Windows Server Administrator Course

Lesson 1 • Server Manager and Administrative Tools

Introduces Server Manager, MMC snap-ins, and remote management consoles. Establishes the primary toolset used throughout all subsequent administrative tasks.

Lesson 2 • Windows Server Editions and Licensing

Covers Standard, Datacenter, and Essentials editions with feature differences and licensing models. Connects edition selection to real deployment cost and capability decisions.

Lesson 3 • Server Hardware and Component Overview

Examines CPU, RAM, storage, and NIC requirements for server workloads. Establishes hardware literacy needed for sizing and procurement decisions.

Lesson 4 • Windows Server Architecture Internals

Explains kernel mode, user mode, HAL, and the Windows subsystem model. Provides the conceptual framework for understanding service behaviour and troubleshooting.

Lesson 1 • DNS Server Configuration and Zones

Teaches forward and reverse lookup zones, record types, and zone replication. DNS is the naming backbone for Active Directory and all network services.

Lesson 2 • Network Troubleshooting Tools and Techniques

Applies ping, tracert, nslookup, netstat, and Wireshark to diagnose connectivity issues. Reinforces all networking concepts through practical diagnostic workflows.

Lesson 3 • Network Policy and Routing Basics

Introduces static routing, NAT, and the Routing and Remote Access Service role. Builds routing knowledge needed for multi-subnet and remote access scenarios.

Lesson 4 • DHCP Server Deployment and Management

Covers DHCP scope creation, reservations, options, and failover configuration. Ensures students can provide reliable automatic addressing across network segments.

Lesson 1 • AD DS Concepts and Forest Structure

Explains forests, domains, trees, OUs, and the global catalog role. Establishes the logical model students must understand before deploying any domain controller.

Lesson 2 • Deploying Domain Controllers

Covers promoting a server to domain controller, FSMO roles, and read-only DCs. Students gain hands-on ability to build and expand a domain infrastructure.

Lesson 3 • AD DS Replication and Sites

Explains site topology, site links, and replication schedules for multi-site environments. Ensures students can optimise AD replication across geographically distributed networks.

Lesson 4 • Group Policy Objects and Application

Configures GPOs for desktop settings, security baselines, and software deployment. GPO mastery is essential for enforcing consistent configurations across the domain.

Lesson 1 • File Server and Share Configuration

Deploys SMB shares, share permissions, and the File Server Resource Manager role. Students can create and secure shared storage for domain users and groups.

Lesson 2 • Disk and Volume Management

Covers MBR vs. GPT, basic vs. dynamic disks, and volume creation with Disk Management. Provides the storage foundation required before deploying any file or application service.

Lesson 3 • Storage Spaces and RAID Configurations

Teaches Storage Spaces pools, virtual disks, and parity/mirror resiliency options. Enables students to build software-defined storage with fault tolerance on commodity hardware.

Lesson 4 • NTFS and ReFS Permissions

Explains NTFS permission inheritance, explicit vs. inherited permissions, and ReFS advantages. Correct permission configuration is critical for data security and compliance.

Lesson 1 • Virtual Networking in Hyper-V

Configures external, internal, and private virtual switches and NIC teaming. Proper virtual networking is essential for VM connectivity and network isolation.

Lesson 2 • Hyper-V Architecture and Installation

Explains Type-1 hypervisor architecture, hardware requirements, and Hyper-V role installation. Establishes the virtualisation platform used in all subsequent VM management tasks.

Lesson 3 • Snapshots, Checkpoints, and VM Mobility

Teaches production checkpoints, export/import, and live migration between hosts. These capabilities enable flexible VM lifecycle management and workload mobility.

Lesson 4 • Hyper-V High Availability and Replication

Configures Hyper-V Replica and Failover Clustering for VM resilience. Students can protect VMs against host failure using built-in Windows Server HA features.

Lesson 1 • User Authentication and Credential Protection

Covers Kerberos, NTLM, Protected Users group, and Credential Guard. Strengthening authentication prevents credential theft and lateral movement attacks.

Lesson 2 • Active Directory Certificate Services

Deploys a standalone and enterprise CA, issues certificates, and manages revocation. PKI infrastructure underpins secure communications, smart card auth, and HTTPS services.

Lesson 3 • Auditing, Logging, and Security Monitoring

Configures advanced audit policies, Windows Event Forwarding, and log retention. Audit trails are essential for detecting incidents and meeting compliance requirements.

Lesson 4 • Server Hardening and Security Baselines

Applies security baselines, disables unnecessary services, and configures Windows Firewall. Hardening reduces the attack surface before any server is placed in production.

Lesson 1 • VPN Deployment with RRAS

Configures PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, SSTP, and IKEv2 VPN protocols using RRAS. Students can provide encrypted remote access for mobile and branch office users.

Lesson 2 • Web Application Proxy and Reverse Proxy

Deploys Web Application Proxy for pre-authentication and reverse proxy publishing. Enables secure external access to internal web applications without exposing servers directly.

Lesson 3 • IIS Installation and Site Configuration

Installs IIS, creates websites, configures application pools, and manages bindings. IIS is the primary web hosting platform for internal and external Windows Server applications.

Lesson 4 • IIS Security and SSL/TLS Configuration

Binds SSL/TLS certificates, configures authentication methods, and applies request filtering. Securing IIS prevents unauthorised access and protects data in transit.

Lesson 1 • Performance Monitoring and Baselines

Uses Performance Monitor, Resource Monitor, and data collector sets to establish baselines. Baselines enable early detection of degradation before it impacts production services.

Lesson 2 • Disaster Recovery Planning and Testing

Develops RTO/RPO objectives, recovery runbooks, and tests restore procedures. A tested DR plan ensures predictable recovery when production failures occur.

Lesson 3 • Event Log Management and Alerting

Configures event subscriptions, custom views, and task-based alerts in Event Viewer. Proactive alerting reduces mean time to detect and respond to server issues.

Lesson 4 • Failover Clustering and High Availability

Configures Failover Clustering for file servers, VMs, and SQL workloads. Clustering eliminates single points of failure for mission-critical Windows Server services.