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What I personally find great about TrainSignal videos is that the training is provided to you in multiple formats – .mp4 (video) and .mp3 (audio) for portable media players, PDFs, as well as DVD. Upload the portable formats to your favorite media player and learn on the road. Print out the PDFs if that’s a better learning style for you.

If you are used to vExpert David Davis training you on the vSphere videos, then you’ll be glad to know Certified Instructor, Benjamin “Coach” Culbertson (MCT, MCITP, MCTS, MCSA, MCDBA, CIW, A+, Net+, MOS) walks you through each 2008 R2 video in the same, easy to follow and learn TrainSignal style.

Check out the rest of this post for the 2008 R2 DVD Course outline and then browse through the many other technology training options from TrainSignal. Make your purchase and get the 2008 R2 DVD for free while the offer lasts! The 2008 R2 DVD is normally a $297 value. 

Windows Server 2008 R2 Training Course Outline

Video 1

Introduction

Of course we have to have an introduction video to let you know what’s in the course, what you can expect, and a little about your instructor.

• About Your Instructor
• About Train Signal
• Hardware Setup
• 64-bit
• Course Topic Overview

Video 2

New Active Directory Management Tools

In Server 2008, there are some fantastic new Active Directory tools that you’ll love. In this video we’ll take a look at some new tools that will make your life even easier as an administrator.

• The Active Directory Administrative Center
• The Best Practices Analyzer
• Download and Install Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT)
• Turn RSAT Features On
• Using RSAT from a Client
• Enable Remote Management of a Server

Video 3

The Active Directory Recycle Bin

The Active Directory Recycling Bin is a feature that’s been a long time coming, but in this current version of R2, it’s strictly a PowerShell tool. But don’t worry, you don’t have to learn a bunch of long commands, because I’ve included an easy-to-use PowerShell script file that you can use out-of-the-box to enable and use the Active Directory Recycling Bin TODAY (assuming you have a Server 2008 R2 functional level).

• Server 2008 R2 Domain Functional Level
• Installing Integrated PowerShell Editor
• Activating AD Recycling Bin
• Restoring a Deleted Account
• Finding Out Information About a Deleted Object
• Restoring a Deleted Organizational Unit

Video 4

New Group Policy in Server 2008 R2

Group Policy has had some cosmetic surgery done, and it looks pretty nice. But the enhancements are not just skin-deep. In this video, I’ll show you not only the enhancements to Group Policy interface, but also some of the new Group Policy features that will assist you in working with Windows 7.

• New Look, Nice Interface
• Super Easy Power Plan Preferences
• Internet Explorer 8 Preferences
• Starter GPOs

Video 5

Build an ASP.Net Application Server on Server Core

Building a lightweight, secure application server in Server 2008 was not possible with a Server Core installation, but in R2, we now have that capability. In this video, I show you how to build from scratch, an ASP.Net-enabled Server Core R2 server, complete with Remote Management and FTP.

• Configuring Server Core
• Configuring Remote Management on Server Core
• Opening and Editing Batch Script
• Installing IIS 7.5 and ASP.Net
• Connecting a Web Server to Server Core Machine
• Configuration Editor
• Setting Up FTP Site
• FTP Options and Settings
• Adding Files to the Server Core Machine
• What We Covered: Steps to Creating ASP.Net Application Server on Server Core

Video 6

Boot a Machine with a Virtual Hard Disk

Why oh why would you ever want to boot a server with a VHD? Well, creating images that play nice with your hardware, quickly and easily, can be a difficult task. Watch this video and discover the arcane secrets of booting up with VHD’s!

• Why Would You Use a Virtual Hard Drive?
• Easy VHD Boot Setup
• Copying a VHD to a Physical Machine
• Using and Editing VHDBoot Script
• Running the VHDBoot Script
• Deleting a VHD from the Physical Machine

Video 7

Hyper-V Dynamic Storage and Quick Switch Settings

Hyper-V in Server 2008 R2 has had some updates, and in this video I show you how easy it is add virtual storage to your virtual machine using virtual SCSI connectors. Yes, that’s a lot of virtualization!

• New Hyper-V Capabilities
• Hot Add/Remove Virtual SCSI Hard Disks

Video 8

Remote Desktop Services: Personal Virtual Desktops

Terminal Services is no more – long live Terminal Services! Actually, Terminal Services has been renamed Remote Desktop Services. In this video, I show you what I think is one of the coolest new features (and one of the hardest to set up!) of Remote Desktop Services – Personal Virtual Desktops!

