Tips
Windows Server 2008 offers built-in functionality for monitoring a DNS server. You can configure monitoring to occur manually or automatically by following these simple steps! ... Read more!
With a core server installation, you have a minimal UI that includes a limited desktop environment for local console management of the server. Here is an overview of key commands and utilities you’ll use for managing server core installations while logged on locally. ... Read more!
Find out how to use the sp_configure stored procedure to limit your attack surface by disabling unnecessary features. ... Read more!
This tip shows you how to hide a share from users. Pretty sneaky stuff! ... Read more!
Windows 7 beta 1 introduces the built-in ability to burn discs directly from ISO and IMG files. Find out how you can easily burn ISO and IMG files to disc. ... Read more!
Popular Articles
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 ... Read more!
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 ... Read more!
Project Server 2007 delivers significant enhancements, not only to the features and functionality for users but also for administrators. Alan Maddison explores some of the most significant new features and walks you through the installation and configuration of Microsoft Office Project Server 2007. Alan Maddison TechNet Magazine January 2009 ... Read more!
The introduction of Hyper-V makes virtualization an even more compelling solution for IT environments. Get an overview of today’s virtualization market and see how Hyper-V improves the manageability, reliability, and security of virtualization Rajiv Arunkundram TechNet Magazine October 2008 ... Read more!
Drivers fail, files get corrupted, disks crash--there are numerous uncontrollable reasons why Windows might fail. But all is not lost. Wes Miller explores the kinds of things that can go wrong in a Windows system, and explains how you can troubleshoot them to get your system working again. Wes Miller TechNet Magazine January 2009 ... Read more!
Our Blog
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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ... Read more!
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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All TechNet Magazine Columns
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Security Watch: Thoughts on Identity, Part 2
Jesper M. Johansson - July 2009
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Security Watch: Thoughts on Identity, Part 1
Jesper M. Johansson - June 2009
In this first part of a two part series, security expert Jesper Johansson delves into the concept of identity - What defines an identity? Who gets to control the information, and how do we ensure it is properly secured?
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Security Watch: The Challenge of Information Security Management, Part 1
Jesper M. Johansson - April 2009
The first in an ongoing series, Jesper Johansson discusses the broad and varied challenges faced in the field of Information Security Management and the keys to planning a sound InfoSec strategy.
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Security Watch: Malware Inspection at the Perimeter
Yuri Diogenes, Mohit Saxena, and Jim Harrison - February 2009
Learn how to use the Malware Inspection feature of the Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway to mitigate threats at your perimeter.
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Security Watch: Subjects and Security Principals
Jesper M. Johansson - January 2009
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.
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Security Watch: Revisiting the 10 Immutable Laws of Security, Part 3
Jesper M. Johansson - December 2008
It's been about 8 years since "The 10 Immutable Laws of Security" were first published, and a lot has changed since then. In part three of this series, Jesper Johansson wraps up his analysis of the immutable laws to see if they still hold true after all this time.
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Security Watch: Revisiting the 10 Immutable Laws of Security, Part 2
Jesper M. Johansson - November 2008
It's been about 8 years since "The 10 Immutable Laws of Security" were first published, and a lot has changed since then. In this installment, Jesper Johansson continues his analysis of the the immutable laws to see if they still hold true after 8 years.
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Security Watch: Revisiting the 10 Immutable Laws of Security, Part 1
Jesper M. Johansson - October 2008
It's been about 8 years since "The 10 Immutable Laws of Security" were first published, and a lot has changed since then. This month, Jesper Johansson kicks off a three-part series in which he analyzes the laws from today's perspective to see if they still hold true.
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Security Watch: Passwords and Credit Cards, Part 3
Jesper M. Johansson - September 2008
In the final part of this three part series, Jesper Johansson looks at how software vendors, security suites, and marketing efforts hinder true security efforts and he warns us about how these practices can lead to the collapse of the technology security ecosystem.
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Security Watch: Passwords and Credit Cards, Part 2
Jesper M. Johansson - August 2008
In the second part of this three part series, Jesper Johansson looks at how software vendors, security suites, and marketing efforts hinder true security efforts and he warns us about how these practices can lead to the collapse of the technology security ecosystem.
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Security Watch: Passwords and Credit Cards, Part 1
Jesper M. Johansson - July 2008
The first installment in a three part series looking at how common security-related advice and common practices are outdated and actually hinder security efforts.
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Security Watch: Principles of Quantum Security
Jesper M. Johansson - May 2008
Find out how the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and other elements of quantum physics can shed light on evolving security strategies. (Note: No cats were harmed in the writing of this article.)
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Security Watch: Where Is My PII?
Frank Simorjay - April 2008
Before you can effectively protect your Personally Identifiable Information, you must know where it’s stored on your PC. Here's a look at how to write scripts that will locate personal data stored on your computer. You just might be surprised at what these scripts uncover.
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Security Watch: Using SCW on Windows Server 2008
Jesper M. Johansson - March 2008
You've heard about the new Server Manager tool in Windows Server 2008. But the Security Configuration Wizard (SCW) is still available, as well. Find out why you will still want to use SCW.
