Branch Office: Thought Process - some considerations from the field

jeffl — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

While choosing a branch office solution, you have to address various issues, such as security, data replication, minimal IT capabilities, hardware costs, unauthorized physical access, and unwanted changes to Active Directory.

The following bulleted list discusses the points above and highlights the solutions to address the concerns. (Source:MSL 89-389)

Security
- In case the security at the branch office is your major concern, you should use the Server Core installation option of the Windows Server 2008 operating system and install , RODCs, Server Message Block (SMB) 2.0, and BitLocker Drive Encryption. Server core offers a reduced attack surface because of the limited number of services which are running on the box.
Replication between sites
- If you need to tightly control replication between sites due to WAN links, you should install RODCs.
Minimal IT administration capabilities
- If you have minimal IT administration capabilities, you should have a Server Core installation and install RODCs to minimize administration requirements.
Hardware costs
- If you have to minimize hardware costs at each branch office, you should consider server virtualization.
Unauthorized physical access to servers
- If you have limited capabilities to control the physical access to servers at a branch office, you should use BitLocker Drive Encryption to protect the system against data theft.
Unwanted changes to Active Directory
- If you want to prevent unwanted changes from being made to Active Directory, you should use RODCs to prevent any updates to Active Directory.

The preceding points were some consdierations from the field when choose Branch office solutions.

Jeff Loucks
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Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 Download Location

jeffl — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 Download Location:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7d2f6ad7-656b-4313-a005-4e344e43997d&displaylang=en

Brief Description
Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows® 7 enables IT administrators to manage roles and features that are installed on computers that are running Windows Server® 2008 R2, Windows Server® 2008, or Windows Server® 2003, from a remote computer that is running Windows 7.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7; Windows Server 2003; Windows Server 2008; Windows Server 2008 R2

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 can be installed on computers that are running the Enterprise, Professional, or Ultimate editions of Windows 7.

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 runs on both x86- and x64-based editions of Windows 7, and can be used to manage roles and features that are running on either the Server Core or full installation options of the x64-based Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system. Remote management is also supported for some roles and features that run on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003.

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 should not be installed on a computer that is running the Windows Server 2003 Administration Tools Pack or Windows 2000 Server® Administration Tools Pack. Remove all versions of Administration Tools Pack or Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows Vista SP1 from the computer before you install Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7.

Only one copy at a time of Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 can be installed on a computer. Before you install a new package, remove any existing copies of Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7. This includes any copies that are in different languages.

For detailed information about the tools available in Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7, and the supported operating systems at which they can be targeted, see Knowledge Base article 958830.

It was hard to find so I hope this makes it easier for you.

Jeff Loucks
Available Technology

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Branch Office: Thought Process - some considerations from the field

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 Download Location

System Requirements