Speaker 1: So picture this. You're getting ready for this big presentation
Speaker 1: and you really want to sound like you know your
Speaker 1: stuff when it comes to servers. While you're in luck,
Speaker 1: we're diving into Windows Server twenty twenty two and PowerShell
Speaker 1: all in one for dummies.
Speaker 2: This book is well, it's amazing, really practical, especially if
Speaker 2: you're a system administrator or deal with Windows server environments
Speaker 2: in general.
Speaker 1: Okay, so let's break it down a bit. What exactly
Speaker 1: are we talking about with Windows Server twenty twenty two.
Speaker 1: It's not just like a regular.
Speaker 2: Computer, right, No, No, think of it more like, hmm,
Speaker 2: the heart of a company's technology. Yeah, powerful computer built
Speaker 2: to handle businesses, websites, all of that. And what's great
Speaker 2: about this book is that it focuses on the everyday
Speaker 2: tasks a system and administrator would need, you know, to
Speaker 2: keep everything running without a hitch.
Speaker 1: Right, those essential day to day things. So I noticed
Speaker 1: the book mentions that you can choose between using a
Speaker 1: graphical interface or something called server core.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Is that like choosing between an easy mode and going
Speaker 1: full tech expert?
Speaker 2: Just a good way to put it. Think that of
Speaker 2: the graph interface like a fully loaded car. It's comfortable, familiar,
Speaker 2: but server core. Yeah, that's more like your high performance
Speaker 2: race car stripped down, all about speed and efficiency and
Speaker 2: a nice bonus. Fewer components means fewer potential security risks.
Speaker 1: Ah, so less is more in that case. Now, the
Speaker 1: book jumps right into a scenario that frankly sounds terrifying.
Speaker 1: A server that just won't boot up.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, that's every system admin's worst nightmare. But don't worry.
Speaker 2: This chapter is like having a troubleshooting guru by your side.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: It walks you through figuring out why your system might
Speaker 2: be stuck, and it goes into this really cool thing
Speaker 2: called safe mode.
Speaker 1: You know. Yeah, I've seen that screen a few times.
Speaker 2: Exactly, And the book actually explains the different types of
Speaker 2: safe mode when to use each one. It's like having
Speaker 2: a whole detective kit for tech issues.
Speaker 1: I love that analogy. So, speaking of being prepared before
Speaker 1: you even think about hitting that panic button, the book
Speaker 1: talks about hardware requirements.
Speaker 2: Oh. Absolutely. The authors really emphasize this, checking those minimum
Speaker 2: specs before where you even install Windows Server twenty twenty two.
Speaker 2: Things like your processor, speed, ram, you name it.
Speaker 1: Right, got to have the right foundation. Now, there was
Speaker 1: this part about NX and dep features on processors. I'll
Speaker 1: be honest, those sound a bit like alphabet soup to me.
Speaker 2: I know they can sound a little intimidating, right, but
Speaker 2: they're actually really important security features built right into the processor. Basically,
Speaker 2: they help stop malware from taking over oh by controlling
Speaker 2: what's allowed to run in the server's memory. So it's
Speaker 2: an extra layer.
Speaker 1: Of protection, like a security guard checking IDs.
Speaker 2: At the door exactly, making sure only the right stuff
Speaker 2: gets in.
Speaker 1: I like it now. The book seems to have a
Speaker 1: total love affair with this thing called PowerShell. What's so
Speaker 1: special about it?
Speaker 2: PowerShell? That's where things get really interesting. This isn't just
Speaker 2: your average command prompt. It's a scripting language, so you
Speaker 2: can automate tasks, manage settings. It's like having a whole
Speaker 2: team of robots working for you.
Speaker 1: All right, you've got my attention. Give me an example.
Speaker 1: What kind of things can you do with this power
Speaker 1: show magic?
Speaker 2: Okay, so imagine you need to change settings on let's
Speaker 2: say fifty servers. Doing that manually would be a nightmare?
Speaker 1: Yea by that? Yeah, that doesn't sound fun.
Speaker 2: But with PowerShell, you write one script and bam, it
Speaker 2: does it all for you automatically, no.
Speaker 1: More clicking through endless menus sign.
Speaker 2: Me up exactly. It saves you a ton of time
Speaker 2: and headaches. And the book does a great job explaining
Speaker 2: the babooks so you can get started pretty quickly.
Speaker 1: That's awesome. So now that we have this powerful tool,
Speaker 1: how do we use it to like manage different network setups?
Speaker 1: The book mentions work groups and domains. What's the difference.
Speaker 2: There, So think of work groups like a casual networking setup,
Speaker 2: great for a small office or a home network, simple
Speaker 2: to set up, but not a ton of control. Okay,
Speaker 2: Domains those are for when you need, you know, the.
