Configuration Passes: Date - Apr 22, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating the deployment of Windows Vista to desktop computers continues with an overview of the different configuration passes of Windows Setup in Vista.
Deploying Vista - Part 2: Understanding Windows Setup and the Windows Imaging File Format: Date - Apr 02, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating the deployment of Windows Vista to desktop computers continues with an overview of how Windows Setup works in Vista.
Deploying Vista - Part 1: Understanding the Windows AIK: Date - Feb 14, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This series of articles on automating the deployment of Windows Vista to desktop computers begins with an overview of the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK).
Microsoft Office Communications Server Resource Kit Chapter 5: Conferencing Scenarios (Part 3): Date - Jan 29, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / VoIP; The following is the final part of a 3 part series of articles that represent an entire chapter of the soon-to-be-released Microsoft Office Communications Server Resource Kit.
Microsoft Office Communications Server Resource Kit Chapter 5: Conferencing Scenarios (Part 2): Date - Jan 10, 2008; Section - Articles & Tutorials / VoIP; In this section, we describe the technical details behind Office Communications Server 2007 conferencing scenarios. First, we introduce the conferencing component architecture. We then discuss the life cycle of a conference. Finally, we reveal more technical details on data collaboration conferences.
Microsoft Office Communications Server Resource Kit Chapter 5: Conferencing Scenarios (Part 1): Date - Dec 06, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / VoIP; A WindowsNetworking.com exclusive! The three articles in this series represent an entire chapter of the soon-to-be-released Microsoft Office Communications Server Resource Kit.
Windows Vista Resource Kit Chapter 23: Supporting Users Using Remote Assistance (Part 3): Date - Jul 05, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; A WindowsNetworking.com exclusive! The three articles in this series represent an entire chapter of the Windows Vista Resource Kit, excerpted with permission from Microsoft Press.
Windows Vista Resource Kit Chapter 23: Supporting Users Using Remote Assistance (Part 2): Date - Jun 27, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; A WindowsNetworking.com exclusive! The three articles in this series represent an entire chapter of the Windows Vista Resource Kit, excerpted with permission from Microsoft Press.
Windows Vista Resource Kit Chapter 23: Supporting Users Using Remote Assistance (Part 1): Date - Jun 19, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; A WindowsNetworking.com exclusive! The three articles in this series represent an entire chapter of the Windows Vista Resource Kit, excerpted with permission from Microsoft Press.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 14: Learning More about WMI Scripting: Date - Jun 07, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; How to learn more about managing Windows networks using WMI scripting.
Introducing Windows Server 2008 - Chapter 7: Active Directory Enhancements: Date - May 24, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Server 2008; A special preview of the new book Introducing Windows Server 2008 from Microsoft Press - exclusively on WindowsNetworking.com!
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 13: A Handy Return-All-Values Script: Date - May 16, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; A workhorse script that can return all values of all properties of a specific instance of a WMI class.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 12: Properties of a WMI Class: Date - Apr 26, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; How to display all the properties of any WMI class.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 11: More Scripting Tricks: Date - Apr 18, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Another remote scripting trick and using WMIC to remotely query for local Administrators.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 10: Remote Scripting Tricks: Date - Apr 04, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Two tricks for remote scripting.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 9: Understanding Remote Scripting: Date - Mar 21, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Some of the concepts and pitfalls surrounding remote scripting.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 8: Troubleshooting Remote Scripting using Network Monitor 3.0: Date - Mar 07, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; How to use Network Monitor 3.0 for troubleshooting a remote scripting error.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 7: Troubleshooting the Mystery Error: Date - Feb 27, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Steps for troubleshooting remote scripting.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 6: Remote Scripting First Steps: Date - Feb 15, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; A look at remote scripting using the Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration WMI class discussed previously.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 5: Getting Over the Hump: Date - Feb 01, 2007; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Getting over the hump of learning how to use scripts to administer Windows networks.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts – Part 4: Using Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration: Date - Dec 21, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Using the Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration WMI class to manage TCP/IP networking settings on Windows networks using VBScript.
TCP/IP Troubleshooting: A Structured Approach - Part 4: Using Netdiag.exe: Date - Dec 13, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Network Troubleshooting; How to use the Netdiag.exe support tool to diagnose TCP/IP connectivity issues.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 3: Understanding WMI: Date - Nov 22, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Introduces readers to how Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) works and how it can be scripted using VBScript.
