Windows Server 2012 R2 Inside Out: Configuration, Storage, & Essentials

Book description

This supremely organized reference packs hundreds of timesaving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds for Windows Server 2012 R2 configuration, storage, and essential administrative tasks.

Table of contents

  1. Windows Server® 2012 R2 Inside Out: Configuration, Storage, & Essentials
  2. Dedication
  3. Introduction
    1. Who is this book for?
    2. Conventions used in this book
    3. How to reach the author
    4. Errata & book support
    5. We want to hear from you
    6. Stay in touch
  4. 1. Introducing Windows Server 2012 R2
    1. Getting to know Windows Server 2012 R2
    2. Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2
    3. Planning for Windows Server 2012 R2
      1. Your plan: The big picture
      2. Identifying your organizational teams
      3. Assessing project goals
        1. The business perspective
        2. Identifying IT goals
        3. Examining the interaction between IT and business units
        4. Predicting network change
      4. Analyzing the existing network
        1. Evaluating the network infrastructure
        2. Assessing systems
        3. Identify network services and applications
        4. Identifying security infrastructure
        5. Reviewing network administration
      5. Defining objectives and scope
        1. Specifying organizational objectives
        2. Setting the schedule
        3. Shaping the budget
        4. Allowing for contingencies
        5. Finalizing project scope
      6. Defining the new network environment
        1. Impact on network operations
        2. Identify security requirements
        3. Changing the administrative approach
        4. Select and implement standards
        5. Change management
      7. Final considerations for planning and deployment
    4. Thinking about server roles and Active Directory
      1. Planning for server usage
      2. Designing the Active Directory namespace
      3. Managing domain trusts
      4. Identifying the domain and forest functional level
      5. Defining Active Directory server roles
    5. Planning for availability, scalability, and manageability
      1. Planning for software needs
      2. Planning for hardware needs
        1. Planning for support structures and facilities
        2. Planning for day-to-day operations
        3. Planning for deploying highly available servers
  5. 2. Deploying Windows Server 2012 R2
    1. Getting a quick start
    2. Product licensing
    3. Preparing for a Windows Server 2012 R2 installation
      1. Understanding installation options
      2. Determining which installation type to use
      3. Using Windows Update
      4. Preinstallation tasks
    4. Installing Windows Server 2012 R2
      1. Installation on BIOS-based systems
      2. Installation on EFI-based systems
      3. Planning partitions
      4. Naming computers
      5. Network and domain membership options
        1. Protocols
        2. Domain membership
        3. Networking components
      6. Performing a clean installation
      7. Performing an upgrade installation
      8. Activation sequence
        1. Activate Windows over the Internet
        2. Activate Windows by telephone
        3. Using Managed Activation
    5. Performing additional administration tasks during installations
      1. Accessing a command prompt during installation
      2. Forcing disk-partition removal during installation
      3. Loading mass storage drivers during installation
      4. Creating, deleting, and extending disk partitions during installation
    6. Troubleshooting installation
      1. Start with the potential points of failure
        1. Setup refuses to install or start
        2. Setup reports a media or DVD-ROM error
        3. Setup reports insufficient system resources
      2. Continue past lockups and freezes
    7. Postinstallation tasks
  6. 3. Boot configuration
    1. Boot from hardware and firmware
      1. Hardware and firmware power states
      2. Diagnosing hardware and firmware startup problems
      3. Resolving hardware and firmware startup problems
    2. Boot environment essentials
    3. Managing startup and boot configuration
      1. Managing startup and recovery options
      2. Managing System Boot Configuration
      3. Working with BCD Editor
    4. Managing the boot configuration data store and its entries
      1. Viewing BCD entries
      2. Creating and identifying the BCD store
      3. Importing and exporting the BCD store
      4. Creating, copying, and deleting BCD entries
      5. Setting BCD entry values
      6. Changing Data Execution Prevention and physical address extension options
      7. Changing the operating system display order
      8. Changing the default operating system entry
      9. Changing the default timeout
      10. Changing the boot sequence temporarily
  7. 4. Managing Windows Server 2012 R2
    1. Working with the administration tools
      1. Using Control Panel utilities
      2. Using graphical administrative tools
      3. Using command-line utilities
        1. Utilities to know
        2. Using Net tools
        3. Using Windows PowerShell
    2. Working with Server Manager
      1. Getting to know Server Manager
      2. Adding servers for management
      3. Creating server groups
      4. Enabling remote management
    3. Working with Computer Management
      1. Computer Management system tools
      2. Computer Management storage tools
      3. Computer Management Services And Applications tools
