Microsoft will support server virtualization for Office Communications Server 2007 R2

Microsoft Wednesday announced that it will support server virtualization for Office Communications Server 2007 R2, its first statement on what portions of its real-time platform will run in a virtual environment.

In a post on Microsoft's Office Communications Server (OCS) blog, Jerome Berniere, senior program manager in the Office Communications group, said the company would support both "fully distributed virtualized topology across several hypervisors and for a single server virtualized topology."

The topologies are supported on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and any Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP) certified partner solution.

The virtualization will support presence, group chat and instant messaging. The IM support includes remote access, federation and connection to public IM.

The company made the announcement in conjunction with its annual TechEd conference going on this week.

Berniere also said a number of server services would be supported, including: front-end, back-end SQL Server 2008 64-bit; group chat channel; group chat compliance; archiving; monitoring (CDR only); and edge access.

Microsoft said the virtual machines must be running on Windows Server 2008 64 bits. Berniere wrote on the blog, "archiving server and monitoring server can be connected to a virtualized enterprise pool, but they must run on a physical server."

Source: itworld

How to Install Read-Only Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008

Installing a Read-Only Domain Controller (RODC) isn’t much different than installing a regular domain controller.

However, there is one important factor to keep in mind. A RODC can only be installed into an existing Active Directory Domain with at least one full (non-read-only) Windows 2008 Server Domain Controller.

The reason is that the RODC is a new feature to Windows 2008 and it needs at least one DC to understand what it is doing in order to function properly.

Once the decision has been made to install a RODC the next decision is whether to install on a full-install or core-install of Windows 2008 Server.

The RODC is primarily aimed at providing additional security on an Active Directory Database for a server that is not physically secured. Installing a RODC on a Core Install of Windows 2008 provides no additional physical security.

Installing RODC on a Core Server Install

There is only one way to install RODC role on a Core Server installation. The dcpromo.exe command runs on the GUI-less version of Windows Server 2008.

Using an answer file for the command makes the process much easier than trying to get all the switches just right in the command line.

Although there are many settings available depending upon your particular infrastructure, just basic information is required to complete the command:

• an account with permissions to do what you are trying to do
• the name of the Site
• the database and log paths
• and whether or not to install DNS.

Many people will put a “yes” for RebootOnCompletion. If you are doing an actual unattended promotion then that would make sense.

Regular Installation

On a full install of Windows Servers 2008, there is of course a GUI tool to help with the process. The Active Directory Domain Services Installation Wizard handles the installation of RODC.

Type “dcpromo” at a command prompt to start the wizard. The first screen will ask you whether you want to use an existing forest, or create a new domain in a new forest. Since you must join an existing domain with a RODC, the choice is obvious.

Next you’ll be asked for a username and password. The account must be a member of Domain Admins in order to create a Read-Only Domain Controller.

Next, you’ll choose the site you wish to join.

So far, this is all the same as a regular Domain Controller install. Under “Additional Options” is where you actually choose to make this a Read-Only Domain Controller installation.

Using an answer file for the command makes the process much easier than trying to get all the switches just right in the command line.

Installing the Read-Only Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008 - 1

Although there are many settings available depending upon your particular infrastructure, just basic information is required to complete the command:

* an account with permissions to do what you are trying to do
* the name of the Site
* the database and log paths
* and whether or not to install DNS.

Installing the Read-Only Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008 - 2

Many people will put a “yes” for RebootOnCompletion. If you are doing an actual unattended promotion then that would make sense.

If you are sitting at the console, I prefer to manually reboot the server so that I can take as much time as I want to study what is on the screen if there is an issue.

Next, choose the paths for installing the components, or just click Next to use the defaults. Once the confirmation screen appears, you are all set.

Source: http://windowsserver.trainsignal.com/server-2008-install-rodc-read-only-domain-controlle

Remote Monitoring Service for Microsoft SharePoint

SharePoint managed services launched by Azaleos which introduced a remote monitoring service for Microsoft SharePoint which covers server & all other necessary infrastructure.

SharePoint Services draws the line at maintaining SharePoint and supporting infrastructure including Microsoft's SQL Server and Data Protection Manager (DPM), Web application servers, and SharePoint add-ons such as Excel and InfoPath forms. The management services & monitoring services will not stretch to content management, web site maintenance.

