Windows server 2008 certification path

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Windows Server 2008 Editions and System Requirements

Windows Server 2008 Editions and System Requirements

Before embarking on the installation of Windows Server 2008, it is important to first gain an understanding of the different editions available and the corresponding hardware requirements. It is also important to be aware of the upgrade options available with each edition. With this objective in mind, this chapter will focus on providing an overview of both the different Windows Server 2008 editions and the recommended hardware requirements.

Contents

• 1 Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition
• 2 Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition
• 3 Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition
• 4 Windows Web Server 2008
• 5 Windows Server 2008 Features Matrix
• 6 Windows Server 2008 Hardware Requirements 

• Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition

  Windows Server 2008 Standard is one of Microsoft's entry level server offerings (alongside Windows Web Server 2008) and is one of the least expensive of the various editions available. Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions are available, and in terms of hardware Standard Edition supports up to 4GB of RAM and 4 processors.
  Windows Server 2008 is primarily targeted and small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and is ideal for providing domain, web, DNS, remote access, print, file and application services. Support for clustering, however, is notably absent from this edition.
  An upgrade path to Windows Server 2008 Standard is available from Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition.
  
  

  Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition

  The Datacenter edition represents the top end of the Windows Server 2008 product range and is targeted at mission critical enterprises requiring stability and high uptime levels. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter edition is tied closely to the underlying hardware through the implementation of custom Hardware Abstraction Layers (HAL). As such, it is currently only possible to obtain Datacenter edition as part of a hardware purchase.
  As with other versions, the Datacenter edition is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions and supports 64GB of RAM on 32-bit systems and up to 2TB of RAM on 64-bit systems. In addition, this edition supports a minimum of 8 processors up to a maximum of 64.
  Upgrade paths to Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition are available from the Datacenter editions of Windows 2000 and 2003.
  

  Windows Web Server 2008

  Windows Web Server 2008 is essentially a version of Windows Server 2008 designed primarily for the purpose of providing web services. It includes Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 along with associated services such as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and Telnet. It is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions and supports up to 4 processors. RAM is limited to 4GB and 32GB on 32-bit and 64-bit systems respectively.
  Windows Web Server 2008 lacks many of the features present in other editions such as clustering, BitLocker drive encryption, multipath I/O, Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS), Removable Storage Management and SAN Management.
  

  Windows Server 2008 Features Matrix

  Windows Server 2008 Features Matrix

  
  
  Windows Server
  2008 R2 Essentials
  eBook
  

  $9.99

  
  
  eBookFrenzy.com
  Now that we have covered in general terms the various different editions of Windows Server 2008 we can now look in a little more detail at a feature by feature comparison of the four different editions. This is outlined in the following feature matrix:
  

  Feature	Enterprise	Datacenter	Standard	Web	Itanium
  ADFS Web Agent	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
  Directory uIDM	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
  Desktop Experience	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
  Windows Clustering	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
  Windows Server Backup	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Windows Network Load Balancing (WNLB)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Simple TCP/IP Services	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
  SMTP	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
  Subsystem for Unix-Based Applications (SUA)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
  Telnet Client	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Telnet Server	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
  RPC Over HTTP Proxy	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
  Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
  Wireless Client	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
  Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Simple SAN Management	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
  LPR Port Monitor	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
  The Windows Foundation Components for WinFX	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  BITS Server Extensions	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
  iSNS Server Service	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
  BitLocker Drive Encryption	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
  Multipath IO	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
  Removable Storage Management	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
  TFTP	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
  SNMP	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Server Admin Pack	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
  RDC	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
  Peer-to-Peer Name Resolution Protocol	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Recovery Disk	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
  Windows PowerShell	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

  
  

  Windows Server 2008 Hardware Requirements

  Before investing time and resources into downloading and installing Windows Server 2008, the first step is to gain an appreciation of the hardware requirements necessary to effectively run the operating system. The following table provides an overview of Microsoft's recommended minimum hardware:
  

  Category	Minimum / Recommended Requirements
  Processor	• Minimum: 1GHz (x86 processor) or 1.4GHz (x64 processor) • Recommended: 2GHz or faster Note: For Itanium based systems an Intel Itanium 2 processor is required.
  Memory	• Minimum: 512MB RAM • Recommended: 2GB RAM or greater • Maximum (32-bit systems): 4GB (Standard) or 64GB (Enterprise and Datacenter) • Maximum (64-bit systems): 32GB (Standard) or 2TB (Enterprise, Datacenter and Itanium-Based Systems)
  Available Disk Space	• Minimum: 10GB • Recommended: 40GB or greater Note: Systems with RAM in excess of 16GB will require greater amounts of disk space to accommodate paging, hibernation, and dump files
  Drive	DVD-ROM drive
  Display and Peripherals	• Super VGA or greater-resolution monitor (800x600) • Keyboard • Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

  As with the specified system requirements for all Windows systems it is best to aim for the Recommended values rather than the Minimum values to ensure acceptable levels of performance. For example, whilst it is possible to run Windows Server 2008 in 512Mb of RAM it is unlikely that performance levels will be optimal with such a configuration.
  
