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MCP Connection Series: Changes in Windows Server from 2008 to 2012

1Introduction2My Experiences3What to consider?4Resources for you 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.12/5/20131IntroductionChris EvansPremier Field Engineer

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3My Experiences: What have I learned?Things have changedImproved OOB securityOS partition sizeWhat was once applicable in earlier Windows version does not necessarily remain applicable today. For example, modifying or disabling the default startup behavior of system services.Adding extensive file system ACLs on the OS drive are no longer necessary to harden the system and often result in broken functionality, unnecessary complexity, and system management challenges.When sizing the OS partition, take into account the 10 year Windows support lifecycle. Sizing the OS partition too small leads to increased support costs and down time later that can be avoided now.4My Experiences: What have I learned?Login scriptsPage file sizeMemory dump configUtilize Group Policy Preferences to implement the configuration settings instead. Where scripts are unavoidable, replace with modern PowerShell scripts.Dedicated dump file can reside on a non-OS drive. Kernel dumps typically require a ~6-8GB dedicated dump file. A ~400 MB page file is still necessary for writing metadata.Size the page file based on the workload, installed RAM, commit charge and dump requirements. A page file on the OS drive is no longer required to generate a dump.

5My Experiences: What have I learned?Patching has changedBasic PS skills are required New inbox functionalityNIC teaming * (i.e. LBFO) including for VM guests when used with Hyper-V (* introduced in WS 2012)Removable GUI * similar to Server Core but now possible post installation, also GUI can be added back whenever needed. (* introduced in WS 2012)iSCSI target think guest clustering

Service Packs are a thing of the past. Roll up packages based on roles (i.e. AD, Print, Cluster) are the new standard. Note that these are NOT cumulative rollups.More and more CLI tools are being deprecated and replaced with PowerShell cmdlets. Newer Admin UI tools also utilize PS behind the scenes (i.e. Server Manager, ADAC)6What to consider?Disk partition schemeActivationNew GPO for new OS

Understand differences between UEFI and BIOS based systems and the impact it has on the disk partition layout and format.Highly recommend utilizing the free Security Compliance Manager Solution Accelerator to build new baseline GPOs for Windows 2012 OS and newer; avoid reusing existing policies as templatesGPO for new OSWindows Server 2012 requires immediate activation. WS2012 and newer can activate directly from AD once the activation object is present and activated.KMS still required for down level VL versions7What to consider?.NET for MS support toolsPowerShell config via GPOConsider black box recorders

Many support tools from MS require the .NET framework be installed. Proactively incorporating these into the build will improve the time to resolution when engaging MS support. Windows Perfmon and ETL log tracing can be implemented to run continuously using a circular log file as a mechanism to collect diagnostic data for post mortem analysis after a system event occurs.GPO for new OSApply a PowerShell remote management configuration via group policy to ensure you can remotely manage your servers on day 1. Think Server Manager and 1:Many scripts8Resources for youOnline TrainingMicrosoft CertificationAdditional InformationFree online training on Microsoft Virtual Academy (http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/)

Get familiar with the Microsoft Certification Program (http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/certification-overview.aspx) . Upgrade your certification

Learn more about Premier Support (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftservices/support.aspx)Premier Support for DevelopersPremier Mission CriticalPremier support for Office 365Premier support for Azure9 2012 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

Thank You12/5/201310 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.