Get Started with Windows Server 2008
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
Use the following documentation to get started with Windows Server® 2008.
Release Notes for Windows Server 2008. Find out more about Windows Server 2008 with release notes.
Installing Windows Server 2008. Learn how to install Windows Server 2008.
Upgrading to Windows Server 2008. Discover how to upgrade to Windows Server 2008 from previous Windows versions.
Windows Server 2008 R2 Upgrade Paths. Outlines supported and unsupported upgrade paths for Windows Server 2008 R2 SKUs.
Server Core Installation Option Getting Started Guide. Learn how to install the Server Core version of Windows Server 2008 in a test lab environment.
Volume Activation 2.0 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Learn about the new method of activation designed for volume license customers, Volume Activation 2.0, which is a set of technical and policy related solutions provided by Microsoft’s Software Protection Platform.
Copyright Attributions. Review copyright information for Windows Server 2008.
Boot Configuration Data Editor Frequently Asked Questions. Learn about how the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store contains boot configuration parameters and controls how the operating system is started in the Microsoft® Windows Vista® and Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 operating systems.
Optional Component Setup Log Diagnoser. Learn about troubleshooting OCSetup Event 3, OCSetup Event 4, CBS Event 4375, and CBS Event 4385.
Use the following section to get started with Windows Server 2008 technologies.
Learn more
Find information by browsing to technology sections.
Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS)
Active Directory Certificate Services Step-by-Step Guide
Discover the steps needed to set up a basic configuration of AD CS in a lab environment.
Online Responder Installation, Configuration, and Troubleshooting Guide
Get started with online responder in AD CS.
Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
Read-Only Domain Controllers Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to deploy a read-only domain controller in a test lab environment.
AD DS Installation and Removal Step-by-Step Guide
Discover how to install or remove AD DS.
Restartable AD DS Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to use restartable AD DS to perform routine maintenance tasks on a domain controller, such as applying updates or performing offline defragmentation, without restarting the server.
Discover how you can use an improved version of Ntdsutil and a new Active Directory® database mounting tool in Windows Server® 2008 to create and view snapshots of data that are stored in AD DS or Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) without restarting the domain controller or AD LDS server.
AD DS Backup and Recovery Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to perform AD DS backup and recovery in a test lab.
AD DS Auditing Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to implement the new AD DS auditing feature in Windows Server® 2008.
AD DS Fine-Grained Password and Account Lockout Policy Step-by-Step Guide
Discover how to configure and apply fine-grained password and account lockout policies for different sets of users in Windows Server 2008 domains.
Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS)
Learn how to deploy AD FS in a test lab environment.
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS)
AD LDS Replication Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to configure data replication among AD LDS instances based on their participation in a configuration set.
AD LDS Backup and Restore Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to back up and restore AD LDS in a test lab environment.
AD LDS Getting Started Step-by-Step Guide
Discover how to get started with AD LDS.
Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS)
Pre-installation Information for Active Directory Rights Management Services
Explore pre-installation information for AD RMS.
Learn how to deploy AD RMS in a test lab environment.
AD RMS with AD FS Identity Federation Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to deploy AD RMS and Identity Federation in a test lab environment.
AD RMS Rights Policy Templates Deployment Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to create and deploy Policy Templates with AD RMS in a test lab environment.
AD RMS Deployment in an Extranet Step-by-Step Guide
Discover how to deploy AD RMS on an Extranet by first deploying it in a test lab environment.
AD RMS Deployment with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Step-by-Step Guide
Explore how to deploy AD RMS and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 in a test lab environment.
AD RMS Licensing-only Cluster Deployment Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to deploy an AD RMS Licensing-only Cluster in a test lab environment.
AD RMS Deployment in a Multi-forest Environment Step-by-Step Guide
Find out how to deploy AD RMS across multiple forests in a test lab environment.
AD RMS Decommissioning Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to decommission AD RMS in a test lab environment.
Authorization Manager
Checklist: Before You Start Using Authorization Manager
Get started with Authorization Manager by using this checklist.
Backup and Recovery
Windows Server Backup Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server 2008
Find out about backing up Windows Server 2008 in a test lab environment.
BitLocker Drive Encryption
Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to use Windows® BitLocker™ Drive Encryption in a test lab environment.
Device Management and Installation
Learn how to control device driver installation and usage with Group Policy for Device Management and Installation.
Discover how to securely deliver device driver packages to client computers in a test lab environment.
