Promoting a Windows Server 2008 as a Domain Controller is performed by adding the Active Directory Domain Services role in Server manager. When you are adding this role you will notice also the following roles:
- Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS – provides an identity access solution
- Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) – provides directory services for applications. It replaces Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM) in Windows Server 2003
- Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) – provides information-protection.
We will demonstrate the installation and configurations of these services in a series of screncasts. In the following short steps you will see how to install a new Windows Server 2008 forest. After adding the Active Directory Domain Services role we will use the Advanced mode installation in dcpromo wizard. The Advanced Mode installation provides the following additional options:
- When creating new forest – Change NetBIOS name.
- When adding new domain in an existing forest – Create a new Domain Tree, Change NetBIOS name, Source Domain Controller.
- Additional Domain Controller in an existing domain – Install from Media, Source Domain Controller, Specify Password replication Policy (for RODC).
- Create an account for RODC – Specify Password replication Policy.
- Attach a server to an account (RODC) – Install from Media, Source Domain Controller.

The DCPROMO wizard which you can use for the Active Directory Domain Services role installation provides an improved and friendlier interface compared to the previous versions of DCPROMO.
For example you don’t have to run “DCPROMO /adv” in order to use the advanced mode. As you can see in the screencast below this is available as an option in the beginning when you start the wizard.
Also you can set the Forest and Domain functional levels and export the answers which you have provided to an unattend file – in case you want to run DCPROMO later or use the file for a Core server promotion.
The following Screencast demonstrates the installation of a new Windows Server 2008 forest.

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Dean

There are situations when you have to perform Metadata cleanup in Active Directory. Typical examples when you have to perform Metadata cleanup are:

• Delete an extinct Domain Controller metadata
• There are no domain controllers currently available in the parent domain when you try to demote the last domain controller in an immediate child domain.
• Failed DCPROMO – Active Directory Installation Wizard can not complete because there is a name resolution, authentication,replication engine, or Active Directory object dependency.
• Exceeded Default Tombstone Lifetime (60 days) – a domain controller has not replicated incoming Active Directory changes in Tombstone Lifetime.
• Demote and promote back a Domain Controller

In this Step-by-Step Screencast, we will demonstrate how to perform metadata cleanup. We will walk you trough the necessary changes in Active Directory, DNS server configuration and Sites-and Services Snap-in.

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Dean

I get questions about how to run more and more PHP and MySQL based applications on IIS7, Windows Server 2008.

What’s coming next. MOODLE.  

By default, SBS 2008 uses Self Signed certificates in IIS7. The issuer of these certificates is the CA (Certification Authority) installed on SBS 2008 server, and generally, it is not among the list of trusted root authorities in the remote clients. As a result, the remote clients cannot use Outlook Anywhere, or establish a terminal session to the SBS and workstations on the LAN using the Terminal Services Gateway. In addition, they get the annoying pop-up warning stating that the SSL certificate is not valid.

Considering these obstacles, and the low prices of trusted SSL certificates – as low as $14.99 USD, purchasing and using such a certificate should be the recommended approach.

In the following screencast, we demonstrate how to add a GoDaddy Turbo SSL certificate in Small Business Server 2008:

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Dean 

Installing Active Directory Domain Services Role on a Server Core installation of a Windows Server 2008, requires running the dcpromo command in conjunction with a number of switches/parameters.

In the following Step-by-Step video tutorial, you will see how to promote a Server Core as a DC, and how to check the result of DCPROMO.

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Dean

There are certain scenarious when installing a Read Only Domain Controller (RODC) is a suitable approach. Tightening the security at remote sites and reducing the replication traffic are probably two of the main reasons to choose this approach.

Before you proceed with the installation of an RODC in your network, you have to make sure that it covers certain requirements. Here is a brief overview:
- PDC Emulator – the DC holding the PDC FSMO in the domain where you intend to install RODC must be running Windows Server 2008.
- Global Catalog – you need to have a GC running Windows Server 2008.
- Domain Functional Level must be at least Windows Server 2003
- Forest Functional Level must be at least Windows Server 2003
- Schema modification – you must run once in the forest adprep /rodcprep

In addition, you must have in mind the following:
- Global Catalog – if there are Outlook clients in the branch office, the RODC should be configured as GC.
- Authentication Requests – the RODC forwards authentication requests to a Global Catalog, running Windows Server 2008, in a site that is closest to the site with the RODC.
- Multiple RODCs – RODCs in the same site DO NOT SHARE information with each other. If the connection to a writable DC is down, there could be inconsistent logon experiences for the users

In the following Step-by-Step video tutorial, we demonstrate the installation of RODC:

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Dean

Did you ever wonder how to move a production machine to a virtual machine? Windows Server 2008 is an awesome candidate for such a process. As a matter of fact, if you are making a decision at the moment whether to stick with Windows Server 2003 or jump to the new OS and somewhere back in your mind you are silently wishing – if I could have a stand by duplicate machine or duplicate the production network to a test one, don’t hesitate anymore.

I am publishing a detailed, Step-by-Step video tutorial how to do this. To make the demostration more interesting, the target server is running Active Directory Domain Services, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Sharepoint Services, Terminal Services Gateway – in short, it is running SBS 2008.

You can see in the following Screencast, how to duplicate a physical machine to a virtual one, running on the Microsoft Hypervisor.

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Dean

Windows Server 2008 introduces many improvements, and new features in the Active Directory infrastructure. Some of the most important features are:
- Flexible Password Policies
- Active Directory Auditing
- Read Only Domain Controllers RODC
In series of screencasts, we will demonstrate in a Step-by-Step fashion these new features.

In the following screencast, we demonstrate an upgrade of Windows 2003 Domain, by adding a new Windows Server 2008 Domain Controller:

Dean

If you want to run Joomla on a (x64) version of Windows Server 2008, you can do this easily, following the same Step-by-Step video tutorial:

It is important to download the (x64) version of MySQL and (x64) version of PHP.

Dean

SSL certificate is a digital certificate that:
1. Authenticates the identity of a Web site to visiting browsers
2. Encrypts traffic between the web Server and the web browser using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology.
In the following Screencast, a GoDaddy SSL certificate is installed on a Windows Server 2008, running IIS7.

Dean