TCP/IP Troubleshooting: A Structured Approach - Part 3: Repairing Network Connections: Date - Nov 14, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Network Troubleshooting; How to use the Repair feature for network connections on Windows platforms.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 2: Cleaning Up: Date - Nov 01, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; This article continues introducing readers to the basics of managing Windows networks using scripts by extending the script developed in the previous article.
Book Reviews: Virtualization, VOIP and Getting Ahead: Date - Oct 25, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; This latest round of book reviews from columnist Mitch Tulloch covers virtualization technoligies, VOIP, and advancing your skills and career as an IT professional.
TCP/IP Troubleshooting: A Structured Approach - Part 2: Troubleshooting Routing Tables: Date - Oct 17, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Network Troubleshooting; This article explains how routing tables work and how to troubleshoot routing problems in Windows-based networks.
Managing Windows Networks Using Scripts - Part 1: The Basics: Date - Sep 28, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; This article introduces the basics of managing Windows networks using scripting.
TCP/IP Troubleshooting: A Structured Approach - Part 1: An Introduction: Date - Sep 20, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Network Troubleshooting; This article describes a structured approach for troubleshooting problems with TCP/IP networks.
Implementing Access-Based Enumeration in Windows Server 2003 R2: Date - Sep 14, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Troubleshooting File System Problems: Date - Sep 06, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Using Windows Meeting Space: Date - Aug 24, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This article walks you through how to set up and use Windows Meeting Space (formerly Windows Collaboration).
Migrating to Vista using User State Migration Tool 3.0: Date - Aug 15, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This article walks you through how to use User State Migration Tool 3.0 (USMT 3.0) to migrate Windows XP desktop computers to Windows Vista in an enterprise environment.
Migrating to Vista using Windows Easy Transfer: Date - Jul 26, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This article walks you through how to use Windows Easy Transfer to migrate user accounts, files and program settings from an existing computer running Windows XP to a freshly installed new computer running Windows Vista.
Deploying Windows Vista: Date - Jul 18, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This article examines the new tools and procedures for deploying Windows Vista and how they can make the administrator's job of rolling out workstations easier.
VOIP in the Enterprise: Date - Jul 05, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / VoIP; This article provides an overview of VOIP technologies, protocols and solutions and how they can benefit an enterprise. The article also discusses Microsoft's impending entrance into the VOIP arena and its possible impact in the marketplace.
Virtualization Shootout: Date - Jun 14, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; This article takes an unbiased look at comparing virtualization products from Microsoft and VMware, and includes an interview with Charlie Russell, a Microsoft MVP and expert in virtualization technologies.
Using Remote Assistance with Windows Firewall Enabled: Date - May 31, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; This article looks at how to use Remote Assistance in an environment where your desktop computers have Windows Firewall enabled.
TCP/IP Networking in Windows Vista: Date - May 23, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This article examines the various enhancements made to the TCP/IP stack in Windows Vista and how they provide improved reliability and performance over previous Windows platforms.
Managing Processes and Tasks in Windows Vista: Date - May 11, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This article looks at new capabilities in Windows Vista for managing processes and scheduling tasks and how administrators can use these capabilities for maintaining and troubleshooting systems.
Book Reviews: TCP/IP Networking: Date - May 10, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Understanding TCP/IP is fundamental to computer networking nowadays. Here are reviews of some titles that you may want to have on your bookshelf.
Deploying Printers With Group Policy in Windows Server 2003 R2: Date - Apr 27, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
IPv6 Support in Microsoft Windows: Date - Apr 06, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Network Protocols; This article provides an overview of how different Microsoft Windows platforms have different levels of support for IPv6 features and transition technologies. The enhanced IPv6 support coming in Windows Vista and Longhorn Server is also described.
Configuring and Using DFS Replication: Date - Mar 28, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Monitoring Event Logs in Windows Vista: Date - Mar 21, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows Vista; This article examines the enhanced features for event log monitoring in Windows Vista and walks the reader through configuring and using these features to better troubleshoot system problems.
Implementing DFS Replication: Date - Mar 14, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Book Reviews: Microsoft SharePoint: Date - Feb 07, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Microsoft SharePoint is a powerful tool for enabling knowledge workers to collaborate using Office 2003 on the front-end and Windows Server 2003 on the back-end. This review looks at five helpful SharePoint books you should know about if you're looking at using SharePoint on your network.