  
  

   

  
   

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Windows Server 2008 Interview Questions And Answers

New Features in Windows Server 2008

 

It would be stating the obvious to say that the MCITP is harder than the MCSE; it is by a long shot. But what I found when I upgraded is that it is deceptively so. Here are the major changes in Windows Server 2008 that will help you focus on the MCITP exams. Although this is not an all-inclusive list, this should help you concentrate on the major changes that will take up most of your time studying. Looking back on the MCITP Enterprise Administrator Cert, I can’t help but think about the differences between when I got my MCSE 2000, its upgrade to the MCSE 2003, and then the most recent upgrade, the MCITP Enterprise Admin Certification. Compared to MCITP, the MCSE was a cakewalk.
Booting up Windows Server 2008, once you make your way through the Server Manager, going to the Administrative Tools menu, you think to yourself, “Ah, they really didn’t change much.” But if you look more closely, a lot has changed.
Windows Deployment Services and many of its correlative technologies are included in the exam, like it or not. This is basically Microsoft’s answer to cloning technologies, such as Symantec’s Ghost or Acronis. And just to pre-empt the comments, I’m not saying it’s a good answer.
In this blogger’s opinion, the underpinnings of Active Directory have not really changed. What you can do with AD, however has been drastically changed. AD LDS (formerly known as ADAM) is now integrated, AD Federation Services is now integrated, as well as is AD RMS. Yes, I know those were implemented as add-ons to the Windows Server 2003/2003 R2 products, but those weren’t tested upon so much in the 2003 strain of products. They are heavily tested on in the MCITP. Also, brand new features or concepts that are AD-related include Windows Core and Windows RODC’s. Both heavily tested upon as well.
There is a definitive emphasis on Applications knowledge with the MCITP that was not there with Windows Server 2003. This means that you’ll need heavy IIS knowledge. This stands to reason, because as a Windows Admin, you will repeatedly (and quite annoyingly) go head-to-head with IIS very, very often. Implementing Sharepoint? Guess what? You’ll deal with IIS. Want to be an Exchange Admin? You’ll deal with IIS. The company wants to make a web front end for the SQL Database inventory of Inflatable Barbecue Pig Gazebos? You guessed it, you’ll deal with IIS. IIS 7, and coming soon IIS 7.5 with the Windows Server 2008 R2 release, is a big part of the exam. The interface and how IIS is configured has changed tremendously with IIS 7, so you’ll need to spend some time with it.
As a matter of fact, it is safe to say that I think Microsoft is trying to blur the lines between Admin and Developer when it comes to IIS. There are some pretty significant new directives in the config files that are specific to .NET implementations, and it behooves Admins to learn them. You’ll see this as part of the MCITP Upgrade Exam 70-649 or on the 70-643.
Network Access Protection (NAP) is a new feature you will need to learn as well. This is probably going to be your biggest challenge if you’ve never dealt with this type of technology before. It’s backed heavily by Microsoft, and now provides a higher level of security for Windows. If you provide remote access through Windows, you’ll use it because it is the replacement for IAS. There are other uses for it as well, but you will need to use it in order to understand it.
Hyper-V. Chalk this one up to the Microsoft Hype Machine. MS wants to be a player in everything the virtualization market, and Hyper-V is the technology that they think will make them so. Get your hands on this and go over the objectives. There are some questions on it.
Some of the other items of more minor interest include the new Centralized Event Logging, Performance Monitoring and Reporting, Sharepoint Implementation, High Availability (Clustering), IPv6, and Terminal Services.
Overall, I have found that the MCITP is separating the “men from the boys” so to speak. Even my illustrious colleagues who have been using/teaching Windows Server 2003 for a very long time really struggle with Windows Server 2008. Why? Well, the IT field in general is simply becoming more complex. And second of all, the Microsoft mantra of “all things to all people” really pushes an immense list of items to study, and those topics include a lot of “under the hood” improvements that can really cause problems if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Here's a hint: start reading RFC's and/or white papers on the technologies that are implemented. Too many people just study check boxes and radio buttons. Don't just study how to configure, study the consequences of the configuration.

