Mastering Windows Server 2019 Administration

Install Windows Server 2019 in core edition on a new VM or hardware using ISO, upgrade from 2016, configure network, DNS, rename, join domain, and manage firewall with PowerShell.

Explore in-place upgrade versus migration to Windows Server 2019, licensing and edition upgrades, including preserving apps and settings when moving to core, plus steps like mounting ISO.

Automate mass Windows Server 2019 deployments with MDT and WDS using PXE boot and unattended installation, and use MAP to analyze inventory and generate upgrade recommendations and migration plans.

Learn to install Windows Server 2019 via PXE with WDS, configure DHCP and boot images, create and test network installations, and prepare unattended deployments with image groups and deployment tools.

Discover how to create an unattended Windows 2019 installation with Windows System Image Manager, configuring language, locale, time zone, and admin credentials, and deploying via Windows Deployment Services with PXE.

Compare the long term servicing channel and the semi-annual channel for Windows Server 2019. LTC delivers stability with extended support; SAC provides new features every six months.

Master Windows Server 2019 licensing and activation rules, including eight-core licenses per processor and user or device CALs, plus activation methods like KMS, MAK, and AD-based activation.

Explore Windows Server 2019's new features, including the Windows admin center, desktop experience options, core edition app compatibility, and security upgrades with Defender ATP, exploit protection, and application control.

Compare windows core edition and the server with desktop experience, noting desktop experience is recommended for most scenarios, and highlight core’s small footprint, limitations, and app compatibility on demand.

Learn how Active Directory domain services centralize user management with domain controllers, a domain name, and organizational units, enabling seamless logon tokens via Kerberos and replication.

Discover how Active Directory Domain Services powers Windows Server administration, covering domain controllers, DNS, partitions, and the forest, domain trusts, and the global catalog.

Discover active directory objects, including users, groups (domain local, global, universal), and computer objects, and learn how to create, manage permissions, and join computers to a domain.

Explore what an organizational unit is in Windows Server: a folder-like container to group users, groups, and computers, link group policies, and delegate administration through granular permissions.

Explore the Windows Server 2019 schema, including object classes and attributes, how the schema governs users, groups, and computers, and why only schema admins may modify it.

Discover multiple methods to install and promote a Windows Server 2019 domain controller, including server manager, remote core installation, media install, replication, and cloning.

Explore how Active Directory replication synchronizes domain controllers across the configuration, schema, domain, and application partitions using a multi-master, attribute-level approach.

Mastering Windows Server 2019 Administration: learn to use Active Directory Users and Computers, Admin Center, and PowerShell modules to manage users, Sites and Services, trusts, and remote server administration tools.

Learn to create and manage GPOs to control Windows workstations and users, deploy software, and enforce settings like taskbar and folder redirection across a domain.

Learn how to install and configure a DHCP server on Windows Server 2019, create scopes and reservations, and manage options and DNS integration. Explore failover clustering for high availability.

Configure DNS server for Windows domain environments with AD-integrated zones, forwarders, reverse zones, and learn about primary/secondary zones, zone transfers, dynamic updates, scavenging, and backups.

Explore IP address management with IPAM in Windows Server 2019, covering deployment architecture, data collection, discovery, GPO provisioning, DNS integration, and centralized IP inventory.

Explore Windows Server 2019 file systems, including FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and ReFS, and learn about security, metadata integrity, and basic and dynamic disk volumes.

Explore how FSRM (file server resource manager) enables file screening, classification, and reporting, creates templates and quotas, and applies dynamic access control on Windows Server 2019.

Explore how Windows Server file sharing works with SMB, setting up shares, configuring NTFS and share permissions, and using PowerShell and the admin center to manage access-based enumeration.

Configure and use the network file system (NFS) to share folders between Windows and Unix/Linux, manage exports and clients, and enable efficient VM storage with VMware.

