Windows Server 2019 Administration Fundamentals

Define a server as a networked computer that provides centralized resources to multiple clients. Distinguish client-server from peer-to-peer networks and summarize common server roles and services on Windows Server 2019.

Explore Windows Server editions—Essentials, Standard, and Data Center—and their licensing, virtualization limits, and specialized variants like containers, Hyper-V Server, and IoT.

Compare the desktop experience and server core in Windows Server 2019, learn when to use GUI vs command line, and understand remote management and server roles and features.

Explore the two servicing models for Windows Server 2019: the long term servicing channel and the semi-annual channel, detailing LTC stability with no new features and SAIC updates.

Explore the three licensing models for Windows Server 2019: retail, OEM, and volume licensing, and understand per-core pricing, minimums, and client access licensing.

Explore the Windows Server 2019 desktop experience, using Server Manager to add roles and features, manage multiple servers from a single console, and review DNS, DHCP, updates, and admin tools.

Understand Windows Server 2019 hardware requirements, including base OS needs and feature requirements such as Hyper-V, TPM, and secure boot, plus installation preparation, wipe or upgrade options, and activation.

Plan the disk layout for Windows Server 2019 installation by selecting partition scheme, file system (NTFS or ReFS), and MBR or GPT, and consider EFI and BitLocker.

Compare wipe (clean install) and in-place upgrade, noting that wipe installs fresh while upgrade preserves applications, data, and settings, and consider image install and migration options.

Compare interactive and automated Windows Server 2019 deployments, using install images and answer files with MDT, SCCM, and WDS to enable unattended multicast network installations.

Migrate user accounts and server roles from an old to a new Windows Server using side-by-side or wipe-and-load methods with the User State Migration Tools and Storage Migration Service.

Activate and license Windows Server, apply a product key, and implement volume activation (kms, Active Directory activation, mac), then update the system via Settings for ongoing security and reliability.

Explore the role of device drivers in Windows Server 2019, including how to install, remove, update, and restrict drivers via Device Manager.

Learn to install and remove device drivers on Windows Server 2019, enable or disable them via device manager or PowerShell, and manage driver store, INF files, online and offline deployment.

Explore how plug and play automatically detects devices, assigns resources such as IRQ, IO ports, and DMA, and installs drivers from the local driver store, noting its limitations.

Use group policy to restrict device drivers and removable devices across servers and clients. Identify setup classes and plug and play IDs via Device Manager to tailor restrictions.

Learn how to update and troubleshoot device drivers on Windows Server 2019, using Windows Update, manufacturer updates, device manager, and safe mode recovery to roll back problematic drivers.

Explore how Windows Server services drive system functionality, how to start and configure them, optimize performance, and manage service accounts using Server Manager and other tools.

Analyze startup types for Windows services, including automatic, automatic delayed, manual, disabled, and trigger start, to optimize boot time, memory, and security via Group Policy or corporate image.

Explore tools for managing Windows services, including the system configuration tool, the services console, PowerShell, and Auto Runs, and learn to view, enable or disable services and monitor dependencies.

Learn how service accounts establish a security context for Windows Server 2019 services, apply least privilege, and manage passwords with local, domain (Active Directory), and managed service accounts via PowerShell.

Optimize Windows services by auditing autostart and scheduled tasks, disable startup items, and troubleshoot with Event Viewer and Reliability Monitor, checking dependencies and safe-mode start via the system configuration tool.

Compare server roles and features in Windows Server 2019, highlighting common roles such as Active Directory Domain Services, DNS, Hyper-V, and remote access, plus features like BitLocker and failover clustering.

Discover how DHCP automates IP addressing on Windows Server 2019, delivering scopes, pools, subnet masks, default gateways, and DNS settings for IPv4 and IPv6.

Use Server Manager as the central console to install, manage, and monitor server roles and remote servers, with dashboards, wizards, and the Best Practices Analyzer.

Manage servers, clusters, and client systems with Windows Admin Center, a browser-based tool. Install, configure, and monitor server roles without agent software, on premises or in Azure.

Learn PowerShell as the command prompt's successor, mastering scripting, pipelines, variables, and Get-Help, plus elevated privileges for installing server roles.

Learn file sharing basics in Windows Server 2019, including permissions, dfs, auditing, and firewall considerations. Create and manage smb shares with server manager, configure access for groups, and apply quotas.

Learn how ntfs and share permissions, along with conditional access rules based on Active Directory attributes, protect file servers by using groups, sids, and acls to control access.

Explore how DFS namespaces present a single shared folder while DFS replication provides fault tolerance with block-level updates across multiple servers.

Audit file shares and printers in Windows Server 2019 with group policy. Track access events in the security log for authenticated users, specifying success or failure.

Learn how to deploy and manage a Windows Server 2019 print server, centralizing printer management, drivers, queues, and notifications with the print and document services role.

Install and configure the Windows print server, deploy printer drivers via print management and group policy, and understand type 4 versus type 3 drivers.

Learn how to share printers on Windows Server 2019, configure printing properties, enable pooling to distribute jobs, and manage permissions using the print management console and Active Directory integration.

Explore major application server types, from mail and database servers to collaboration workflow servers, and threat management servers, and learn middleware, protocols, SQL, and cloud versus on-premises deployments.

Set up an application server by configuring datasets, client side software, and a secure service account; ensure firewall and certificate–based communications, monitoring, remote access, resilient storage, clustering, replication, and backups.

Explore web server basics in Windows Server 2019, including HTTP/HTTPS, ports, and TLS certificates. See how IIS supports websites, web applications, and the integration with application servers and DNS.

Explore the IIS components and the web server role in Windows Server 2019, including role services, default site, multi-site hosting, deployment options, and security features.

Learn to host multiple IIS websites on a single Windows Server 2019 using IP bindings and host headers, plus DNS, default documents, virtual directories, and application pools.

Explore the Windows Server 2019 remote access role, covering routing, VPN services (Always-On VPN and direct access), and web application proxy, plus remote desktop services overview.

Explore remote access vpn flavors in Windows Server 2019, including traditional vpn, direct access, and always-on vpn, and how tunneling, authentication, and encryption secure traffic.

Explore the remote desktop services role in Windows Server 2019, covering session host and virtualisation host models, multi-user apps, deployment options, and licensing.

Explore remote administration tools for Windows Server 2019 administration fundamentals, including remote console, PowerShell remoting, remote assistance, and Quick Assist, to manage servers and support users efficiently.