Introduced in Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) is Microsoft’s new software-defined storage solution that allows enterprises to create logically defined storage volumes across hosts using locally attached storage. With the release of Windows Server 2019, it has continued to mature and is an even more powerful solution. … Read More
Configuring Secure LDAP using a 3rd party Certificate Authority
Some of the documentation that is available out there for configuring Secure LDAP on a Windows server is rather sketchy at best, or in some cases, it’s just really old and doesn’t necessarily apply to newer Microsoft Server operating systems. The following information below can be used on a … Read More
Summer server racks for schools
Earlier this Summer, our friends at Newport Network Solutions asked if we’d be interested in taking 12 HP and NetApp server racks in nearly brand new condition off their hands. The racks would have cost from $1,499 to $2,499 new and were in excellent condition. Having worked with schools and … Read More
Simplifying business operations with server virtualization
Organizations can gain numerous financial and operational benefits by employing a thoughtful server virtualization strategy. Today, we will focus on just a few of those benefits. It wasn’t too long ago that many people looked at virtualizing servers in the production environment with great trepidation. There were legitimate fears over … Read More
Adding functionality to the Active Directory Users and Computers console
Frequently, I find myself and other IT support personnel needing to quickly gain access to remote systems, run scripts against remote systems, or remote controlling computers for troubleshooting purposes. I typically head straight to the command line or run the related Active Directory administration tool directly; however, if the task … Read More
Finding and removing old computer accounts in your Active Directory domain
Any server administrator that works with Windows Server and Active Directory can tell you that it’s not uncommon for Active Directory to be littered with old and stale data, including old computer accounts. It doesn’t matter whether your organization is a small business running a single server or a large … Read More
Update your Windows Server 2012 R2 KMS host to allow Windows 10 activations
Ready to deploy Windows 10 on your domain but still need to update your Windows Server 2012 R2 KMS host so it can successfully activate the clients? Here are the steps needed to make that happen. Prerequisites Your Windows 2012 R2 server must have Microsoft update 3058168 installed (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3058168) as a prerequisite … Read More
Network Resource Availability and Data Integrity
Part 2 of our Network Remodeling / Redesigning / Restructuring services series In my previous post Active Directory Design, Optimization, and Automation we discussed how your organization’s Active Directory design acts as the core system in which most other network functions stem from. In this post Network Resource Availability and … Read More
The quirks of Windows Server 2012 R2 In-Place upgrades – Part 2
In the previous article, we looked at some of the common problems that can popup during In-Place upgrades to Windows Server 2012 R2. More specifically, issues relating to WSUS, MMC snap-ins, and the Windows Firewall were discussed. In Part 2 of the article, we are going to take a look … Read More
The quirks of Windows Server 2012 R2 In-Place server upgrades – Part 1
There are basically two approaches when it comes to server upgrades for going to Windows Server 2012 R2 – performing an in-place upgrade, or creating a new server and migrating over the applications/data. While some administrators are adamant that proper server upgrades –must- be done this way, or that way, … Read More
Using PRTG to monitor Windows Server Backup
While PRTG (available at http://www.paessler.com) has many cool sensors available out-of-box for monitoring valuable network and server related data, unfortunately, it doesn’t have an easy way to monitor the Windows Server Backup service on Windows 2008 R2 and Windows 2012 R2 servers. Today, many small and medium businesses, and even … Read More
Active Directory Design, Optimization, and Automation
Part 1 of our Network Remodeling / Redesigning / Restructuring Services series Active Directory is the central repository for nearly all networks today. Some of the most important roles it is responsible for are: end-user authentication, security, and the ability to automagically control how servers, client computers, and end-users are provisioned … Read More
Network Remodeling / Redesigning / Restructuring Services – Overview
This multi-series blog post will be an overview of Source One Technology’s network remodeling/redesigning/restructuring services. This series will give you insight on the network management tools and protocols Source One Technology uses, how future maintenance costs are actually reduced, and how your network infrastructure can easily adapt over the course … Read More