Using Netsh with Windows Firewall: Date - Jan 03, 2006; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Storage Monitoring and Reporting: Date - Dec 15, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Configuring Volume and Folder Quotas: Date - Nov 24, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Creating a Sysprep Image Library for Virtual PC: Date - Nov 10, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows XP; This article examines how to use Sysprep to create a library of operating system images which you can then use to deploy virtual machines on Microsoft Virtual PC for testing purposes. Such a library can help you save valuable time when creating test networks using Virtual PC.
Creating an FTP Drop Site: Date - Oct 27, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Running Windows Under Non-Admin Accounts: Date - Sep 15, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows XP; Everyone knows that one of the most important principles of network security is least privilege: grant ordinary users only those rights and permissions they need to get their work done and no more. For example, if ordinary users don’t need access to sensitive data stored in the Accounting share, don’t give them any permissions on that share, either through shared folder permissions on the share itself or NTFS permissions on the folder underlying the share.
Using Virtual PC as a Test and Learning Platform: Date - Sep 01, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; This article examines some of the various ways that Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 (and Virtual Server 2005) can be used as a platform for software testing and learning.
Tuning Virtual PC Performance: Date - Jul 12, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; This article looks at how to enhance the performance of virtual machines running on Microsoft’s Virtual PC platform.
Review of Microsoft’s Windows Server System Reference Architecture: Date - Jun 28, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; This article outlines some common mistakes made in implementing Group Policy and how to troubleshoot Group Policy processing issues.
How to Implement Group Policy Security Filtering: Date - Jun 14, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Key Performance Monitor Counters: Date - May 10, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Book Reviews: Security Books: Date - Apr 12, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Security is always an important area for IT professionals, and there's no shortage of books on computer and network security coming out these days. Below are five recent titles on various security topics and my take on them.
Implementing Fault Tolerance on Windows Networks: Date - Apr 05, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Terminal Services Group Policy: Date - Mar 22, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
What I'm Reading These Days (Part 2): Date - Mar 03, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; Here are five recent titles from O’Reilly that I’ve had a chance to look through and can recommend for your reading.
Overview of Terminal Services: Date - Feb 24, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Using WebDAV with IIS: Date - Feb 01, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Managing Printers Using Group Policy (Part 1): Date - Jan 11, 2005; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
What I'm Reading These Days - Networking Books Recommendations: Date - Dec 21, 2004; Section - Articles & Tutorials / General Networking; I like to read a lot for several reasons. First, I need to read to keep up on the latest IT technologies, tools, and practices. And second, I write a lot and a writer needs to always learn. So I thought I’d take a moment and tell you about some of the books I’m currently reading in case you want to add some of them to your bookshelf. The five titles reviewed in this particular article are all available from Microsoft Press.
Using Logon Scripts in Pure and Mixed Active Directory Environments: Date - Dec 09, 2004; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Common for all OSes; This article looks at the differences in implementing logon scripts in pure and mixed Active Directory environments, including how to use Group Policy to assign scripts and how to run Windows Script Host (WSH) scripts from batch files.
Configuring the Windows Time Service: Date - Nov 18, 2004; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Using the Windows Update Catalog: Date - Oct 21, 2004; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows XP; This article walks you through using the Windows Update Catalog to download service packs, feature packs, updated system files, and WHQL logo device drivers so you can deploy them later to Windows computers on your network.
Customizing Unattended Setup: Date - Sep 29, 2004; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows XP; This article walks you through the steps of using Setup Manager to create an answer file for unattended installation of Windows XP. The article also covers how to use Setup Manager to set up distribution folders on your network and how to customize these folders for special purposes such as branding your system and updating device drivers.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting Using Event Logs: Date - Sep 14, 2004; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Network Troubleshooting; This article reviews best practices for working with Windows event logs including how to interpret event messages, how to configure event logs, how to search and filter events, how to view events on remote systems, and how to use EventCombMT.exe and other tools to monitor events on multiple systems.
Creating and Configuring FTP Sites in Windows Server 2003: Date - Aug 11, 2004; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
Creating and Configuring Web Sites in Windows Server 2003: Date - Jul 22, 2004; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
DNS Conditional Forwarding in Windows Server 2003: Date - May 06, 2004; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.
DNS Stub Zones in Windows Server 2003: Date - Apr 15, 2004; Section - Articles & Tutorials / Windows 2003; 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.