Enable data deduplication on Windows Server 2019 volumes, storing duplicates in a common dedup store and transparently reducing disk usage for file shares, software development, VDI, and backups.

Learn to configure iSCSI in a storage area network, creating targets and initiators to access remote disks over IP and enable Windows server failover clustering.

Discover how the distributed file system groups shares across multiple servers, links them into a single namespace, and enables replication, data collection, and branch office backups for resilience.

Explore Azure Files and Azure hybrid storage options to extend Windows Server 2019 storage with on-premises to cloud file shares, snapshots, storage replica, and seamless migration and disaster recovery.

Discover how to use Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019 to create and manage virtual machines, including nested virtualization for lab testing. Plan storage, networking, and private cloud or VDI deployments.

Master Hyper-V virtual machines by configuring generation two VMs, VM configuration versions, and storage options like VHDX, iSCSI, and SMB shares; manage via PowerShell and enable integration services.

Explore Hyper-V network design with external, internal, and private virtual switches, NIC teaming, network virtualization, and bandwidth management to preserve IPs and optimize VM connectivity.

Master virtual machine operations in Windows Server 2019, including starting, stopping, saving, resuming, applying changes, creating and managing checkpoints, and exporting or importing VMs from the admin center.

Secure Hyper-V by applying fabric connector to protect vm files at rest and during runtime, with attestation and TPM identity ensuring only validated vms run.

Explore containers and Docker, compare virtual machines and containers, and learn how Docker engines, images, and running containers enable lightweight, portable environments with orchestration via Kubernetes or Swarm.

Explore high availability in Windows Server 2019 by building failover clusters with shared storage, using Always On and hyper-converged infrastructure to keep virtual machines and services online.

Learn how quorum ensures cluster availability in Windows Server 2019 with a majority of votes from active nodes plus a witness, including disk and cloud witnesses, and stretch cluster.

Create a Microsoft cluster by provisioning storage and disks, validating the configuration, and implementing failover with shared volumes, SMB shares, and a witness for high availability.

Protects data against natural disasters by enabling on-premises and cloud disaster recovery, with site recovery to orchestrate failover and workload migration to Azure for minimal downtime.

Demonstrates configuring hyper-v replica between primary and secondary servers, performing initial copy, enabling replication, and testing failover while managing firewall rules and network considerations.

Enforce the principle of least privilege by configuring user rights via group policy on the domain controller, and harden Windows security with password policy, logon restrictions, and auditing.

Discover how the protected user group secures highly privileged accounts by restricting changes, with replication to domain controllers and Windows 8.1 or newer devices at 2012 R2+ domain functional level.

Mastering Windows Defender credential guard isolates user credentials in memory using virtualization and TPM-based protection to block pass-the-hash attacks and safeguard domain credentials.

Block NTLM and audit intel traffic through domain-specific group policy, enabling Kerberos authentication and applying policies gradually rather than on all computers.

Explore how Microsoft LAPS password protection rotates the local admin password across computers, stores it in a confidential attribute in Active Directory, and enforces expiration via Group Policy.

Download and implement security baselines for Windows Server and related products using the Microsoft Security Compliance Toolkit, then manage and compare GPO settings to the recommended baselines.

Explore just enough administration in Windows PowerShell, configuring least-privilege endpoints and session configurations to allow specific commands and scripts.

Explore remote desktop services (RDS) in Windows Server, including session hosts, VDI, and load-balanced brokers. Learn how web access, gateway, and licensing support remote connections and user profiles.

Explore virtual desktop infrastructure with RDS, defining pooled and personal desktops, how the connection broker assigns users to VM pools, and lifecycle steps from templates to activation.

Install and configure remote desktop services with broker, web access, and session collections, publish remote apps, manage licensing, and access the environment via the web portal.

Explore remote access options for Windows Server 2019, including direct access, VPN (L2TP/IPsec, IKEv2), web application proxy, and always-on VPN, with PKI, NPS, and mobile/office scenarios.