The advantage is that this service monitors 2000 data points from SharePoint Server, Internet Information Server (IIS) and SQL Server.

Advantages:

Azaleos covers system architecting
deployment and configuration
Testing & installation of patches
Backup and prevention of data
Monitoring Services

Azaleos is offering its SharePoint Services as a virtualized architecture, but also can monitor physical deployments. The base configuration is designed for Windows Server 2008 on Hyper-V.

Azaleos SharePoint Services starts at $15 per user per month.

Source: networkworld.com

Windows Server OS for Small Businesses by Microsoft

As expected, Microsoft Wednesday introduced a version of its Windows Server OS for small businesses with 15 users or less, filling in what the company sees as a gap in its server offerings.

Windows Server 2008 Foundation initially will be available in 40 countries once its OEM release servers for the new OS, since it will be sold exclusively through them. Hewlett-Packard, Dell and IBM should have those servers out sometime in the second half of this year, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft recommends using the new OS edition for basic small-business IT needs such as running and maintaining a database, Web-site hosting, running line-of-business applications, file- and print-sharing and remote access, among other uses.

Microsoft already has an OS and software bundle called Windows Small Business Server (SBS) aimed at the small-business market. But that package bundles the Windows Server OS with Exchange Server, SQL Server and other business software, and may be more than some very small companies need to run their businesses.

One thing that will make Windows Server 2008 Foundation more affordable for small businesses is that the OS does not require them to purchase client access licenses, which other Microsoft business software -- including SBS -- does. Instead, the OS is licensed by user accounts; however, each license is limited to a maximum of 15 user accounts, and each one of those accounts can only have one distinct user at a time.

Source: pcworld

Windows Server 2008: Active Directory Domain Services Auditing Capabilities Explained

Active Directory Domain Services Auditing has remained fairly consistent since the first release of Active Directory in Windows 2000 Server. However, Microsoft has introduced new Active Directory Domain Services auditing capabilities in Windows Server 2008. Active Directory Domain Services auditing in Windows Server 2008 provide more granular auditing capabilities and more control.

This article takes a deeper look at the new Active Directory Domain Services auditing capabilities in Windows Server 2008.

New Default Auditing Settings in Group Policy

Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 enabled auditing for a number of policies by default. However, Windows Server 2008 does not define these global audit settings by default. These settings are instead defined by using the new auditing subcategories. This may seem as though auditing is not configured by default, however this is not the case. The configuration of the global audit settings is inherited by the subcategories below that global audit setting. Therefore, Microsoft chose to configure specific subcategories by default, which is covered in the next section.

New Auditing Subcategories

As previously mentioned, Windows Server 2008 introduces auditing subcategories. The following table shows the subcategories below each global audit setting, as well as the default configuration for each audit subcategory.

Global Audit Setting	Subcategory	Default Setting
Audit Account Logon Events	Kerberos Service Ticket Operations	Success
	Other Account Logon Events	No Auditing
	Kerberos Authentication Service	Success
	Credential Validation	Success
Audit Account Management	Computer Account Management	Success
	Security Group Management	Success
	Distribution Group Management	No Auditing
	Application Group Management	No Auditing
	Other Account Management Events	No Auditing
	User Account Management	Success
Audit Process Tracking	Process Termination	No Auditing
	DPAPI Activity	No Auditing
	RPC Events	No Auditing
	Process Creation	No Auditing
Audit Directory Service Access	Directory Service Changes	No Auditing
	Directory Service Replication	No Auditing
	Detailed Directory Service Replication	No Auditing
	Directory Service Access	Success
Audit Logon Events	Logoff	Success
	Account Lockout	Success
	IPsec Main Mode	No Auditing
	IPsec Quick Mode	No Auditing
	IPsec Extended Mode	No Auditing
	Special Logon	Success
	Other Logon/Logoff Events	No Auditing
	Logon	Success and Failure
Audit Object Access	File System	No Auditing
	Registry	No Auditing
	Kernel Object	No Auditing
	SAM	No Auditing
	Certification Services	No Auditing
	Application Generated	No Auditing
	Handle Manipulation	No Auditing
	File Share	No Auditing
	Filtering Platform Packet Drop	No Auditing
	Filtering Platform Connection	No Auditing
	Other Object Access Events	No Auditing
Audit Policy Change	Authentication Policy Change	Success
	Authorization Policy Change	No Auditing
	MPSSVC Rule-Level Policy Change	No Auditing
	Filtering Platform Policy Change	No Auditing
	Other Policy Change Events	No Auditing
	Audit Policy Change	Success
Audit Privilege Use	Non Sensitive Privilege Use	No Auditing
	Other Privilege Use Events	No Auditing
	Sensitive Privilege Use	No Auditing
Audit System Events	Security System Extension	No Auditing
	System Integrity	Success and Failure
	IPsec Driver	No Auditing
	Other System Events	Success and Failure
	Security State Change	Success

