Professor Windows - Column Archives

Technical Lectures on Microsoft Windows Operating System

2003

  • May 2003 – Active Directory Services in Windows Server 2003

    Windows Server 2003 Active Directory is much easier to deploy, and has features that increase flexibility during and after deployment. With reduced replication demands and easy integration into applications, you can today enable more applications to use the directory in more scenarios. In addition, Security comes into play at top priority in this release. And the biggest news - there's no requirement to re-design your Windows 2000 deployment to gain any of the advantages that it has to offer.

  • April 2003 – Terminal Services in Windows Server 2003: Improvements and Useful Tips

    This column briefs you on the main improvements that are introduced in Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services; it also discusses a collection of tips I've gathered from working with Terminals Services in the field.

  • March 2003 – Windows Server 2003 Trust Enhancements

    Windows Server 2003 includes many enhancements in the fields on information security, with new ways to securely manage your organization's infrastructure. Managing trust relationships in Windows Server 2003 includes both improved and new features that you'll really like.

  • February 2003 – Active Directory Security Tips and Practices

    Active Directory (AD) is one of the most important reasons (if not THE reason) that the Windows 2000 platforms achieved the latest CC (Common Criteria) evaluation win of EAL4 + Flaw remediation, the highest Security level ever given to a commercial operating system. We can significantly increase information security in our Active Directory environments by using some simple practices and leveraging certain capabilities. This columns gives you a look into some useful tips for securely operating Active Directory, day by day.

2002

  • December 2002 – A Look into Windows XP Professional Security

    Working on the Internet, as well as on the intranet, compromises security and leaves your computer, your operating system's functionality, and your valuable data vulnerable to attack. This column gives you a look into the world of Windows XP Professional security features, along with some helpful tips.

  • October 2002 – eXPeriencing Remote Assistance

    This column covers what Remote Assistance is and how it differs from Remote Desktop or Terminal Server sessions, as well as how we can use it (with some helpful tips).

  • September 2002 – Windows XP Tips and Tricks

    A lot has been said and written about the new features & capabilities of Windows XP Professional, yet it's always good to come across a useful list of some time-saving tools & tips which make our job a whole lot easier, and not less importantly - more fun. This column does just that - it's a cool and helpful list of tips & advice that you will love to be familiar with when running Windows XP Professional.

  • August 2002 – Scripting Your Windows 2000 Network, Part 2

    The two-part column series outline why scripting is so important when working with Windows 2000 and beyond, along with some good hands-on samples taken from various network and domain management tasks. Part 2 maintains a more practical approach and contains sample code snippets.

  • June 2002 – Scripting Your Windows 2000 Network, Part 1

    The two-part column series outline why scripting is so important when working with Windows 2000 and beyond, along with some good hands-on samples taken from various network and domain management tasks. Part 1 aims at providing the necessary background and overview into the world of Scripting.

  • May 2002 – Troubleshooting Group Policy Issues in Windows 2000

    Understanding Group Policy's architecture is key, yet there are many useful tips and tools that can help you with your daily maintenance, as well as "bailing you out" in advanced or critical issues.

  • April 2002 – Migrating Accounts From Windows NT 4.0 Domains to Windows 2000

    This column explains why using migration tools in the process of migrating your user accounts might be important for you, along with an overview of a tool called Microsoft Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) which can be used to perform this kind of migration.

  • March 2002 – Best Practices for Active Directory Design and Deployment

    The purpose of this column is not to serve as a comprehensive design and deployment white paper, but rather to generally outline the main considerations you need to keep in mind in order to successfully deploy Active Directory forests in your organizations, including some of the important tips and known issues based on field experiences.

  • February 2002 – Managing a Windows 2000 Domain with Windows XP Professional Clients Present

    This column discusses practical stuff that you can do with a Windows XP Professional client on your Windows 2000 domain network today. Plus, a small add-on that you may find worthwhile.

  • January 2002 – Windows 2000 Tips & Tricks

    This column discusses some of these time-saving tools & tips, which emphasize making our job easier when running Windows 2000 Servers and Workstations, especially with Active Directory around.

2001

  • August 2001 – 64-bit Windows – Should You be Considering a Move to 64-bit?

    In this column, we will explore the answer to this question. We will discuss the advantages of 64-bit Windows over 32-bit, talk about a few concepts and give you some tips on how you can prepare for the next wave of Windows. We will also examine some limitations of 64-bit Windows, including the reasons that 64-bit processes cannot load 32-bit DLLs. We will address the fate of 16-bit and 32-bit applications in a 64-bit environment. Finally, we will talk about some general guidelines for porting 32-bit applications to 64-bit.

  • June 2001 – Terminal Services Licensing for Windows 2000

    The focus is on licensing issues related to Windows 2000 Terminal Servers only. Terminal Services Licensing refers to a service that runs on Windows 2000 servers. This service is responsible for managing Terminal Services Client Access Licenses (CALs) that are issued to devices connecting to Windows 2000 servers running Terminal Services (Windows 2000 Terminal Servers).

  • February 2001 – VPN Deployment Using Windows 2000

    Virtual Private Networks (VPN) allow users working at home, on the road, or at a branch office to connect in a secure fashion to a remote corporate server using the public Internet. From the user's perspective, the VPN is a point-to-point connection between the user's computer and a corporate server. Learn how to set up and configure both the user's computer and the corporate VPN server.

  • January 2001 – Planning for Windows DNS, Part 2

    This is the second of a two-part series of columns on Windows 2000 DNS. In this column, the focus is on integration of Active Directory services in your existing DNS hierarchy, planning for DNS servers, and some zone transfer issues.

2000

  • December 2000 – Planning for Windows 2000 DNS, Part 1

    This is the first of a two-part series column on Windows 2000 Domain Name System (DNS). These two columns will focus on DNS planning, the implementation of DNS in a mixed environment, the security aspects of DNS, and give you some general tips related to DNS implementation in a Windows 2000 infrastructure.