William R. Stanek - Windows Server 2012 R2 Pocket Consultant Storage, Security, & Networking

To my readersthank you for being there with me through many books and many years. It has been an honor and a privilege to be your pocket consultant.

To my wifefor many years, through many books, many millions of words, and many thousands of pages shes been there, providing support and encouragement and making every place weve lived a home.

To my kidsfor helping me see the world in new ways, for having exceptional patience and boundless love, and for making every day an adventure.

To Anne, Karen, Martin, Lucinda, Juliana, and many others whove helped out in ways both large and small.

Special thanks to my son Will for not only installing and managing my extensive dev lab for all my books since Windows 8 Pocket Consultant but for also performing check reads of all those books as well.

William R. Stanek

Windows Server 2012 R2 Pocket Consultant: Storage, Security, & Networking is designed to be a concise and compulsively usable resource for Windows administrators, developers, and programmers, and for anyone else who wants to use the storage, networking, and security features of Windows Server 2012 R2. This is the readable resource guide that youll want on your desk or in your pocket at all times. The book discusses everything you need to perform core tasks. Because the focus is directed on providing you with the maximum value in a pocket-sized guide, you dont have to wade through hundreds of pages of extraneous information to find what youre looking for. Instead, youll find exactly what you need to get the job done.

In short, the book is designed to be the one resource you consult whenever you have questions regarding storage, networking, and security in Windows Server 2012 R2. To this end, the book concentrates on configuration options, frequently used tasks, documented examples, and options that are representative but not necessarily inclusive. One of the goals is to keep the content so concise that the book remains compact and easy to navigate while ensuring that the book is packed with as much information as possiblemaking it a valuable resource.

Anyone transitioning to Windows Server 2012 R2 from Windows Server 2012 might be surprised at just how much has been updated, as changes both subtle and substantial have been made throughout the operating system. Like Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2 supports a touch user interface (UI), in addition to the traditional mouse and keyboard.

Although you might not install Windows Server 2012 R2 on touch UIcapable computers, you can manage Windows Server 2012 R2 from your touch UIcapable computers. If you do end up managing it this way, understanding the touch UI in addition to the revised interface options will be crucial to your success. For this reason, I discuss both the touch UI and the traditional mouse and keyboard techniques throughout this book.

When you are working with touch-enabled computers, you can manipulate on-screen elements in ways that werent possible previously. You can do any of the following:

You are also able to enter text using the on-screen keyboard. Although the UI changes are substantial, they arent the most significant changes to the operating system. The most significant changes are below the surface, affecting the underlying architecture and providing many new features. Some of these features are revolutionary in that they forever change the way we use Windows.

As youve probably noticed, a great deal of information about Windows Server 2012 R2 is available on the Web and in other printed books. You can find tutorials, reference sites, discussion groups, and more to make using Windows Server 2012 R2 easier. However, the advantage of reading this book is that much of the information you need to learn about Windows Server 2012 R2 is organized in one place and presented in a straightforward and orderly fashion. This book has everything you need to customize Windows Server 2012 R2 installations, master Windows Server 2012 R2 configurations, and maintain Windows Server 2012 R2 servers.

In this book, I teach you how features work, why they work the way they do, and how to customize them to meet your needs. I also offer specific examples of how certain features can meet your needs, and how you can use other features to troubleshoot and resolve issues you might have. In addition, this book provides tips, best practices, and examples of how to optimize Windows Server 2012 R2. This book wont just teach you how to configure Windows Server 2012 R2, it will teach you how to squeeze every last bit of power out of it and make the most from the features and options it includes.

Unlike many other books about managing Windows Server 2012 R2, this book doesnt focus on a specific user level. This isnt a lightweight beginner book. Regardless of whether you are a beginning administrator or a seasoned professional, many of the concepts in this book will be valuable to you, and you can apply them to your Windows Server 2012 R2 installations.