Welcome to the Microsoft Windows Server 2008: Configuring Active Directory course!

Welcome to the Microsoft Windows Server 2008: Configuring Active Directory course!

• Windows Server 2008 is the most recent server operating system released from Microsoft. With new roles specific to Active Directory, along with notable improvements in security, networking, and performance, Windows Server 2008 is designed to increase reliability and flexibility to any server infrastructure. Read-only domain controllers are introduced and described in this course, with demonstrations on how they can help improve security, generate faster logon times, and create more efficient resource access. This course will also cover many of the different types of installations, as well as new deployment features and migration options. Windows Server 2008 includes several new Active Directory Domain Services roles. These roles are conveniently managed in the Server Manager console, which allows administrators to add, remove, and manage the server roles on any Windows Server 2008 server. This course covers new active directory server roles, such as the Active Directory Federation and Active Directory Rights Management roles, which enhance an organization's ability to safeguard domain resources, extend external network access, and facilitate the use of a single sign-on solution. This course also describes enhancements to Active Directory Certificate Services, which include new Enrollment Agent Templates, Online Responders, and a new enterprise PKI management tool.  This course explores new account policy and fine-grain password policy features, along with improvements to common Active Directory administration, such as group membership, delegation, and importing data. This course explores group policy deployment along with policy auditing, inheritance, and delegation. It explores configuring DNS in Windows Server 2008, including Global single names, DNS Lookup features and DNS Zones. This course covers Certificate Services in Windows Server 2008, which can be used to employ cost effective public key technologies into your organization, allowing for secure and efficient communication within your network. It describes new support features that allow network devices such as routers and switches to obtain certificates, and a new console snap-in that allows you to view the health status of distributed enterprise certificates authorities on a network. This course also examines the new Enrollment Agent Templates, the addition of Online Responders, and the key new features that improve overall enrollment capabilities. This course discusses various policies, such as Group Policies, Default Domain Security Policies, Account Policies, and Password Policies, that are used to implement security in your organization. It also explains how organizational units can be used to apply the Group Policy settings to a specific subset of computers or users, and how Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) can be used to secure Active Directory communications. This course discusses the use of Network Monitor, Task Manager, Event Viewer, Windows System Resource Manager, and the Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP), and demonstrates monitoring Active Directory. It also explores offline maintenance and the configuration of backup and recovery strategies including the use of Directory Services Recovery Mode (DSRM) to perform an authoritative or non-authoritative Active Directory restore.  

  The course is supported by the following resources: 

  
  

  • online course modules 
  • a student manual 
  • a textbook
  • a training plan 

  The student manual contains hands-on exercises and activities that you will be completing as you progress through the course. You will use the course training plan to guide you through your learning activities. The textbook that supports this course will embellish the information presented in the online course modules.

  
  
  

  At the end of each unit in the online course modules, there is a test. Your final grade for the course will be based on the cumulative average of the test results in all the online course modules.

  
  
  

  Before you begin, click on the links below to access and save the course training plan to your computer. Then, click the applicable link below to access the online course module, as per the training plan.

  
  
  

  If you have any questions about the course, please contact your instructor or student services representative.