  8. 5. Windows Server 2012 R2 MMC administration
    1. Using the MMC
      1. MMC snap-ins
      2. MMC modes
      3. MMC window and startup
      4. MMC tool availability
      5. MMC and remote computers
    2. Building custom MMCs
      1. Step 1: Creating the console
      2. Step 2: Adding snap-ins to the console
      3. Step 3: Saving the finished console
        1. Setting the initial console view before saving
        2. Setting the console mode before saving
        3. Setting the console icon before saving
        4. Saving the console tool
    3. Designing custom taskpads for the MMC
      1. Getting started with taskpads
      2. Understanding taskpad view styles
      3. Creating and managing taskpads
      4. Creating and managing tasks
        1. Creating menu command tasks
        2. Creating shell command tasks
        3. Creating navigation tasks
        4. Arranging, editing, and removing tasks
    4. Publishing and distributing your custom tools
  9. 6. Configuring roles, role services, and features
    1. Using roles, role services, and features
    2. Making supplemental components available
    3. Installing components with Server Manager
      1. Viewing configured roles and role services
      2. Managing server roles and features
        1. Adding server roles and features
        2. Removing server roles and features
      3. Managing server binaries
    4. Installing components at the prompt
      1. Going to the prompt for Server Management
      2. Understanding component names
    5. Tracking installed roles, role services, and features
      1. Installing components at the prompt
      2. Removing components at the prompt
  10. 7. Managing and troubleshooting hardware
    1. Understanding hardware installation changes
      1. Choosing internal devices
      2. Choosing external devices
    2. Installing devices
      1. Understanding device installation
      2. Installing new devices
      3. Viewing device and driver details
    3. Working with device drivers
      1. Device driver essentials
      2. Understanding and troubleshooting driver signing
      3. Viewing driver information
      4. Viewing Advanced, Resources, and other settings
      5. Installing and updating device drivers
      6. Restricting device installation by using Group Policy
      7. Rolling back drivers
      8. Removing device drivers for removed devices
      9. Uninstalling, reinstalling, and disabling device drivers
    4. Managing hardware
      1. Adding non–Plug and Play, older hardware
      2. Enabling and disabling hardware
      3. Troubleshooting hardware
      4. Resolving resource conflicts
  11. 8. Managing the registry
    1. Introducing the registry
    2. Understanding the registry structure
    3. Registry root keys
      1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
        1. HKLM\BCD00000000
        2. HKLM\HARDWARE
        3. HKLM\SAM
        4. HKLM\SECURITY
        5. HKLM\SOFTWARE
        6. HKLM\SYSTEM
      2. HKEY_USERS
      3. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
      4. HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
      5. HKEY_CURRENT_USER
    4. Registry data: How it is stored and used
      1. Where registry data comes from
      2. Types of registry data available
    5. Registry administration
      1. Searching the registry
      2. Modifying the registry
        1. Modifying values
        2. Adding keys and values
        3. Removing keys and values
      3. Modifying the registry of a remote machine
      4. Importing and exporting registry data
      5. Loading and unloading hive files
      6. Working with the registry from the command line
    6. Backing up and restoring the registry
    7. Maintaining the registry
      1. Using the Microsoft Fix It Utility
      2. Removing registry settings for active installations that have failed
      3. Removing partial or damaged settings for individual applications
    8. Securing the registry
      1. Preventing access to the registry utilities
      2. Applying permissions to registry keys
      3. Controlling remote registry access
      4. Auditing registry access
  12. 9. Software and User Account Control administration
    1. Software installation essentials
    2. Mastering User Account Control
      1. Elevation, prompts, and the secure desktop
      2. Configuring UAC and Admin Approval Mode
    3. Maintaining application integrity
      1. Application access tokens
      2. Application run levels
      3. Configuring run levels
      4. Controlling application installation and run behavior
  13. 10. Performance monitoring and tuning
    1. Tuning performance, memory usage, and data throughput
      1. Tuning Windows operating system performance
      2. Tuning processor scheduling
      3. Tuning virtual memory
      4. Other important tuning, memory, and data considerations
    2. Tracking a system’s general health
      1. Monitoring essentials
      2. Getting processor and memory usage for troubleshooting
      3. Getting information on running applications
      4. Monitoring and troubleshooting processes
      5. Monitoring and troubleshooting services
      6. Getting network usage information
      7. Getting information on user and remote user sessions
    3. Tracking events and troubleshooting by using Event Viewer
      1. Understanding the event logs
      2. Accessing the event logs and viewing events
      3. Viewing event logs on remote systems
      4. Sorting, finding, and filtering events
