Author: Sander Berkouwer

Sander Berkouwer is the author of the Active Directory Administration Cookbook, speaker and blogger at DirTeam.com and ServerCore.net. He is awarded Microsoft MVP, Veeam Vanguard and VMware vExpert. Since 2009, Microsoft has awarded Sander with the Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award. Since 2016, Veeam has awarded Sander with the Veeam Vanguard award.

How to install a Server Core R2 Domain Controller

Server Core installations were a new feature in Windows Server 2008. Now, in Windows Server 2008 R2, it has been given a major upgrade. It now includes the .Net Framework, Active Directory Certificate Services, etc. (for a full list, see this blogpost) Over three years ago I showed you how to install a Server Core … Continue reading "How to install a Server Core R2 Domain Controller"

Windows 7 and SSDs, Part 2 (Tweaking the box)

As described in Part 1 of this series, Windows 7 has built-in optimizations for Solid State Disks (SSDs). To this purpose, Windows 7 will check random reads speeds of your disks, to determine whether the system is equipped with such a disk. These optimizations include disabling defragmentation on the SSD, and, when the disk is … Continue reading "Windows 7 and SSDs, Part 2 (Tweaking the box)"

Windows 7 and SSDs, Part 1 (To clone Windows or reinstall?)

I’ve seen a couple of people stuffing their Windows 7 laptops with Solid State Disks (SSDs). I upgraded my Windows 7 demo laptop with an Intel X25-M G2 SSD (80GB) and this much improved performance, especially for virtualization purposes. A traditional Hard Disk Drive’s internals are platters. A read/write head on a boom looms over … Continue reading "Windows 7 and SSDs, Part 1 (To clone Windows or reinstall?)"

Better known as MCITP

It’s been quiet on this blog these last few months. I feel I still have many interesting stuff to share with you, but I decided to put that on hold and focus on some other areas. My certifications really needed attention, since my latest Microsoft certification dated back to 2001.

Active Directory Time Sync (broken by default)

Active Directory relies on accurate time for a number of reasons. One of this reasons is Kerberos authentication, which by nature can only cope with a difference in time (time skew) of five minutes between the Kerberos server and client. Now, don’t get me wrong. I think the time skew limitation and the overall Kerberos … Continue reading "Active Directory Time Sync (broken by default)"

I’m attending Tech·Ed Europe 2010, are you?

Since I’ve shared some key information on Tech·Ed Europe 2010 earlier, I guess you’ve already concluded I’ll be attending Tech·Ed Europe this year. Together with two colleagues (Roland Zenhorst and Dave Stork) I’ll be staying in a triple room at the abba Berlin hotel ****. We’re flying in on Sunday November 7, and flying back … Continue reading "I’m attending Tech·Ed Europe 2010, are you?"

Vote for your favorite new Windows 8 features!

With Microsoft planning for the next version of the Windows Desktop, collectively referred to as Windows 8, promising to supersede Windows 7 and Windows XP together, some of us feel a need to chip in.   Here’s your chance!   Together with Michael Pietroforte and a bunch of other Microsoft MVPs and insiders, we’re running … Continue reading "Vote for your favorite new Windows 8 features!"

Server Manager in Windows Server 2008 R2, Part 3

What started with the Configure your Server wizard and the introduction of Server Roles in Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, resulted in the tangible value of the Initial Configuration Tasks wizard (oobe.exe) and the Server Manager (servermanager.msc) in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Part 1 and Part 2 of this series focused on … Continue reading "Server Manager in Windows Server 2008 R2, Part 3"

Server Manager in Windows Server 2008 R2, Part 2

What started with the Configure your Server wizard and the introduction of Server Roles in Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, resulted in the tangible value of the Initial Configuration Tasks wizard (oobe.exe) and the Server Manager (servermanager.msc) in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Now, as I pointed out in Part 1, not all … Continue reading "Server Manager in Windows Server 2008 R2, Part 2"