Source: http://www.enterpriseitplanet.com/networking/features/article.php/3797931

SBS 2008 to SBS 2008 Migration Fails When "Windows SBS User Policy" Edited

Windows Small Business Server 2008 creates a group policy called "Windows SBS User Policy", one of the tasks of this group policy is to add a few shortcuts (OWA, RWW, and WSS) to IE on SBS clients. If this list is modified AND you attempt a SBS 2008 to SBS 2008 migration the migration will irrecoverably fail. You will receive this following installation issue and be unable to complete the migration:

The installation of Windows Small Business Server 2008 cannot finish.

At this point, you must restore the original server from backup and completely start the migration process over. To avoid this issue please complete the following steps prior to a SBS 2008 to SBS 2008 migration:

Note: This only needs to be done if the policy has been edited. If you're not sure, there is no harm in doing these steps as a precaution.

1. Open gpmc.msc and edit the "Windows SBS User Policy".
2. Navigate to User Configuration -> Policies -> Windows Settings -> Internet Explorer Maintenance -> URLs.
3. View the properties of Favorites and Links.
4. Make a note of all the Favorites and Links (This has likely been customized from the default).
5. Remove all the Favorites and Links and save the policy.

Once you complete the migration, the favorites for OWA, RWW and Companyweb will be automatically recreated. You will then have to manually re-add your custom URLs.

SBSSetup.log Errors:

[908] 080925.155308.3044: Setup: Task ConfigureIE succeeded.
[908] 080925.155308.3200: TaskManagement: In TaskScheduler.RunTasks(): The "ConfigureIE" Task or the "NET" TaskProcessor threw an Exception during the ITaskProcessor.Run() call:System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.ClientSetup.IEUtility._normalFavoritesEX()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.ClientSetup.IEUtility..ctor()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.ClientSetup.IEUtility.DelIEFavorites(String keyName)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.IWorker.Tasks.ConfigureIE.Run(ITaskDataLink DataLink)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.TaskManagement.TaskProcessors.NetTaskProcessor.Run(Task currentTask, ITaskDataLink dataLink)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.TaskManagement.Data.Task.Run(ITaskDataLink dataLink, IDictionary`2 taskProcessorMap)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.TaskManagement.TaskScheduler.RunTasks(String taskListId, String stateFileName)