        1. Sorting the event logs
        2. Searching the event logs
        3. Filtering the event logs
      5. Archiving event logs
      6. Tracking events using Windows PowerShell
      7. Using subscriptions and forwarded events
  14. 11. Comprehensive performance analysis and logging
    1. Establishing performance baselines
      1. Tracking per-process resource usage
        1. Getting an overview of resource utilization
        2. Tracking per-process CPU utilization
        3. Tracking per-process memory utilization
        4. Tracking per-process disk utilization
        5. Tracking per-process network utilization
      2. Tracking the overall reliability of the server
    2. Comprehensive performance monitoring
      1. Using Performance Monitor
      2. Selecting performance objects and counters to monitor
      3. Choosing views and controlling the display
      4. Monitoring performance remotely
    3. Resolving performance bottlenecks
      1. Resolving memory bottlenecks
      2. Resolving processor bottlenecks
      3. Resolving disk I/O bottlenecks
      4. Resolving network bottlenecks
    4. Performance logging
      1. Creating and managing data collector sets
        1. Using data collector templates
        2. Collecting performance counter data
        3. Collecting performance trace data
        4. Collecting configuration data
      2. Viewing data collector reports
      3. Configuring performance counter alerts
      4. Monitoring performance from the command line
      5. Analyzing trace logs at the command line
  15. 12. Storage management essentials
    1. Essential storage technologies
      1. Using internal and external storage devices
      2. Storage-management features and tools
      3. Storage-management role services
      4. Booting from SANs and using SANs with clusters
      5. Working with SMB 3.0
    2. Installing and configuring file services
      1. Configuring the File And Storage Services role
      2. Configuring multipath I/O
        1. Adding and removing multipath hardware devices
        2. Managing and maintaining MPIO
      3. Meeting performance, capacity, and availability requirements
      4. Configuring Hyper-V
        1. Understanding Hyper-V
        2. Installing Hyper-V
        3. Creating virtual machines
  16. 13. Configuring disks and storage
    1. Configuring storage
      1. Using the Disk Management tools
      2. Adding new disks
      3. Using the MBR and GPT partition styles
        1. Working with MBR disks
        2. Working with GPT disks
        3. Understanding legacy and protective MBRs
        4. Using and converting MBR and GPT disks
      4. Using the disk storage types
        1. Working with basic and dynamic disks
        2. Using and converting basic and dynamic disks
      5. Creating and managing virtual hard disks for Hyper-V
      6. Converting FAT or FAT32 to NTFS
      7. Working with removable disks
    2. Managing MBR disk partitions on basic disks
      1. Creating partitions and simple volumes
      2. Formatting a partition, logical drive, or volume
      3. Configuring drive letters
      4. Configuring mount points
      5. Extending partitions
      6. Shrinking partitions
      7. Deleting a partition, logical drive, or volume
    3. Managing GPT disk partitions on basic disks
      1. ESP
      2. MSR partitions
      3. Primary partitions
      4. LDM Metadata and LDM Data partitions
      5. OEM or unknown partitions
    4. Managing volumes on dynamic disks
      1. Creating a simple or spanned volume
      2. Configuring RAID 0: Striping
      3. Recovering a failed simple, spanned, or striped disk
      4. Moving dynamic disks
      5. Configuring RAID 1: Disk mirroring
        1. Creating a mirrored set by using two new disks
        2. Adding a mirror to an existing volume
      6. Mirroring boot and system volumes
        1. Mirroring boot and system volumes on MBR disks
        2. Mirroring boot and system volumes on GPT disks
      7. Configuring RAID 5: Disk striping with parity
      8. Breaking or removing a mirrored set
      9. Resolving problems with mirrored sets
      10. Repairing a mirrored system volume
        1. Rebuilding mirrored system volumes on MBR disks
        2. Rebuilding mirrored system volumes on GPT disks
      11. Resolving problems with RAID-5 sets
  17. 14. TPM and BitLocker Drive Encryption
    1. Working with trusted platforms
    2. Managing TPM
      1. Understanding TPM states and tools
      2. Managing TPM owner authorization information
      3. Preparing and initializing a TPM for first use
      4. Turning an initialized TPM on or off
      5. Clearing the TPM
      6. Changing the TPM owner password
    3. Introducing BitLocker Drive Encryption
      1. BitLocker essentials
      2. BitLocker modes
      3. BitLocker changes
    4. Using hardware encryption, secure boot, and Network Unlock
      1. Hardware-encrypted drives
      2. Optimizing encryption
      3. Setting permitted encryption types
      4. Preparing BitLocker for startup authentication and secure boot
      5. Using Network Unlock
      6. Provisioning BitLocker prior to deployment
    5. Deploying BitLocker Drive Encryption
    6. Setting up and managing BitLocker Drive Encryption
      1. Configuring and enabling BitLocker Drive Encryption
      2. Determining whether a computer has BitLocker-encrypted volumes
      3. Enabling BitLocker on fixed data drives
      4. Enabling BitLocker on removable data drives
      5. Enabling BitLocker on operating-system volumes