Speaker 1: Big leagues bring out the big guns.
Speaker 2: Precisely. Domains give you centralized control over users, permissions, security,
Speaker 2: all of that. It's like the difference between a self
Speaker 2: serve library where anyone can grab anything, and one with
Speaker 2: a librarian who's organ and manages everything, making sure only
Speaker 2: the right people get the right books.
Speaker 1: I love that analogy. So domains are for when you
Speaker 1: need serious security and control. And within this domain world,
Speaker 1: there's something called active directory, which sounds like it's a
Speaker 1: pretty big deal.
Speaker 2: Active directory is essentially the heart of your entire network. Wow,
Speaker 2: think of it like a massive, super detailed phone book. Okay,
Speaker 2: but instead of just names and numbers, it has every user,
Speaker 2: every computer, every resource on your network, all organized in
Speaker 2: one place.
Speaker 1: So it's like the master organizer for your entire it kingdom.
Speaker 2: Exactly.
Speaker 1: Wow. Active Directory sounds incredibly powerful, like the ultimate control
Speaker 1: center for your network. Speaking of control, the book goes
Speaker 1: into some essential administrative tools, you know, those must haves
Speaker 1: for anyone working with Windows Server. Were there any that
Speaker 1: stood out to you?
Speaker 2: Oh? Definitely. One that's super useful is computer management. It's
Speaker 2: like this, okay, like a multi tool for system admins.
Speaker 1: I like it. Multi tool.
Speaker 2: Yeah. It gives you quick access to a bunch of
Speaker 2: essential tools all in one place, so.
Speaker 1: Instead of having to hunt down each tool separately, it's
Speaker 1: all right there.
Speaker 2: Exactly. You've got your task scheduler, event viewer, device manager,
Speaker 2: all organized nice and neat within.
Speaker 1: Computer management makes sense streamlines things. So what else? What
Speaker 1: other tools are we talking about?
Speaker 2: Well, this one might seem a little surprising, but defragment
Speaker 2: and optimized drives is still relevant even today.
Speaker 1: Wait, hold on, people, still defragment drives. I thought with
Speaker 1: all the SSDs, now that was a thing of the past.
Speaker 2: You're right, it's less about defragmenting with SSDs, it's more
Speaker 2: about well optimizing them. This tool analyzes your drives make
Speaker 2: sure they're running at their.
Speaker 1: Best, so it's like a tune up for your SSD.
Speaker 2: Exactly, keeps everything running smoothly. Now, one tool that I
Speaker 2: think most system admins have a bit of a love
Speaker 2: hate relationship with is event viewer.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, event viewer. What's the deal with that? One?
Speaker 2: Event viewer is like, hmm, like your server's diary. It
Speaker 2: keeps track of everything that happens, good or bad.
Speaker 1: So every event gets recorded.
Speaker 2: Yep, routine stuff, errors, warnings, everything, which makes it really
Speaker 2: helpful for troubleshooting. If something goes wrong, you can go
Speaker 2: back and see exactly what happens.
Speaker 1: Oh, I see, So it's a gold mine of information,
Speaker 1: even if it looks a bit intimidating at first.
Speaker 2: Exactly. And then there's local security policy. This one's all about,
Speaker 2: as the name suggests, security, It's where you set the
Speaker 2: rules for user accounts, passwords. All of that helps you
Speaker 2: lock things down tight.
Speaker 1: Essential for keeping those digital bad guys out absolutely.
Speaker 2: And then, of course, we have the one and only
Speaker 2: registry editor. This is where things can.
Speaker 1: Get a little a little dangerous.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it has that reputation. See the registry editor is
Speaker 2: where every single setting for your server is stored. It's powerful,
Speaker 2: but also.
Speaker 1: Easy to mess things up.
Speaker 2: You could say that one wrong move and well you
Speaker 2: could crash the whole system.
Speaker 1: So proceed with caution, I guess.
Speaker 2: Definitely, But the book does a good job of guiding
Speaker 2: you through it. Now. Services, that one's pretty straight forward.
Speaker 2: It's where you manage all the different services running on
Speaker 2: your circle.
Speaker 1: Okay, so it's like a control panel for all the
Speaker 1: background operations precisely.
Speaker 2: And then there's system configuration. This is your go to
Speaker 2: for troubleshooting any startup problems.
Speaker 1: Got it.
Speaker 2: You can choose different startup modes to help pinpoint issues.
Speaker 2: And one tool I think you'll really appreciate, especially being
Speaker 2: all about efficiency, is task scheduler.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm intrigued, tell me more.
Speaker 2: So. Think about those tasks you have to do regularly,
Speaker 2: maybe backups, updates, that kind of thing. Tedious, right, the worst, Right,
Speaker 2: But with task scheduler, you can automate them.
Speaker 1: Oh like, set it and forget it.