[908] 080925.155308.3200: Setup: An error was encountered on the TME thread: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.ClientSetup.IEUtility._normalFavoritesEX()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.ClientSetup.IEUtility..ctor()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.ClientSetup.IEUtility.DelIEFavorites(String keyName)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.IWorker.Tasks.ConfigureIE.Run(ITaskDataLink DataLink)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.TaskManagement.TaskProcessors.NetTaskProcessor.Run(Task currentTask, ITaskDataLink dataLink)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.TaskManagement.Data.Task.Run(ITaskDataLink dataLink, IDictionary`2 taskProcessorMap)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.TaskManagement.TaskScheduler.RunTasks(String taskListId, String stateFileName)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Setup.SBSSetup.ProgressPagePresenter._RunTasks(Object sender, DoWorkEventArgs e)
[2228] 080925.155308.5384: Setup: _UnhandledExceptionHandler: Setup encountered an error: System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. ---> System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException: The TME thread failed (see the inner exception). ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.ClientSetup.IEUtility._normalFavoritesEX()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.ClientSetup.IEUtility..ctor()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.ClientSetup.IEUtility.DelIEFavorites(String keyName)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.IWorker.Tasks.ConfigureIE.Run(ITaskDataLink DataLink)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.TaskManagement.TaskProcessors.NetTaskProcessor.Run(Task currentTask, ITaskDataLink dataLink)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.TaskManagement.Data.Task.Run(ITaskDataLink dataLink, IDictionary`2 taskProcessorMap)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.TaskManagement.TaskScheduler.RunTasks(String taskListId, String stateFileName)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Setup.SBSSetup.ProgressPagePresenter._RunTasks(Object sender, DoWorkEventArgs e)
at System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker.WorkerThreadStart(Object argument)
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Setup.SBSSetup.ProgressPagePresenter.TasksCompleted(Object sender, RunWorkerCompletedEventArgs e)
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at System.RuntimeMethodHandle._InvokeMethodFast(Object target, Object[] arguments, SignatureStruct& sig, MethodAttributes methodAttributes, RuntimeTypeHandle typeOwner)
at System.RuntimeMethodHandle.InvokeMethodFast(Object target, Object[] arguments, Signature sig, MethodAttributes methodAttributes, RuntimeTypeHandle typeOwner)
at System.Reflection.RuntimeMethodInfo.Invoke(Object obj, BindingFlags invokeAttr, Binder binder, Object[] parameters, CultureInfo culture, Boolean skipVisibilityChecks)
at System.Delegate.DynamicInvokeImpl(Object[] args)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbackDo(ThreadMethodEntry tme)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbackHelper(Object obj)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.runTryCode(Object userData)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.ExecuteCodeWithGuaranteedCleanup(TryCode code, CleanupCode backoutCode, Object userData)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallback(ThreadMethodEntry tme)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbacks()
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.DebuggableCallback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)
at System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessageW(MSG& msg)
at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ComponentManager.System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.IMsoComponentManager.FPushMessageLoop(Int32 dwComponentID, Int32 reason, Int32 pvLoopData)
at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ThreadContext.RunMessageLoopInner(Int32 reason, ApplicationContext context)
at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ThreadContext.RunMessageLoop(Int32 reason, ApplicationContext context)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Common.Wizards.Framework.WizardFrameView.Create()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Common.Wizards.Framework.WizardChainEngine.Launch()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Setup.SBSSetup.MainClass._LaunchWizard()
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Setup.SBSSetup.MainClass.RealMain(String[] args)
at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.Setup.SBSSetup.MainClass.Main(String[] args)
[2228] 080925.155308.5696: Setup: Removed the password.
[2228] 080925.155308.5696: Setup: Deleting scheduled task at path Microsoft\Windows\Windows Small Business Server 2008 with name Setup
[2228] 080925.155308.5852: Setup: Removed SBSSetup from the RunOnce.

Source & inspiration: http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/archive/2008/12/16/sbs-2008-to-sbs-2008-migration-fails-when-windows-sbs-user-policy-edited.aspx

10 Important Reasons to Use Windows Small Business Server 2008

Windows Small Business Server 2008 is an integrated server solution that helps you protect your business data, increase productivity, and present a more professional image to customers. Windows Small Business Server 2008 delivers enterprise-class technologies for data backup and restore,e-mail, remote access, file and printer sharing, internal Web sites, and support for mobile devices--in one fully integrated solution.

1. Get a comprehensive, all-in-one solution.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 takes the guesswork out of selecting software for your network. It brings together the Microsoft product technologies that businesses need most into a single solution. These technologies are integrated into one product, making it easy for PSS Enterprises to install and manage.

2. Stay connected to your customers, vendors, and suppliers.

With access to contacts, appointments, and files from any Internet-connected PC or mobile device, you can be responsive to customers, vendors, and suppliers even when you're not in the office.

* Access the facts you need, in real time.
* Respond to customer inquiries more quickly and accurately.
* Stay connected while on the road with remote access capabilities from a Windows Mobile phone.

3. Protect your business and prevent data loss.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 helps protect your vital business information from loss by backing up the data on your network, and enabling you to recover accidentally deleted files. SBS 2008 also enables you to recover data on your network in the event of disaster. With easy-to-use interfaces, you or your IT consultant gain better control of your data, PCs, and network.

4. Access business information and resources

From virtually anywhere at any time. Be productive whether you're out of the office, at home, or on the road. Windows Small Business Server 2008 gives you secure access to business contacts, calendars, e-mail, files, your desktop, and even shared resources from any Internet connected PC, from virtually anywhere at any time.