Failover Cluster
Failover Cluster Step-by-Step Guide: Validating Hardware for a Failover Cluster
Discover how to validate hardware for a failover cluster in a test lab environment.
Failover Cluster Step-by-Step Guide: Configuring a Two-Node File Server Failover Cluster
Learn how to configure a two-node file server failover cluster in a test lab environment.
Failover Cluster Step-by-Step Guide: Configuring a Two-Node Print Server Failover Cluster
Check out how to configure a two-node print server failover cluster in a test lab environment.
Migrating Cluster Settings from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guide
Discover how to migrate cluster settings.
Failover Cluster Step-by-Step Guide: Configuring the Quorum in a Failover Cluster
Learn about configuring the failover cluster quorum in a test lab environment.
Failover Cluster Step-by-Step Guide: Configuring Accounts in Active Directory
Find out how to configure accounts in Active Directory in a test lab environment.
File Services
DFS Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server 2008
Get started with deploying Distributed File System in a test lab environment.
File Server Resource Manager Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server 2008
Learn how to use File Server Resource Manager in a test lab environment.
Storage Manager for SANs Step-by-Step Guide
Explore Storage Manager for SANs in a test lab environment.
Services for NFS Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server 2008
Discover Services for NFS in a test lab environment.
Group Policy
Group Policy Preferences Getting Started Guide
Get started with Group Policy preferences in Windows Server 2008.
Hyper-V
Learn about Hyper-V by installing this new technology and creating a virtual machine.
Hyper-V: Using Hyper-V and Failover Clustering
Learn how to use Hyper-V and Failover Clustering together to make a virtual machine highly available by creating a simple 2-node cluster.
Network Load Balancing
Network Load Balancing Step-by-Step Guide: Configuring Network Load Balancing with Terminal Services
Learn how to configure Network Load Balancing (NLB) with Terminal Services in a test lab environment.
Performance and Reliability
Performance and Reliability Monitoring Getting Started Guide for Windows Server 2008
Learn about performance and reliability monitoring in a test lab environment.
Print Services
Print Management Step-by-Step Guide
Discover how to deploy Print Management in a test lab environment.
Routing and Remote Access service (RRAS)
SSTP Remote Access Step-by-Step Guide: Deployment
Learn about how you can use three computers to create a test lab with which to configure and test virtual private network (VPN) remote access with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista® with Service Pack 1 (SP1). These instructions are designed to take you step by step through the configuration required for a Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) connection.
Server Security Policy Management
Security Policies Step-by-Step Guide: Creating and Deploying Role-Based Policies
Discover how to use the Security Configuration Wizard (SCW) in a test lab environment to reduce the attack surface of your servers by modifying security settings for roles, role services, and features.
Terminal Services
TS RemoteApp Step-by-Step Guide
Check out this guide to deploy TS RemoteApp in a test lab environment.
TS Licensing Step-by-Step Guide
Learn more about TS Licensing by deploying in in a test lab environment.
Learn how to deploy TS Gateway in a test lab environment.
TS Session Broker Load Balancing Step-by-Step Guide
Explore how to deploy TS Session Broker Load Balancing in a test lab environment.
Customizing TS Web Access by Using Windows SharePoint Services Step-by-Step Guide
Discover how to customize Terminal Services Web Access in a test lab environment.
Network Load Balancing Step-by-Step Guide: Configuring Network Load Balancing with Terminal Services
Learn how to use NLB for enhanced Terminal Services functionality.
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security and IPsec
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security Getting Started Guide
Although typical end-user configuration of Windows Firewall still takes place through the Windows Firewall program in Control Panel, advanced configuration now takes place in the Microsoft Management Control (MMC) snap-in named Windows Firewall with Advanced Security. The inclusion of this snap-in not only provides an advanced interface for configuring Windows Firewall locally but also for configuring Windows Firewall on remote computers by using Group Policy. Firewall settings are now integrated with Internet Protocol security (IPsec) settings, allowing for some synergy: the firewall can now allow traffic based on whether the traffic is secured by IPsec.
Windows Firewall and IPsec Policy Deployment Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to deploy Active Directory® Group Policy objects (GPOs) to configure Windows Firewall with Advanced Security in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. You get hands-on experience in a lab environment using Group Policy Management tools to create and edit GPOs that implement typical firewall settings. You also configure GPOs to implement common server and domain isolation scenarios. This document is also available as a Word .doc file in the Microsoft Download Center at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=102503.