28 guides
Set up and run Windows Server the right way — Active Directory, domain controllers, FSMO roles, DNS/DHCP, Group Policy, replication, backups, and server migrations.
Audit failed logons in Active Directory: enable the right audit policy, read Event ID 4625, decode logon types and failure codes, and trace where bad attempts come from.
Configure Windows Defender Firewall rules on Windows Server with the GUI and PowerShell New-NetFirewallRule: profiles, inbound/outbound rules, scoping, and testing.
A decision guide comparing Windows Server 2022 and 2025: support timelines, hotpatching, Active Directory, SMB, Hyper-V, licensing, and when an upgrade is actually worth it.
A sysadmin's tour of Windows Server 2025: hotpatching via Azure Arc, the 32K AD database page size, SMB over QUIC in all editions, bigger Hyper-V limits, and more.
What SMB over QUIC is in Windows Server 2025, how it tunnels file sharing over TLS 1.3 on UDP 443, when to use it instead of a VPN, and how to set it up.
Map network drives with Group Policy Preferences instead of logon scripts: create a Drive Maps item, use item-level targeting, and fix drives that won't appear.
Lock down Remote Desktop on Windows Server: enforce NLA, use TLS and a real certificate, restrict access, and stop exposing RDP directly to the internet.
Understand Active Directory Sites and Services: sites, subnets, site links, and the KCC. How to set up replication and DC locator for branch offices and WAN links.
Set account lockout threshold, duration, and reset counter with Group Policy. Practical settings, where the policy lives, common mistakes, and how to find locked-out users.
Diagnose and fix Active Directory replication error 5 (Access is denied) — from Kerberos and time skew to RPC sealing policy, secure channel, and UDP fragmentation.
Step-by-step guide to installing the Hyper-V role on Windows Server 2022 with Server Manager or PowerShell, including hardware checks, virtual switches, and first VM.
Enable the Active Directory Recycle Bin and recover deleted users, groups, and OUs with Restore-ADObject or ADAC. Learn the prerequisites and why enabling is permanent.
Install the DHCP role on Windows Server, authorize it in Active Directory, create a scope, set options, add reservations and exclusions, and configure DHCP failover.
Find locked-out AD accounts fast with Search-ADAccount, trace the lockout source using event ID 4740 on the PDC Emulator, and fix the cause with the right tools.
Pillar Guide
A practical Windows Server hardening checklist for AD environments: patching, disabling SMBv1, RDP/NLA, account lockout, tiering, audit logging, and firewall rules.
Pillar Guide
Migrate Active Directory from Server 2012 R2 to 2022 the safe way: add a 2022 DC, transfer FSMO, raise functional levels, move DNS/DHCP, then demote the old DC.
Work through why a GPO won't apply — gpupdate, gpresult, link and scope, security and WMI filtering, SYSVOL replication, slow links, and loopback — with the commands to prove it.
Understand how NTFS and share permissions combine on Windows file servers, why the most restrictive wins, inheritance, and the best-practice setup admins actually use.
Clients stuck on 169.254 addresses? Work through DHCP scope state, AD authorization, pool exhaustion, conflicts, relay/IP helper, and firewall to fix it fast.
Force AD replication on demand with repadmin /syncall /AdeP, replicate now in Sites and Services, and verify the result with repadmin /replsummary and /showrepl.
Pillar Guide
Step-by-step guide to installing the AD DS role on Windows Server 2022, promoting the first domain controller, setting functional levels, DNS, and verifying with dcdiag.
Retire an old domain controller without breaking your domain. Pre-checks, moving FSMO/GC/DNS/DHCP roles, graceful demotion, metadata cleanup, and DNS cleanup.
How to configure DNS on domain controllers the right way: partner-first then loopback, AD-integrated zones, forwarders, and how to avoid the DC islanding problem.
Protect your domain with a proper Active Directory system state backup. Learn wbadmin backups, DSRM, authoritative vs non-authoritative restore, and why snapshots aren't enough.
SYSVOL or NETLOGON missing on a domain controller? Learn to diagnose DFSR vs FRS, check the shares, and run authoritative or non-authoritative sync to recover.
Pillar Guide
Learn the 5 FSMO roles, when to transfer them gracefully vs seize them after a DC failure, and how to do both with ntdsutil and PowerShell — safely.
Set up NIC Teaming on Windows Server 2025 with PowerShell. Learn when to use LBFO, when Hyper-V needs SET, and how to avoid common network mistakes.
Pillar Guide
A practical, step-by-step guide to diagnosing and fixing Active Directory replication error 1722 — the RPC server is unavailable — from DNS to firewall to RPC ports.