5. Increase your business capacity.

Streamline business processes and improve day-to-day efficiency with Windows Small Business Server 2008. It helps automate daily processes by providing a central repository for storing and sharing information more easily--and helps simplify communications with familiar Microsoft technologies.

6. Stay safe with anti-spam and antivirus protection.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 offers anti-spam and antivirus technologies to help protect your business information and your intellectual property from malicious attacks, viruses, and spam.

7. Keep your network healthy and up-to-date.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 provides you with the latest updates to minimize downtime and help ensure network health by keeping your PCs and servers current. Easy-to-read "green check" reports give you a quick view of Microsoft software updates, PC and server status, antivirus status, and backup progress.

8. Take advantage of powerful technologies designed and priced for small business.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 includes multiple technologies optimized specifically for small businesses at an affordable price. It enables you to share resources and equipment, such as Internet access, printers, and fax machines, so you get the most value from your technology investment.

9. Get the flexibility and scalability you need.

As your business needs change, Windows Small Business Server 2008 enables you to grow. You can easily add users, servers, and applications. It supports your critical line of business applications and is designed to integrate with your existing Microsoft technology.Here you can easily use the windows server 2008 if found any problem then you can use online server support services. In market there are lots of good name who provide online server support services like Microsoft, geek squad, iYogi etc..

10. Create a bigger presence in the market.

Differentiate your business and present a more professional image to prospects and customers. Windows Small Business Server 2008 offers e-mail marketing capabilities, business Web sites, and tools for creating your own Web site.

Source & Inspiration: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1273789

Microsoft Rolls Out New Small Business Server Options

Microsoft has announced new server software that it said provides small and medium businesses with enterprise-quality capabilities while helping them to save money, increase productivity and grow their businesses.

While designed specifically for small and midsized companies, Windows Small Business Server 2008 (SBS 2008) and Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (EBS 2008) include Microsoft's high-end server technologies delivered in a way that smaller companies can make the most of them.

“Around the world, small and midsize businesses are the engine that drives economic growth and opportunity,” Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, said in a company statement. “To help these businesses succeed, Microsoft has focused on creating integrated, affordable server solutions that are optimized to meet the needs of companies with limited IT resources. Small Business Server and Essential Business Server deliver a comprehensive set of capabilities that will help small and midsize business thrive and grow.”

Designed for small companies with up to 75 people/computers, SBS 2008 server software integrates a variety of Windows functions to help small businesses better secure data and increase employee productivity regardless of location.

Based on Windows Server 2008 Standard technology, SBS 2008 incorporates:-

• Exchange Server 2007 Standard Edition for messaging and collaboration
• SharePoint Services 3.0 for online collaboration workspace and productivity tools
• Forefront Security for Exchange Server to handle e-mail security
• Windows Server Update Services 3.0 for network updates and protection
• Windows Live OneCare for Server to manage viruses, hackers and other digital threats
• Microsoft Office Live Small Business to help take your business online
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard for Small Business, a database available in the Premium edition

The server software offers a range of features including anytime/anywhere access to your PC and its data, including e-mail, files, business applications, and more. It's also designed to let your employees share Internet access, printers, fax machines and other network resources. Click here for SBS 2008 pricing information.

Microsoft designed EBS 2008 for midsized companies with up to 300 people or computers. It's meant to simplify and automate common IT tasks, and a unified administration console gives IT managers more control over an integrated network infrastructure.

Windows Essential Business Server 2008 also incorporates the applications found in SBS 2008, and Microsoft said it provides the following features:

• Significant costs savings compared to buying stand-alone products.
• Remote access, anti-spam, antivirus protection and improved messaging technologies improve productivity both in and away from the office
• An integrated setup saves time and reduces installation steps from days to hours Simplified licensing with a single server license and Client Access for all included products.

Steven VanRoekel, senior director of the Windows Server product group, noted that both server products help small and mid-sized companies compete in tough economic times.