      6. Managing and troubleshooting BitLocker
        1. Recovering data protected by BitLocker Drive Encryption
        2. Disabling or turning off BitLocker Drive Encryption
  18. 15. File system essentials
    1. Understanding the disk and file-system structure
    2. Using FAT
      1. File allocation table structure
      2. FAT features
    3. Using NTFS
      1. NTFS structure
      2. NTFS features
      3. Analyzing the NTFS structure
    4. Advanced NTFS features
      1. Hard links
      2. Data streams
      3. Change journals
      4. Object identifiers
      5. Reparse points
      6. Sparse files
      7. Transactional NTFS
    5. Using ReFS
      1. ReFS features
      2. ReFS structures
      3. ReFS advantages
      4. ReFS integrity streams, data scrubbing, and salvage
    6. Using file-based compression
      1. NTFS compression
      2. Compressed (zipped) folders
  19. 16. Maintaining and optimizing storage
    1. Managing NTFS disk quotas
      1. How quota management works
      2. Configuring disk quotas
      3. Customizing quota entries for individual users
      4. Managing disk quotas after configuration
      5. Exporting and importing quota entries
    2. Automated disk maintenance
      1. Preventing disk-integrity problems
      2. Running Check Disk interactively
      3. Analyzing FAT volumes by using ChkDsk
      4. Analyzing NTFS volumes by using ChkDsk
      5. Repairing volumes and marking bad sectors by using ChkDsk
    3. Automated optimization of disks
      1. Preventing fragmentation of disks
      2. Fixing fragmentation by using Optimize Drives
      3. Understanding the fragmentation analysis
  20. 17. Managing storage spaces
    1. Understanding storage spaces
    2. Using and configuring offloaded transfers
      1. Understanding how offloaded transfers work
      2. Verifying support for offloaded transfers
    3. Working with available storage
      1. Storage Management Essentials
      2. Creating storage pools and allocating space
      3. Creating storage spaces
      4. Creating a virtual disk in a storage space
      5. Creating a standard volume
      6. Diagnosing and resolving problems with storage spaces
    4. Configuring data deduplication
      1. Understanding data deduplication
      2. Selecting data for deduplication
      3. Interoperability with data deduplication
      4. Deduplicating volumes
      5. Monitoring deduplication
  21. 18. Managing file sharing
    1. File-sharing essentials
      1. Understanding file-sharing models
      2. Enabling file sharing
      3. Using and finding shares
      4. Navigating SMB versions
      5. Hiding and controlling share access
      6. Special and administrative shares
        1. C$, D$, E$, and other drive shares
        2. ADMIN$
        3. FAX$
        4. IPC$
        5. NETLOGON
        6. PRINT$
        7. SYSVOL
      7. Accessing shares for administration
    2. Creating and publishing shared folders
      1. Creating shares by using File Explorer
      2. Creating shares by using Computer Management
      3. Creating shared folders in Server Manager
      4. Changing shared folder settings
      5. Publishing shares in Active Directory
    3. Managing share permissions
      1. Understanding share permissions
      2. Configuring share permissions
    4. Configuring synced sharing
      1. Understanding Work Folders and sync shares
      2. Deploying sync shares through Group Policy
      3. Creating sync shares and enabling SMB access
      4. Accessing Work Folders on clients
  22. 19. File security, access controls, and auditing
    1. Managing access permissions
      1. File and folder ownership
      2. Permission inheritance for files and folders
        1. Changing shaded permissions and stopping inheritance
        2. Resetting and replacing permissions
      3. Configuring access permissions
        1. Basic permissions
        2. Special permissions
      4. Troubleshooting permissions
    2. Managing file shares after configuration
    3. Managing claims-based access controls
      1. Understanding central access policies
      2. Enabling dynamic controls and claims-based policy
      3. Defining central access policies
    4. Auditing file and folder access
      1. Enabling basic auditing for files and folders
      2. Enabling advanced auditing
      3. Specifying files and folders to audit
      4. Extending access policies to auditing
      5. Monitoring the security logs
  23. 20. Managing file screening and storage reporting
    1. Understanding file screening and storage reporting
    2. Managing file screening and storage reporting
      1. Managing global file-resource settings
        1. Configuring email notifications
        2. Configuring notification limits
        3. Reviewing reports and configuring storage-report parameters
        4. Configuring report locations
        5. Configuring file-screen auditing
        6. Configuring classification
        7. Enabling access-denied assistance
      2. Managing the file groups to which screens are applied
      3. Managing file-screen templates
      4. Creating file screens
      5. Defining file-screening exceptions
      6. Scheduling and generating storage reports
  24. A. About the author
  25. Index
  26. About the Author
  27. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Windows Server 2012 R2 Inside Out: Configuration, Storage, & Essentials
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: February 2014
  • Publisher(s): Microsoft Press
  • ISBN: 9780735682672