Windows Server Community Tour Recap Questions and Answers

book.pict Let me just say:

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

for everyone who came to the Windows Server IT Pro Community tour.  I had a great time travelling all over the district and an even better time meeting everyone!  We had over 286 folks over the tour, not bad for an evening event, and chances are not on the normal meeting time for many of you.    We visited  9 cities, Cleveland (twice), Grand Rapids, Southfield, Louisville, Columbus, Cincinnati, Nashville, Indianapolis, and Dayton   The true purpose of the road show is three fold was to help me jumpstart my participation in the local IT Pro community.  Remember I want to be a part of your community and please let me know how I and Microsoft can best support your local efforts.  As I discovered over the tour your passion for technology and the community was simply fantastic to see and be a part of.  I could not have done the tour with out your support!

I had several questions and here are the answers, I am sure I missed some, if I did let me know.

imageQ: Can the Active Directory Administrative Center (ADAC) run on Windows 7 or other clients?
A: Yes you can you need to load the RSAT tools Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7. The RSAT tools can be installed on Enterprise, Professional, or Ultimate editions of Windows 7. After you install the tools, you will go to add/remove windows features and add ADAC.

Q: How do you do a bare metal backup and restore to a different hardware?
A:
Yes you can, take a look here for more information: Backup and Recovery Overview for Windows Server 2008 R2 but better yet check out Chapter 8 of my book:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Administration Instant Reference ( I know shameless plug)

Q: Can you use the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) for non-ms operating systems?
A:
Not that I am aware of, however you can use SCOM to help manage those systems.

Q: What are the Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM) requirements?
A:
It does require Windows Server 2008 R2 for the most current version, take a look here for more information: Windows System Resource Manager

Q: How does bit locker compare to truecrpyt PC Gaurdian?
A:
While I could really not find any information on truecrypt, I think my spelling is wrong, can someone point me to the tool or let me know what the comparison is. Here is some info on BitLocker. BitLocker uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) as its encryption algorithm with configurable key lengths of 128 or 256 bits, as well as an optional Diffuser. The default encryption setting is AES-128 with Diffuser, but the options are configurable by using Group Policy. For additional information about the BitLocker encryption method: (AES-CBC + Elephant diffuser Here is a good FAQ: BitLocker Drive Encryption in Windows 7: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are GPO’s recycled?
A:
Yes, but sorta. J You can use Active Directory Recycle Bin to restore all deleted objects that were previously stored in AD DS. However, if you use Active Directory Recycle Bin to restore deleted Group Policy objects (GPOs) or Exchange-related objects that were previously stored in AD DS, any application-specific data for these objects that was not stored in AD DS will not be restored. I would recommend that you use the Group Policy Management snap-in to back up and restore GPOs and then manually re-create links to the appropriate site, domain, or OU objects in AD DS. For more information: Back Up, Restore, Import, and Copy Group Policy Objects

For more information check out Chapter 4 of the book:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Administration Instant Reference (hehe)

Again please let me know how I can support your efforts, you are an email away mhester@microsoft.com.  Talk with you soon!