"Small companies have the same needs and face the same challenges as big business, but they lack the staff, resources and time to manage IT environments," VanRoekel said. "The new EBS 2008 and SBS 2008 products are an integrated, affordable, enterprise-quality solution that can help small and midsized companies become more productive, cut costs and be more competitive." Click here for EBS 2008 pricing information

Via: itmanagement.earthweb.com/entdev/article.php/3785346/Microsoft+Rolls+Out+New+Small+Business+Server+Options.htm

Options for passing a driver into the Windows Server 2008 install program

Windows Server 2008 makes this process a little more flexible. Here are various ways that a driver can be passed into the setup program.

• IDE floppy disk: I'm going old school here, but the Windows Server 2008 setup can read from the floppy drive during the installation process.

• USB floppy drive: The Windows setup can read from a USB drive, or the computer's BIOS will enumerate the floppy drive as an A:\ drive. It's somewhat of a cover song of the old school approach.

• USB flash drive: The Windows Server 2008 install will recognise USB storage devices, and you can have the driver located on the removable media.

• Map a network drive: This is a little more advanced, but if you boot the server from a Vista PE bootable environment, map a network drive, and then run the setup.exe program interactively from a network location that you copied from the Windows Server 2008 DVD, you can browse to another network resource for a driver for the mass storage controller. This is especially beneficial if the Vista PE boot environment can be booted from a CD instead of a DVD, which is helpful for servers without a DVD drive. (

• Place the driver on an existing file system: If you can boot the server currently, make a drive partition of NTFS or FAT, you can put the driver on that drive and ensure it is available to the Windows Server 2008 install. Don't make it available on the C:\ drive, but some location at the end of the drive. If you need to resize your drives after installation, no worries -- Windows Server 2008 makes that quite easy as well with new sizing tools .

• Additional optical drives: If your server has a DVD and a CD drive, you can make a simple disk that has the driver files contained there and browse to that location during the Windows Server 2008 install.
  

The list goes on, but this will cover most of the common scenarios for interactive Windows Server 2008 installations.

Source:builderau.com.au/

Four Windows Server 2008 Storage Improvements

With the release of Windows Server 2008, Microsoft is making a number of improvements to the server's underlying storage mechanisms.

Here are four of these improvements and what they mean for the typical IT organisation.

SMB 2.0

First shipped with Windows Vista, SMB 2.0, alternatively known as the Common Internet File System (CIFS), is also included in Windows Server 2008 and sports a number of improvements over its predecessor.

To work with older systems, Windows Server 2008 supports both SMB 1.0 and SMB 2.0 and automatically uses the version most appropriate for communication. SMB 2.0 is used only between Windows Server 2008 systems and with Windows Vista systems. SMB communication with all other operating systems uses SMB 1.0.

BitLocker Drive Encryption

Included in Windows Server 2008 is Microsoft's BitLocker Drive Encryption software. BitLocker is also included in Windows Vista Enterprise and Ultimate editions but, for Windows Server 2008, Microsoft has made improvements to the technology (which are likely to be extended to Vista when Service Pack 1 is released).

Under Vista, BitLocker can be used to encrypt the contents of the operating system volume. If you have multiple volumes of data on your desktop computer, however, BitLocker — at present — cannot be used to protect anything except the operating system volume. In Windows Server 2008, this limitation has been removed and all server volumes can be protected via BitLocker.

Full-disk encryption is usually considered primarily for mobile computers that can be easily stolen, but this technology should also be considered for use in branch offices or areas in which physical security cannot be guaranteed.

Self-healing NTFS

It's a bad day when you have to reboot a file server just to run chkdsk.exe to correct a minor corruption in NTFS. You have to schedule downtime for a server, maybe come in after hours or, in a worst-case scenario, interrupt your users while you perform this task during the day. But no more: with Windows Server 2008 comes an online NTFS corruption repair tool. While it is not a silver bullet for volume repair, it does correct many problems without having to reboot the server to run chkdsk.exe. Self-healing NTFS is enabled by default in Windows Server 2008 installations.

Symbolic links

Earlier, I mentioned that SMB 2.0 supports symbolic links. The fact that SMB 2.0 has this feature is great but it would be utterly useless without the same feature being included in the operating system. As such, symbolic links have been added to Windows Server 2008 — a feature that is long overdue. A symbolic link is simply an object in the file system that points to another object in the file system. A symbolic link appears as a normal file or directory object and can be used by an application as if it were the actual object.

