TechNet Magazine November 2007

TechNet Magazine

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Troubleshoot Slow Start Ups with Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics

Find out how you can use Windows Boot Performance Diagnostics to identify the source of startup performance problems and automatically fix issues. ...

Here is an overview of the new features you can use in the User State Migration Toolkit (USMT) to simplify migration to Windows 7. ...

Understand when SQL Server uses parallel processing and learn how to configure parallel processing for your database. ...

Before you can back up a Server Core computer, you must install the Windows Server Backup feature. This can be done in two ways, both of which we detail here. ...

No other factor matters more to the way a user perceives your server’s performance than the network that connects your server to the user’s computer. The delay, or latency, between when a request is made and the time it’s received can make all the difference. To determine the throughput and current activity on a server’s network cards, you can check these counters. ...

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Popular Articles

Security Watch: Subjects and Security Principals

Security principals underlie so much of Windows security that it is essential for any administrator to have at least a basic understanding of how the various types of Security principals work and how they are used. Here's what you need to know.

Jesper M. Johansson

TechNet Magazine January 2009

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Hey, Scripting Guy!: Learning to Excel

Discover how to use the Excel.Application automation model for a more powerful way to process data from your servers and take advantage of the analysis and charting tools built into Excel.

The Microsoft Scripting Guys

TechNet Magazine January 2009

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Without too much effort, you can deploy a terminal server to host the applications you need in your environment. But there are some important decisions you’ll need to make to ensure your implementation meets user expectations. Greg Shields discusses the various options you have and explains how they will affect you.

Greg Shields

TechNet Magazine January 2009

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Take a close look at SharePoint Security Accounts to see how a weak configuration can give an attacker full control over all site collections and sites.

Pav Cherny

TechNet Magazine January 2009

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Virtualization brings significant changes to disaster recovery. Here’s an introduction to how the Microsoft virtualization platform factors into your disaster recovery plan, as well as a deeper look into backup and restore options and considerations for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V.

Adam Fazio

TechNet Magazine October 2008

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Our Blog

Geek of all Trades: Control Network Access Using DHCP Enforcement

NAP monitors the health of specified computers when they attempt to connect to a network and includes a number of mechanisms to enforce health requirements. In this article, Geek of All Trades Greg Shields gives readers an overview of these enforcement mechanisms and, as an example, takes a closer look at setting ...

Use Windows PowerShell to Manage Virtual Machines Here are a few examples of how you can use Windows PowerShell scripts to manage virtual machines running on a Server Core installation. Note that these scripts are presented as samples and may need to be customized to work in your environment.

Create a New ...

Disabling an Unused Part of Group Policy Objects One way to disable a policy is to disable an unused part of the GPO. By disabling part of a policy that isn’t used, the application of GPOs and security will be faster.

Administer Windows Server 2008 Server Core from the Command Prompt ...

In the August 2008 issue of TechNet Magazine, Paul Randal wrote an article Top Tips for Effective Database Maintenance. It was geared toward "involuntary DBAs" (IT pros who inadvertently wind up responsible for a SQL Server instance). The article had a great response from our readers so Paul has written another ...

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Forefront Security

Microsoft Forefront is designed to deliver an integrated security solution that makes it much easier to deploy and manage security across an organization’s IT infrastructure. In this, our annual security issue, we feature two articles that describe how Forefront Security protects instant messaging and e-mail.

Protect ...

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November 2007

Windows Administration: Changes to Offline Files in Windows Vista

It's a common problem—how do you let users work with files stored on the network, when they have unreliable or no connectivity, and still avoid versioning issues? Such continuity is essential to providing a seamless experience. Discover how improvements in Windows Vista provide a better approach to working with offline files. Jeremy Moskowitz

Desktop Deployment: Simple, Scalable Deployment with BDD 2007

Don't have SMS 2003? Don't worry, there's another solution for creating simple desktop deployments. Here's an in-depth guide to using BDD 2007 and SQL Server to create scalable deployments that require little or no manual input. Adam Shepherd

Communications: Exchange Edge Transport Servers at Microsoft: Part 2

Exchange Edge Transport servers can help you create a more reliable and secure messaging environment. We showed you how to configure these servers in Part 1, now we'll take you through some detailed examples of how key features help improve your messaging environment. Kay Unkroth

Networking: Configure VPN Remote Access with ISA Server 2006

A virtual private network can provide improved connectivity and increased productivity—and it doesn't need to be difficult to implement and manage. Find out how you can use ISA Server 2006 to address two common VPN scenarios. Alan Maddison

SQL Server: Optimizing SQL Server Query Performance

When you optimize database performance, tuning individual queries is as important as tuning server hardware and software configurations. Even one runaway query can bring a database to its knees. Here's a guide to generating, analyzing, and tweaking execution plans to optimize the performance of your SQL Server queries. Maciej Pilecki

Columns

From the Editor: More Power to You Joshua Hoffman	Toolbox: New Products for IT Pros Greg Steen	Exchange Queue & A: Secure E-Mail Protocols, Mysterious Spam, and More In this month's installment, the Exchange team discusses Transport Layer Security for SMTP, how to prevent spoofed NDRs from clogging up your queues, and how to tackle various installation challenges. Nino Bilic and Scott Landry
Utility Spotlight: SMS Cmdlets for Windows PowerShell Find out how you can start using Windows PowerShell cmdlets to manage SMS 2003 clients from the command line. Don Brown	The Cable Guy: Wireless Single Sign-On Single Sign On offers many advantages for both end users and administrators. Here's a look at how Single Sign On can simplify implementation of wireless authentication for your network. Joseph Davies	Research Notes: Using High-Performance Computing in the Fight against HIV Take a look at how the eScience team in Microsoft Research is collaborating with medical researchers and using high performance computing to help find a cure for HIV. Kristin Firth and Mia Matusow
Windows PowerShell: Writing Regular Expressions With a well-written regular expression, a Windows PowerShell script can determine whether or not data conforms to a valid format. Get an overview of how you can use Regular Expressions in Windows PowerShell. Don Jones	Hey, Scripting Guy!: Desktop Management from beyond the Grave The Scripting Guys demonstrate how to use Windows Remote Management to retrieve the properties and instances of classes on a remote computer. Oh, and there's a cool puzzle too. The Microsoft Scripting Guys	Security Watch: Secure Access Anywhere Explore network and security design considerations for an anywhere-access solution using Terminal Service components, and learn some practical methods and best practices for creating a solution with Windows Server 2008. John Morello
The Desktop Files: The Truth about Defragmentation Myths about the pitfalls of defragmentation have prevented many an administrator from performing this important maintenance task. Find out which problems are real, which ones are unlikely, and how you can avoid them. Wes Miller	Field Notes: The Cod of Conduct When community members start acting, perhaps you just need a big fish. See how social engineering helped to save Live QnA. Betsy Aoki	Windows Confidential: The File System Paradox Ever wonder why you need a miniature file system driver built into those critical boot files? Raymond Chen