Fine Grain Password Policy Tool (cmdlet)

In Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 Active Directory domains, only one password policy and account lockout policy could be applied to all users in the domain.
The Windows Server 2008 operating system provides a way to define different (fine-grained)password and account lockout policies and apply different restrictions to different sets of users in a domain.

Christoffer Andersson, Directory Services MVP, has released the second beta of FGPP - Fine Grain Password Policy Tool. The tool is available as MMC snap-in and a PowerShell cmdlet.

A quick start guide, download link and usage examples are available on Christoffer's blog.

CoreConfigurator updates

 

I've blogged about this cool utility before,  and now it got updated with more goodies. The latest version of CoreConfigurator support the option to enable/disable Automatic Updates and configure Backup performance settings. You can download it here.

 

 

There is also a two part screen cast, by Dean Stefanov (from www.netometer.com). Check it out.

PowerShell CTP2 on Server 2008

Updated: 05/14/2008 ( See original post below)

 

It won't work! (adding the command-line backup-tools when CTP(2) is installed) At the end of the process I checked the $host variable (thanks Marco) and it  showed that v1 is the current version. I jumped into conclusions too early and got fooled by PowerShell console title :(

Installing the backup-tools via serverManagerCmd (like the MMC) installs ALL backup dependencies (PowerShell v1 and all backup-features), it removes CTP without any confirmation. However, PowerShell CTP2 still appears under Control Panel > 'Programs and features' and the CTP2 program shortcuts are still available in the Programs menu but it points to v1 (installed by serverManager).

The confusion stems from the console title which shows: 'Windows PowerShell V2 (CTP2)' as it appears in the shortcut. I should have check the $host output or make sure that the CTP text logo appears in the console, CTP versions logo says:

Windows PowerShell V2 (Community Technology Preview - Features Subject to Change)
Copyright (C) 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

So, my apologies for misleading you! I'm still researching the issue and hope to find a solution (if possible).

 

-Shay

 

 

 

Original Post:

There was a discussion at the PowerShell newsgroup regarding the inability to add the Backup-Tools feature when PowerShell CTP is installed on Server 2008. I was already installing Server 2008 on VM, so I decided to give it a try. I had no problems whatsoever and the installation was successfull. Here is a video capture of the process. The capture includes the following steps:

Server 2008 is already installed (default install)

1. Install PowerShell CTP2 on Server 2008.
2. Adding the Backup-Tools server component (registers the Windows.ServerBackup PowerShell snap-in)
3. Reboot the Server.
4. Loading the ServerBackup snap-in and listing its cmdlets.

 

 PowerShell CTP2 on Server 2008

Turn on PowerShell in Server 2008

 

PowerShell v1 is included with Windows Server 2008 as a feature/optional component and it is turned off by default. To use it you have to add it using Server Manager, which available as: MMC console and a command line utility.

Here is how to turn it on, only one line of code, using the ServerManagerCmd.exe command-line tool. BTW, ServerManagerCmd also has a parameter -whatIf, I wonder where did it came from :)

-i Is a shortcut for -install
-w is for -whatIf

 

When the installation process ends, PowerShell's shortcuts are available under the Start menu:

 

Launch PowerShell (no need to reboot) and you're ready to go, don't forget to change the execution policy if you need to execute scripts.

 

 

More Info:

• Server Manager Technical Overview Appendix - References for Server Manager command line XML answer file schema and command-line syntax, examples, options, and parameters.
  
• Server Manager Technical Overview - Review a summary of Server Manager, including benefits and key tasks.
  
• TechNet Webcast: Overview of Server Manager and Windows PowerShell in Windows Server 2008 (Level 300) - Discover the new features Server Manager provides in Windows Server 2008. Learn how Server Manager enables you to install, configure, and manage Windows Server 2008 server roles and optional components.
  
• Server Manager Compared to Earlier Windows Management Tools - Compare new features and functionality in Server Manager with earlier Windows management tools, including Manage Your Server, Configure Your Server, and Add or Remove Windows Components.

The PowerShell dream team

 

Get to see the faces of the PowerShell team celebrating PowerShell's first release in OS, Windows Server 2008.

Cheers guys, you are my heroes!

Windows Server Core - CoreConfigurator to the rescue

 

If you need to configure Server Core to get your installation up and running but you're not
a command-line expert then check CoreConfigurator.

Guy Teverovsky, Windows Server MVP, comes to rescue with a simple GUI utility to do all the
hard work for you.

 

CoreConfigurator Features:

• Product Activation
• Configuration of display resolution
• Clock and time zone configuration
• Remote Desktop configuration
• Management of local user accounts (creation, deletion, group membership, passwords)
• Firewall configuration
• WinRM configuration
• IP configuration
• Computer name and domain/workgroup membership
• Installation of Server Core features/roles

 

Here's a screenshot of the main screen:

 

TechNet Webcsat: 24 Hours of Windows Server 2008

 

Prepare yourself for the next release of Microsoft’s server operating system - Windows Server 2008. Tune in and learn how you can leverage the new features to improve your organization's networking infrastructure and security, server performance and reliability, remote resource access, and client deployment. Subject matter experts break down what these upgrades mean for your environment and how to take advantage of them.