Active Directory and Installation Features

Directory Services
In addition to the core domain function of Active Directory Directory Service, there are roles such as Active Directory Federation Services.  However, perhaps the most eye-catching role is that of RODC,  Read-Only Domain Controller.  This option is particularly useful for branch offices where there would worries about the physical security of normal DC.
Granular Passwords
The idea is for a Windows Server 2008 domain to have more complex passwords for the crucial admin accounts, than ordinary user accounts.  This is tricky to set-up, but it is now possible to assign different OUs different Password complexity. The underlying mechanism is to use ASDI to generate your own Custom Password Policy and link that policy to a particular OU.
Group Policy Preferences
W2K3 style Group Policies are great, especially if you want to tattoo settings and enforce a corporate desktop.  Windows Server 2008 introduces an additional or parallel idea; you set the initial preference, but allow uses to amend these less critical settings.
Installation
Setup continues the trend to ask for less and less information during install.  The tactic in Windows Server 2003 is to get a GUI installed as soon as possible.  Even though there is lots of work to do in the Initial Configuration Tasks, at least you have the mouse and menus from which to choose your options.
64bit
The five years between W2K3 and Windows Server 2008 is a relatively long time in computing. Perhaps the shift from 32bit to 64bit is a good bellwether for the changes.  Back in 2003 many servers were 32bit, whereas for Windows Server 2008 almost all servers will be 64bit.
Another trend in the Windows family of servers has been improved scalability, the desire to take on jobs previously associated with main-frame computers. For this high-end role, Windows Server 2008 has better support for failover clustering than W2K3.

New Network Related Features

Next Generation TCP/IP Stack - IPv6 Support
IPv6 is sometimes called IPng (Next Generation), hence the redesigned Next Generation TCP/IP stack for both IPv4 and IPv6.  The key performance improvement involves sending bigger, compound TCP packets.
Just as DNS is geared up to register IPv6, so Windows Server 2008 provides support for IPv6. E.g. NAP benefits.
WPF (Windows Filtering Platform) provides a unified well designed packet filtering platform, which operates at all levels of the famous protocol stack (Transport, Network and Frame).  Microsoft provide APIs for third party firewall companies to build drivers to manage and secure the TCP/IP stack.
SMB (Server Messenger Block) v 2.0  is used to create a balanced system Microsoft has removed the bottleneck of SMB v1 by increasing the buffer size, and reducing the number of packets by including more instructions in the headers.
Here are Microsoft's benchmark figures for file transfer on a LAN or WAN.
Plain XP --> Vista gives a 2.5x improvement in file transfer rate
XP + W2K3 --> Vista + Windows Server 2008 gives a 3.5x improvement
I suspect that the numbers maybe an exaggeration for a real working network, but nevertheless the pattern is clear, to get maximum benefits you need both Vista and Windows Server 2008.
NAP
Network Access Protection, or NAP is a quarantine technology that only allow computers that meet security criteria onto the network.  NAP is a neat idea where you invest time in preventing problems caused by rogue laptops, rather than spending even more time in cleaning up virus infections that unhealthy machines introduce to your network.  DHCP works with hand-in-glove with NAP to control which subnets and gateways are available to healthy machines and off limits to machines that need remediation.
DNS
Full support for IPv6.  Recognition and support for RODC (Read-only Domain Controllers).  Creation of a new DNS zone called GlobalNames.  This is to support long single-label names that are unique throughout the domain.

General New Features of Windows Server 2008

Printing
Windows Server 2008 integrates the XML Paper Specification (XPS) to provide a higher level of efficiency, compatibility; the result brings improved document quality to the entire print subsystem.
Improved Print Server Management Tools The Print Management Console (PMC), first shipped in Windows Server 2003 R2, is enhanced in Windows Server 2008. The PMC in Windows Server 2008 includes support for print server migration from Windows 200x to Windows Server 2008.  It also features an improved Network Printer Installation Wizard, which reduces the number of steps that an administrator performs when he adds network printers to the print server.  It does this by automatically locating printers and installing the driver when it's is available.
Terminal Services
Since W2K3 portable devices have mushroomed.  Windows Server 2008 includes an improved version of the Remote Desktop Connection (6.1) that caters for these latest gismos.   Some of these improvements in Terminal Services are already available in W2K3 R2, however, only with Windows Server 2008 do users get the Vista Aero experience.
While RemoteApp has been trialled in earlier operating systems, the ability to run programs from the server alongside those of the local machine, has come of age in Server 2008.
PowerShell
Although Microsoft has created more GUIs than ever, it is perceived to be quicker, to configure Windows Server 2008 from the command line using PowerShell. The vision behind PowerShell is to provide cmdlets (scripts) which automate repetitive tasks, much like UNIX administrators use BASH in their UNIX shells.
ServerMangerCMD.exe Cmdline options - like PowerShell

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