Windows Server 2008 R2 Best Practices Analyzers

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Best Practices for Managing Windows Server 2008 R2

Managing server seems to be one of the toughest job in the world. After searching lot I am unable to find any source that can provide comprehensive information on all server issues. Eventually finding several of informative sources I got enough information on server management. 

 

Here I am going to discuss about Windows Server 2008 R2 Best Practices Analyzers. 

This is the great enhance quick look at Window Server 2008 R2. This is not new we have the Best Practices Analyzers for years around us. We can free download from internet.  The tools always been designed to help you find errors give you general recommendation to solve the problem.

If you never heard about the server you have several question like: What I do to make it up, How do i configure, How do I work with this. Best Practices Analyzers help you to how you can improve your work.

In Windows management, best practices are guidelines that are considered the ideal way, under typical circumstances, to configure a server as defined by experts. For example, it is considered a best practice for most server technologies to keep open only those ports required for the technologies to communicate with other networked computers, and block unused ports. Although best practice violations, even crucial ones, are not necessarily problematic, they indicate server configurations that can result in poor performance, poor reliability, unexpected conflicts, increased security risks, or other potential problems. 

There are some information provided by Microsoft:

Best Practices Analyzer (BPA) is a server management tool that is available in Windows Server® 2008 R2. BPA can help administrators reduce best practice violations by scanning one or more roles that are installed on Windows Server 2008 R2, and reporting best practice violations to the administrator. Administrators can filter or exclude results from BPA reports that they do not have to see. Administrators can also perform BPA tasks by using either the Server Manager GUI, or Windows PowerShell cmdlets.

BPA can also be used on remote servers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2, by using Server Manager targeted at a remote server. For more information about how to run Server Manager targeted at a remote server, see Remote Management with Server Manager. 

Migrate from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008

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Windows Server 2008 is the next generation of Microsoft’s Windows based server code named Longhorn. It’s having some advance features then previous Windows Server 2003.

Virtualization:  Microsoft embedding virtualization technology in Server 2008. Microsoft's Hyper-V hypervisor-based virtualization technology will be a relatively low-cost and low-risk then other virtualization software like VMware.   

Server Core:     This is very helpful for those administrators, Working in the Linux environment and don’t like to install large, feature-packed operating system to run a particular specialized server.  Server 2008 offers a Server Core installation, which provides the minimum installation required to carry out a specific server role, such as for a DHCP, DNS or print server. Less applications and services provide a smaller attack surface and make it secure.  No GUI allow hear, everything is done from the command line. 

IIS: IIS 7, the Web server bundled with Server 2008, is a big upgrade from the previous version. "There are significant changes in terms of security and the overall implementation which make this version very attractive. 

Role-based installation:  This feature is just enhanced and comprehensive form in Windows Server 2008.  The concept is that rather than configuring a full server install for a particular role by uninstalling unnecessary components (and installing needed extras), you simply specify the role the server is to play, and Windows will install what's necessary. 

Read Only Domain Controllers (RODC):  It's hardly news that branch offices often lack skilled IT staff to administer their servers, but they also face another, less talked about problem. While corporate data centers are often physically secured, servers at branch offices rarely have the same physical security protecting them. This makes them a convenient launch pad for attacks back to the main corporate servers. RODC provides a way to make an Active Directory database read-only. Thus, any mischief carried out at the branch office cannot propagate its way back to poison the Active Directory system as a whole. It also reduces traffic on WAN links. 

How We Can Find Server Management Companies in Chicago?

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All of these well know companies ( ProVal Technologies, Agility Networks, Aqueity) providing 24x7x365 monitoring services in the Chicago and other major cities in USA. 

There are some big questions in front of the organization they are looking for a server management company to perform all critical server operations. 

1. Why we need server management company? 
2. What are parameters for marking server management company?
3. How quickly they response on ticket?
4. How fast they solve the problem? 
5. What Level of support company can provide?
6. Are they provide customized IT plans according to our requirement?
7.  Are they provide dedicated server engineer on demand?
8. How many years of experience company have in IT Support Services?

These are some common question we have to find answer before choosing IT Support company for our organization.