There is also an interactive Webcast Calendar where you can quickly find live webcasts that fit your schedule as well as on-demand webcasts to view at your convenience. You can choose your time zone and filter the list by audience, webcast series, product or topic, and Presenter.

 

 

On-Demand Webcasts

24 Hours of Windows Server 2008 (Part 01 of 24): Overview (Level 200)

24 Hours of Windows Server 2008 (Part 02 of 24): Server Virtualization with Hyper-V Features and Architecture (Level 200)

24 Hours of Windows Server 2008 (Part 03 of 24): Managing Hyper-V (Level 200)

 

 

Live Webcasts

24 Hours of Windows Server 2008 (Part 04 of 24): Presentation Virtualization with Terminal Services RemoteApp (Level 200)

Friday, March 14, 2008
9:30 A.M.–11:00 A.M. Pacific Time

 

24 Hours of Windows Server 2008 (Part 05 of 24): Terminal Services Gateway and Terminal Services Web Access (Level 200)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
9:30 A.M.–11:00 A.M. Pacific Time

 

24 Hours of Windows Server 2008 (Part 06 of 24): Deploying and Migrating to Terminal Server (Level 200)

Friday, March 21, 2008
9:30 A.M.–11:00 A.M. Pacific Time

 

24 Hours of Windows Server 2008 (Part 07 of 24): IIS 7.0 Overview and Architecture (Level 200)

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
9:30 A.M.–11:00 A.M. Pacific Time

 

24 Hours of Windows Server 2008 (Part 08 of 24): IIS 7.0 Advanced Management (Level 200)

Friday, March 28, 2008
9:30 A.M.–11:00 A.M. Pacific Time

How to prevent DHCP lease to unauthorized computers

via Daniel Petri

The Windows DHCP Server Team has released a DHCP Server Callout DLL that helps administrators filter out DHCP Requests to a DHCP Server based on predefined list of MAC Addresses. The DLL checks if the requesting device MAC address is present in a known list of MAC addresses configured by administrators and performs one of two actions: Allow or Deny DHCP lease.

MAC address based filtering allows network administrators to ensure that only known set of devices in the system are able get IP address from DHCP Server. This DLL will help administrators to enforce additional security into the network. It is compatible with Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 Servers.

The usage is pretty simple and explained in the setup document along with the tool. Both the dll (MacFilterCallout.dll) and the Setup document (SetupDHCPMacFilter.rtf) are copied on to %SystemRoot%\system32 folder after installation. Download it here.

New PowerShell TechNet event

The two sessions event will be delivered by Richard Siddaway.

Windows Powershell will ship as part all future major Microsoft products including Windows 2008. These two sessions will show you how to manage Windows Server 2008 and your Windows environment with Windows PowerShell as well as covering some of the features of PowerShell V2. Starting with an overview of Windows PowerShell and WMI we will show how local and remote systems can be managed by WMI and the new remoting features in Windows PowerShell V2. We will look at some of the new features in Windows Server 2008, including Server Core, Active Directory and IIS 7, and show how Windows PowerShell is the ideal management tool for automating your administrative experience.

REGISTER NOW

Hyper-V demo videos

 

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is the hypervisor-based virtualization feature included as a role of Windows Server 2008. It contains everything needed to support machine virtualization.

It is available now for evaluation with Windows Server 2008 RC1. There are also some demo videos available on Arlindo's Blog.

HowTo Install Virtual Server in Windows 2008 Server Core

 

68	Mark Kaelin, will take you through the process of configuring Virtual Server 2005 to work in server core, with detailed command-line steps.

Windows Server 2008 Core screencasts

 

There is an 8 part screencast series on Keith Combs' Blahg blog. The short videos starts with a technical overview and goes through different aspects of Microsoft's Windows Server Core 2008. Check it out.

Part 1 - Core Technical Overview (6:00)
Part 2 - Core WSv Prerequisites (7:37)
Part 3 - Core Networking (6:37)
Part 4 - Core Activation (5:38)
Part 5 - Domain Join (2:37)
Part 6 - Core Role Installation (3:46)
Part 7 - Core Feature Installation (3:49)
Part 8 - Core Management (6:24)

 

Additional details of installing and configuring Server Core can be found in the Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guides.

New E-book: Windows Server 2008

 

The following links provide snippets from a new book: Windows Server 2008: What’s New / What’s Changed by Greg Shields (published to you by SAPIEN Press.

 

 

 

 

 

Part 1 – E-book Intro
Part 2 - Introduction to Windows Server 2008
Part 3 - Installing Windows Server 2008
Part 4 - Server Management
Part 5 - Group Policy
Part 6 - Server Core
Part 7- Windows Server Virtualization
Part 8 – Active Directory
Part 9 - Terminal Services
Part 10 - Security & the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
Part 11 – IIS 7.0
Part 12 - Other MN&C Features (you might not know about)