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Security Watch: Island Hopping: Mitigating Undesirable Dependencies
Jesper M. Johansson - February 2008
Unwanted security dependencies can expose your entire network to attacks. Find out how security dependencies work so you can analyze dependencies in your environment and resolve potential problems.
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Security Watch: Island Hopping: The Infectious Allure of Vendor Swag
Jesper M. Johansson - January 2008
Security threats don't just come from e-mail and malicious Web sites. See how a USB thumb drive and some simple social engineering can be used to gain access to your entire network. And find out what you can do to keep your network more secure against this threat.
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Security Watch: Windows Domain Password Policies
Derek Melber - December 2007
Until now, Windows has allowed only a single password policy per domain. Windows Server 2008, however, lets administrators implement multiple password policies, tailoring different policies for various types of users.
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Security Watch: Secure Access Anywhere
John Morello - November 2007
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.
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Security Watch: BitLocker and the Complexities of Trust
Justin Troutman - October 2007
Some people have been skeptical of the cryptographic functionality built into Windows Vista. Here's a look at the design philosophies that went into BitLocker and why it should be taken seriously.
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Security Watch: The Long-Term Impact of User Account Control
Jesper M. Johansson - September 2007
For as much coverage as it gets, there are still a lot of questions and misconceptions about User Account Control. Here’s a frank discussion about what UAC is, what it is not, and how it should affect the way you manage systems.
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Security Watch: PKI Enhancements in Windows
John Morello - August 2007
In Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, the Windows PKI platform offers support for advanced algorithms, real time validity checking, and better manageability. Check out the new PKI features and see how they can be used to lower costs while improving security.
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Security Watch: Tools for Managing ACLs
Jesper M. Johansson - July 2007
Managing ACLs can be one of the more complicated aspects of protecting the security of your users' systems. Here are some useful utilities to help automate and simplify these tasks.
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Security Watch: Network Access Protection
John Morello - May 2007
Rogue devices being used behind the network perimeter pose a serious security risk. Microsoft Network Access Protection provides a flexible architecture for organizations of all sizes to protect themselves from non-compliant computers brought on to the network by employees, vendors, and visitors.
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Security Watch: The Security Configuration Wizard
John Morello - April 2007
The Security Configuration Wizard provides an efficient way to secure thousands of servers spread across numerous geographic locations. Here's everything you need to know to start hardening your servers and reducing their attack surface based on the roles they perform.
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Security Watch: Deploying EFS: Part 2
John Morello - March 2007
Last month, we looked at the back-end portion of an EFS deployment, discussing the elements that a system administrator will deal with. In this issue, we focus on EFS from the end-users' perspective, exploring enhancements to Windows Explorer and the task of choosing file system locations to be encrypted.
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Security Watch: Deploying EFS: Part 1
John Morello - February 2007
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Security Watch: Services Hardening in Windows Vista
Wole Moses - January 2007
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Security Watch: Deploy a Globally Trusted PKI
John Morello - December 2006
Imagine running your own PKI that combines the benefits of an internal PKI and the key advantages of a globally trusted root. Louisiana State University (LSU) has just such a solution. Take a close look at the technical design of LSU’s implementation and find out best practices for deploying a similar system in your organization.
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Security Watch: I Just Got a Security Bulletin. Now What?
Christopher Budd - November 2006
The Microsoft monthly security bulletin has helped foster more mature processes for deploying security updates. Since you know security bulletins are released on a predictable day, you can build your own regular processes for handling them.
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Security Watch: Lock Up Your Domain Controllers
Steve Riley - September 2006
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Security Watch: The Most Misunderstood Windows Security Setting of All Time
Jesper M. Johansson - August 2006
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Security Watch: Help Wanted—Need "People" People
Jesper M. Johansson - July 2006
I’m not really a people person. I’ve said so for years. My old college roommate, Joe, had a better way to put it, but the way he said it is unfortunately not suitable for print. Frankly, not being a people person is a good part of the reason I went into IT in the first place.
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Security Watch: Establish a Remote Access Quarantine
Steve Riley - March • April 2006
In those good old easy-to-manage pre-mobility days, personal computers presented few actual threats to a network. Sure, there was the occasional virus you’d get from a borrowed floppy disk, but the rate, or at least the speed, of infection was pretty low—limited substantially by the low bandwidth and high latency of "sneakernet" technology.
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Security Watch: Why You Should Disable the Administrator Account
Jesper M. Johansson - January • February 2006
I’ve fielded a lot of questions recently about how to manage the built-in administrator account. I am referring specifically to BUILTIN\Administrator, also known as NT AUTHORITY\Administrator, the account with relative identifier (RID) 500.
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Security Watch: A guide to Wireless Security
Kathryn Tewson and Steve Riley - November • December 2005
Setting up a wireless network is incredibly easy. There’s no cable to pull, no holes to drill; just plug in your wireless access point (AP), let your wireless connection manager auto-associate, and you’re online.
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Security Watch: Isolate Servers With IPsec
Joseph Davies - Spring 2005
We live in an age of always-connected communication and are able to send e-mail messages or gain access to files, databases, and Web pages at any time, through a proliferation of networking technologies.
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Security Watch: Six Free Microsoft Security Resources
Kai Axford - Winter 2005
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, Port Reporter, plus information on Windows XP SP2, Software Update Services, Microsoft security events, and more
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