• The Virtual Personal Desktop Concept
• What is a VDI?
• Install Remote Desktop Services Roles
• Install the Remote Desktop Virtualization Host Role
• Add the Desktop Experience Feature
• Prep the Windows 7 Client
• Turn On Remote Desktop on the Client
• Edit and Run the RDP Batch Script
• Edit the Client Registry
• Add a Firewall Exception
• Configure RD Connection Broker for Personal Desktops
• Assign a Personal Desktop to a User
• Add an RD Source in RD Web Access
• Discovering the RD Web Access URL
• Add Your RD Server to TS Web Access Computers
• Test Personal Desktop Access

Video 9

Hyper-V Clustering

Clustering has been updated to include the ability to add failover clustering to Hyper-V machines. That’s pretty cool, as long as you have the rather expensive hardware to make it happen. Yes, you can move Virtual Machines from one host to another without shutting down the VM, but only if you have a storage device that supports SCSI-3 Persistent Connections. Watch this video to get all the details on what you need for highly available Virtual Machines.

• What Does it Take to Build Highly Available Virtual Machines?
• Two Methods of Easy VM Migration
• What We Covered
• Bonus: Hyper-V Clustering Science Experiment
• Building Failover Clusters
• Setting Up for Hyper-V Clustering
• Attaching iSCSI Storage
• Validating Configuration
• Creating a Cluster
• Configuring Cluster Quorum Settings
• Creating Highly Available Virtual Machine
• Live and Quick Migration
• What We Covered (Bonus)

Video 10

AppLocker

Finally, an easy way to lock down which users can use which applications on the desktop. Yes, we’ve seen clunky Software Restriction Policies before, but AppLocker is an elegant and easy to implement solution that will have you back in control of your desktop applications in no time!

• The AppLocker GPO Setting
• Creating the OU
• Attaching a GPO to the OU
• Creating Default Rules
• Creating an AppLocker Rule
• Configuring Rule Enforcement
• Testing Our AppLocker Rule
• Creating a Local AppLocker Rule

Video 11

BranchCache

With all the issues surrounding branch offices, Microsoft has been hard at work to provide supporting tools for these scenarios. In this video I show you the steps to setting up a Cooperative Mode BranchCache solution for both your file servers and Clients.

• Life Without BranchCache
• The Cooperative BranchCache Method
• The Hosted BranchCache Method
• Hosted Method Demo
• Install the BranchCache Role Service
• Enabling the BranchCache via Local Group Policy
• Configure a GPO for Clients
• Turn On BranchCache on Clients
• Set BranchCache Distributed Mode
• Configure Windows Firewall for Clients
• Enable BranchCache on a Shared Folder

Video 12

Concept: Direct Access

VPN access without the hassles of VPN’s? Oh yes, it’s here! Direct Access is a feature we are going to see implemented far and wide for shops of all sizes that have mobile and remote users. In this video, I give you the run-down on the concepts behind Direct Access.

• The Advantages of Direct Access
• Components Needed for Direct Access
• The Secret Behind Direct Access

When vSphere was released, it was announced that VMware included the necessary .xml file to customize Server 2008 with vCenter 4, thus meaning that VM customization and 2008 Customization Specifications could be used out of the box without any manual modifications (i.e. adding Sysprep files to the designated vCenter directories). For a walk through of the vSphere Server 2008 deploy from template process with screen shots check out: How to Deploy a Windows 2008 Server From a Template with vSphere

However, in my experience so far creating Server 2008 templates and deploying new VMs the process doesn’t work quite right every time. When I’ve deployed a new Server 2008 VM from the template I’ve experienced an incomplete boot on the new VM. Windows prompts from the install DVD and suggests a recovery is needed. I’ve experienced this recently with 64 bit Server 2008, but I can’t recall if my previous issue was ever on a 32 bit server or not.

Fortunately the same work around for VI 3.5 still works for vSphere as well. Check out the link above for more details, but the basic process is as follows:

1. Build your Server 2008 VM until it’s ready to become a template
2. Before changing it to a template change the operating system type in the “Edit Settings” window to Vista 64 bit
3. Turn the VM into a template
4. Create a customization specification, and / or deploy and customize the new VM.
5. Before booting the new VM change the OS type back to Windows Server 2008

updated 081509 – I had the steps above slightly mixed. Fixed the steps so the OS type change occurs before the VM is converted to template