Learning - Server 2003 for Dummies? Active Directory?

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Hallis

Supreme [H]ardness
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I'm looking to pick up something to help me learn Windows Server 2003. I'd like to set up a domain controller with Active Directory on my home network, complete with Roaming Profiles, group policies, etc.

I will eventually transition into Server 2008R2 eventually but Ive got some hardware that came with Server 2003 on it so I'd like to start there, A lot of the servers where I work are still running 2k3 anyway so it seemed like there's still some good in learning it.

I'm looking for a good start to some training material but there are about eleventy-billion books, sites, etc. out there so I wanted to get some advice from learned individuals on the best place to start.

Edit for clarity: I've got a box running Server 2003. With a hidden recovery pertition and everything. So I DON'T need to run this on a VM of any kind. The machine has 4x ethernet ports so it's ready to go.

Thanks,

Shane
 
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Hallis said:
But ive already got hardware with 2003 Server on it..
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then start playing :) Or load it up with ram, and do some vm ware, If you have a decent laptop/desktop put vm ware on it and learn 2003server.
 
dashpuppy said:
then start playing :) Or load it up with ram, and do some vm ware, If you have a decent laptop/desktop put vm ware on it and learn 2003server.
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usually "just playing" leads to me fucking something up along the way and having to start over from scratch after beating my head against it all afternoon. I need some resources to lead me in a proper direction so i can learn how to do it the correct way rather than trial and error.
 
Hallis said:
usually "just playing" leads to me fucking something up along the way and having to start over from scratch after beating my head against it all afternoon. I need some resources to lead me in a proper direction so i can learn how to do it the correct way rather than trial and error.
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sometimes fucking shit up is the only way to learn, thats why i suggested hyperv or vmware, that way if you fuck it up you just setup a new one.
 
I picked up the 70-640 book and just started reading it and doing the exercises. I've learnt quite a lot about AD that way.
 
Hallis said:
usually "just playing" leads to me fucking something up along the way and having to start over from scratch after beating my head against it all afternoon. I need some resources to lead me in a proper direction so i can learn how to do it the correct way rather than trial and error.
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This is where something like VMWare comes in where you can set snapshots to right before you start messing with things and if you screw something up major and can't fix it, you can go back to a snapshot just like in Windows where you can do a system restore.
 
Nocturnal said:
This is where something like VMWare comes in where you can set snapshots to right before you start messing with things and if you screw something up major and can't fix it, you can go back to a snapshot just like in Windows where you can do a system restore.
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exactly what i was saying, but you said it better. :)

Learning and breaking, then fixing is a great way to improve your windows skills. Especially when you don't loose money doing it.
 
Hallis said:
usually "just playing" leads to me fucking something up along the way and having to start over from scratch after beating my head against it all afternoon. I need some resources to lead me in a proper direction so i can learn how to do it the correct way rather than trial and error.
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That's how you learn man, break it and then fix it!

Personally, I would setup the box with esxi (piece of piss) and install a virtual 2003 server on there and then maybe an XP client depending on what kind of hardware you have.

Creating a small virtual network environment allowing you to learn and break to your hearts content :)
 
I'll look into it. This server has a recovery pertition on it so it's bloddy easy to blow it away. I may get the VHD and check out the snapshot feature. I've got VMware Server that i could install on another machine. I just need to set up WinXP on something as a test client.
 
I'd also look into learning 2008. With the growing popularity of Windows 7 you'll probably start seeing it more. It's to 2003 what Vista/7 is to XP. It's a little different but all your knowledge will translate.
 
The method of learning depends on the individual - people learn better using different methods. 70-640 is a good place to start with AD although this exam is specifically aimed at 2008. If you're learning a lot from this book, it may be worth grabbing either the TrainSignal or CBT Nuggets video series on the 70-640 exam.

Personally I use VMWare ESXi or vSphere Hypervisor as I think it's called now for learning purposes - if you want to learn AD then you are going to need more than one server to play with (Virtual or Physical). I think I had 3 VM's for this course.

You don't have to use ESXi, you can simply install VMWare Server on your machine if you want to go that route.

Also, to stay legal I would subscribe to Technet as this is the cheapest way to obtain legal licenses for all Microsoft products. There are various discount codes available if you search on Google.

Hope this helps.
 
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