April2007April 2007

Windows Administration:Inside the Windows Vista Kernel: Part 3

In this issue, we wrap up our in-depth discussion about what’s new in the Windows Vista kernel. In this final installment, we look at changes and new features pertaining to reliability, recovery, and security. Mark Russinovich

Windows Administration:Disaster Recovery: Active Directory Users and Groups

Data recovery in Active Directory can be very complex, yet it’s essential that you have a recovery plan in order. We show you how Active Directory stores, deletes, restores, and replicates objects so you can be prepared the next time a user or group membership is accidentally deleted. Gil Kirkpatrick

Windows Administration:Why Windows XP Embedded Matters to You

Though you may not know it, Windows XP Embedded could be a great fit for your organization’s IT lineup. Find out how Windows XP Embedded can lower your administrative overhead, save you money, and improve security. Don Jones

Management:Plan Ahead with System Center Capacity Planner

Insufficient hardware leads to poor response times while too much hardware is a waste of budget and administration resources. Learn how you can use the System Center Capacity Planner to model your network and accurately estimate your infrastructure needs. John Savill

Management:Advanced Client Inventories with SMS

Out of the box, Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 collects a lot of information, but it doesn’t collect nearly as much as you may need. Find out how the right combination of scripting, WMI, and SMS knowledge can help you expand SMS inventories to collect and report almost any morsel of information. Wes Dobry

Management:Deploying Custom Software Updates with SMS 2003 R2

Systems Management Server 2003 R2 lets you use managedupdate features to deploy custom updates. Explore two new tools—the Inventory Tool for Custom Updates and the Custom Updates Publishing Tool—and see how they can help you deploy your own updates as well as updates from thirdparty developers. Steve Rachui

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb978519(v=msdn.10)
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc135917(v=msdn.10)

Columns

From the Editor:We May Be Wrong…
Joshua Trupin
Toolbox:New Products for IT Pros
Greg Steen
SQL Q&A:Rebuilding Indexes, Disk Queue Length, and More
Edited by Nancy Michell
Utility Spotlight:Autoruns
The vast number of apps that run automatically at system start up can be a source of endless headaches. But with Autoruns, you can investigate every app that runs automatically, letting you troubleshoot conflicts, track down malware, and free up system resources.Lance Whitney
The Cable Guy:Wireless Group Policy Settings for Windows Vista
Discover how you can use Group Policy to centrally configure and distribute wireless network settings to all the computers in your Active Directory network.Joseph Davies
Windows PowerShell:Filtering and Formatting Data
Windows PowerShell provides easy access to a wide range of data. In its raw state, however, this data isn’t ready for typical business purposes. Learn how to customize the data you gather by filtering, specifying properties, and applying formatting.Don Jones
Hey, Scripting Guy!:Naively Taking on Local Users and Groups
It seems everybody has been asking about it. And now the Scripting Guys (finally) show you how to use scripts to manage local users and groups. The Microsoft Scripting Guys
Security Watch:The Security Configuration Wizard
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. John Morello
The Desktop Files:When I’m x64
Take a look at an implementation of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 on x64 systems, examining some of the deployment benefits and hurdles you can expect to run into. And get familiar with Windows Vista x64 support, migration, and deployment.Wes Miller
Inside Microsoft.com:Using Active Directory Federation Services
Microsoft provides an extranet for its business partners, and this extranet requires that each external user have a unique domain account. Find out how Microsoft is planning to use Active Directory Federation Services to make a better user experience while streamlining the management involved.Jim Guthrie
Field Notes:The Joy (and Pain) of Learning
When the joy of being an early adopter begins to fade remember that Knowledge makes technology easier to use and easier to support. As IT professionals, we need to stay out there experimenting with new products. You just might be surprised with what you find. Mark D. Scott
Windows Confidential:The Power of Bugs
Why would you want to turn on a bug? Some applications actually rely on a bug in the OS. When the bug is fixed, the app breaks. Raymond Chen