Speaker 2: Exactly, schedule them to run automatically even when you're not around.
Speaker 1: Wow, that's amazing, say so much time.
Speaker 2: Exactly, and it frees you up to focus on more
Speaker 2: strategic stuff. Now, on top of these individual tools, the
Speaker 2: book introduces something called remote server Administration tools or our.
Speaker 1: Essay, Our essay. That's a mouthful. What is that?
Speaker 2: Basically, it's like having a remote control for your sur
Speaker 2: you're kidding.
Speaker 1: So I can manage my servers from like anywhere pretty much.
Speaker 2: You don't have to be chained to your desk anymore.
Speaker 2: You can manage your servers from any computer on the network.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: That changes everything, right, It gives you so much more
Speaker 2: freedom and flexibility.
Speaker 1: I love it. So once you have rctl all set up,
Speaker 1: the book dives into this concept of group policy.
Speaker 2: Ah, yes, group policy. Think of it as this. Okay,
Speaker 2: imagine a master control panel for all your servers.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 2: With group policy, you can manage settings across multiple servers
Speaker 2: at the same time. So instead of individually configuring each server,
Speaker 2: you can apply those settings to a whole group.
Speaker 1: That sounds incredibly efficient and powerful.
Speaker 2: Oh it is. It's a game changer for keeping everything
Speaker 2: consistent and secure across your entire it environment.
Speaker 1: Group policy, that's that's a game changer for sure, especially
Speaker 1: when you're dealing with a whole bunch of servers. It's
Speaker 1: amazing how many different things you need to think about
Speaker 1: to you know, keep a Windows server environment running smoothly.
Speaker 2: Yeah, lot to it.
Speaker 1: And honestly, I feel like we've only scratched the surface
Speaker 1: of what this book covers, but we've covered a lot,
Speaker 1: from like the hardware you need to even get started,
Speaker 1: to those super cool powershow automations. But I know there's
Speaker 1: even more to.
Speaker 2: Explore, Oh absolutely, Like have you ever heard of storage spaces? Direct?
Speaker 1: Storage space is direct, not ringing any bells.
Speaker 2: So it's this really neat way to create a super
Speaker 2: reliable storage solution by using resources from multiple servers.
Speaker 1: So instead of having all your eggs in one basket,
Speaker 1: you're spreading things out, making it more resilient.
Speaker 2: Exactly, it's like having a safety net for your data.
Speaker 2: And when you're talking about something as critical as data,
Speaker 2: that's a big deal.
Speaker 1: For sure. Data is everything these days. And speaking of
Speaker 1: cool tech, what about software defined networking? That sounds pretty futuristic.
Speaker 2: It is pretty cutting edge stuff. Imagine this managing your
Speaker 2: entire network, but instead of dealing with physical hardware, you're
Speaker 2: doing it all through.
Speaker 1: Software, so way more flexibility.
Speaker 2: Exactly, more control, less time I'm messing with cables and switches,
Speaker 2: and the best part, a lot of it can be
Speaker 2: managed with you guessed it, PowerShell.
Speaker 1: Of course, PowerShell to the rescue again.
Speaker 2: You can automate configurations, monitor how things are performing, troubleshoot
Speaker 2: all through those PowerShell scripts.
Speaker 1: You know, when we started this whole deep dive, I
Speaker 1: was a little, i don't know, intimidated by Windows Server
Speaker 1: twenty twenty two. It just seemed like a lot.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I can definitely seem overwhelming.
Speaker 1: But going through this book, I feel a lot more confident.
Speaker 1: Microsoft really has packed a punch with this server operating system.
Speaker 2: They've done a really impressive job balancing all that power
Speaker 2: with making it approachable. No matter your skill level, there's
Speaker 2: something for you in Windowserver twenty twenty two.
Speaker 1: This book's been an amazing guide. Not only has it
Speaker 1: given me a good understanding of Windows Server twenty twenty two,
Speaker 1: but it's also made me really want to learn even more.
Speaker 2: That's fantastic, and that's the thing. This is just the
Speaker 2: beginning the world of Window Server is constantly growing. There
Speaker 2: are always new things to discover, it's.
Speaker 1: Like having superpowers, yeah, which you got to keep training to.
Speaker 2: Use them exactly, but you're off to a great start.
Speaker 1: Well I think that about wraps up our deep dive
Speaker 1: into Windows Server twenty twenty two and PowerShell all in
Speaker 1: one for dummies. Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 2: It's been a pleasure exploring this with you.
Speaker 1: And remember, whether you're getting ready for a big presentation
Speaker 1: or just want to understand how all this tech works,
Speaker 1: don't shy away from Windows Server. Who knows, maybe one
Speaker 1: day you'll be the one writing the next edition of
Speaker 1: this book. Until then, Happy servering everyone,