The following is a list of Active Directory Domain Services modules on Microsoft Learn sorted from introductory to advanced. Is there an Active Directory topic that isn’t listed here that you’d like to see covered? (AD CS modules are coming). If you know all this, remember we have the free 45 minute practical Active Directory […]
Active Directory Domain Services modules on Microsoft Learn Continue Reading
Overview Microsoft HPC Pack is a Windows‑based high‑performance computing (HPC) scheduler that enables customers to deploy, manage, and operate HPC workloads in on‑premises and hybrid environments. Since its original release, HPC Pack has supported a range of Windows‑centric HPC scenarios, including job scheduling, workload orchestration, and integration with Windows Server–based technologies. Microsoft is announcing the
If you’ve been building local prototypes, internal tools, web backends, or lightweight services on SQL Server Express, you know the routine: it’s free, familiar, and gets the job done – until you hit hardware limits or spend weekends manual backup scripts and handling OS patches. Learn how to upgrade from SQL Server Express to Azure
Outgrowing SQL Server Express? Upgrade to Azure SQL Database Free Tier in 3 Steps Continue Reading
**Disclaimer:** This is an independent, self-built project and is not an official Microsoft tool or service. It reads public security-update data and is intended as an educational example of building an MCP server, hosting it responsibly on Azure, and evaluating an agent workflow with Microsoft Foundry. By Jon Butler The monthly Patch Tuesday question Every
In this post I go over some tools and techniques exist for hardening Windows Server. As always, apply controls according to the server’s role, test them against representative workloads before production rollout, document approved exceptions, and maintain tested console and recovery access in case a security control affects management or application compatibility. Apply the role-specific
Some tools and techniques for hardening Windows Server Continue Reading
Microsoft has released Windows Server vNext Preview Build 29621, and one feature stands out as a major step forward for on‑premises virtualization security: Trusted Launch for Generation 2 virtual machines. This capability, long familiar to Azure users, is now arriving in Windows Server for local Hyper‑V environments. What Trusted Launch Brings to Windows Server Trusted
Trusted Launch for virtual machines on Windows Server Insider Preview Continue Reading
Why This Day Matters July 14, 2026 marks the end of Extended Support for SQL Server 2016. After today, organizations running SQL Server 2016 will no longer receive security updates, non-security hotfixes, or product support unless they have a specific support strategy in place. As a Customer Engineer, I’ve spent years helping customers navigate technology
If your AVD environment is built entirely on cloud-only or external Entra ID identities — no on-prem AD, no Entra Domain Services — you can still give users FSLogix roaming profiles on Azure Files. Microsoft Entra Kerberos handles the ticket issuance, so the storage account can authenticate users over SMB without any line-of-sight to a
Installing Windows Server Insider vNext Build 29602 Quick Machine Recovery in Windows Server Insider Preview Build 29602: A Deep Dive In-to Microsoft’s New Resiliency Engine Windows Server vNext continues to push forward with features that strengthen reliability and reduce operational overhead. In Insider Preview Build 29602, the standout innovation is unquestionably Quick Machine Recovery (QMR)
Windows Server vNext Insider Preview Build 29602 and QMR Continue Reading
Laps for Azure Arc Hear from Windows Server product leaders on recent innovations and updates in Windows Server 2025, hybrid and multi-cloud scenarios enabled by Azure Arc, and best practices and real‑world considerations to help you run a more secure, resilient, and modern cloud-to-edge infrastructure Innovation of Windows Server Hyper-V Windows Server & Hyper‑V: Key