Unix and Linux users have been able to use symbolic links for a very, very long time, and this feature can make it much easier to administer a system and share data.

Source:resources.zdnet.co.uk/articles/0,1000001991,39292799,00.htm

Windows Server 2008 Installation

The installation of Windows Server 2008 has been simplified and it mirrors the Windows Vista installation in ease of use: several screens, about an hour and I was booting into Windows Server 2008. You can view my gallery of the Windows Server 2008 installation if you are curious as well.

Once the installation of Windows Server 2008 is complete, you’ll notice an Initial Configuration Tasks window. In Windows 2003 Server, you had a similar screen that allowed you to download updates, specify an administrator password, and allow inbound traffic to your server.

In Windows Server 2008, this is taken much further. On this window, you can specify an Administrator password, time zone settings, networking, download updates, configuration of your firewall, and server role customization.

In Windows Server 2008, a role is defined as what primary purpose the server is being created for. For example, if you turn on the Domain controller role, this server will be a Domain Controller. You can have multiple roles as well. You could turn on the Domain Controller role as well as the DHCP serve role. It all depends on the requirements of your infrastructure.

Windows Server 2008 offers you a vast amount of roles but you have the flexibility to choose only the roles that apply to your organization. Examples of roles include: Active Directory (AD) Certificate Services, AD Domain Services, Application Server, DHCP server, DNS Server, Fax Server, Web Server, Terminal Server, and a host of others.

By choosing only the applicable roles, you have a slim, streamlined Windows server running which increases security and decreases risk.

Source:techrepublic.com.com/datacenter/?p=122&tag=btxcsim

Windows Small Business Server Support Services

Although the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference held here July 7-10 was the company’s opportunity to introduce the technologies to its partners, Microsoft will officially launch SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 Nov. 12, said Steven VanRoekel, senior director of Windows Server Solutions at Microsoft.

“We’re showcasing the Windows Server Solutions family” here, VanRoekel told eWEEK in a July 9 meeting at the conference. “SBS 2008 and Essential Business Server are tailored for midsized companies and we anticipate we’ll see a lot of companies deploying it, and it will be growing into more opportunity for us to sell into more situations where in the past we only had SBS."

SBS 2008, previously known by the code name Cougar, is ideal for organizations with up to 50 PCs, helping them protect business data, expand business productivity and present a professional image to customers, he said.

EBS 2008 is designed for midsize organizations with up to 250 desktops, Microsoft officials said.

Windows business server combines the technologies of Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, Forefront Security for Exchange Server, System Center Essentials 2007, the next version of Internet Security and Acceleration Server and, in the Premium Edition, SQL Server 2008 technology, Microsoft officials said.

Windows Essential Business Server enables organizations to scale up, VanRoekel said.

“The theme is about making complex consumer technology more consumable,” he said. “We go from Windows Home Server, which is five questions during install, to SBS, which is a little more sophisticated, to Essential Business Server, which is 600 pages of documentation."

“We’ve been using Small Business Server 2008 in production since December,” said John Endter, president of Microsoft partner E Squared C. “I recently did three Windows Small Business Server 2003 installs and [am] working with ’08 now; it’s no fun to go back and install 2003. Luckily, the owner of these systems plans to upgrade to ’08 when it ships.”

Endter said the “Essential Business Server takes the Small Business Server concept up one level. Some of our customers have asked for the functionality of Small Business Server, and EBS offers that to the midmarket.”

He also said the licensing terms of Small Business Server 2008 make it flexible for small businesses to use and grow their solutions.

“We have some customers who six months into the deal want to expand, and we offer the ability to grow and scale,” Endter said.

“We made it easy to move and made the price more attractive," VanRoekel said.

Meanwhile, Endter said among the things in Essential Business Server 2008 that his customers had been asking for is the remote Web workplaces capability. “Before this they had to build that on their own,” he said.

Another highly desired feature that is now part of EBS 2008 is “centralized management,” he said. In addition, “Small Business Server has been good for us, and seeing that the midmarket is a great opportunity for us, we expect to do well with the Essential Business Server."

Meanwhile, Microsoft will be releasing SDKs (software development kits) for both SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 within the next few weeks, the company said. Both products have been under evaluation as pre-release versions.
Source: www.eweek.com