Software Updates and Compliance Management in Microsoft Windows Server 2008
Overview/Description Target Audience Prerequisites Expected Duration Lesson Objectives Course Number Overview/Description
One aspect that should not be overlooked when planning an infrastructure is the requirement for patch management and system compliance. Enterprise administrators must be aware of the approaches and tools that are available to them before recommending a software update plan. They also have to understand those tools before designing a strategy for software and system configuration compliance. This course examines the importance of patch management and the use of Windows-incorporated tools, such as Windows Update and Microsoft Update, in keeping client system operating systems and software up to date. Also showcased is Microsoft's Windows Server Update Services product, which enterprise administrators may recommend for the large scale, centralized update management approach required by enterprise networks. The course also addresses the need for enforcing and auditing system configuration and software compliance based on company policies. It covers auditing methods, such as the use of baselines and Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), and the use of the GPOAccelerator Tool to ensure enforcement of Group Policy settings, as well as an advanced range of software update and configuration compliance features provided by Microsoft's System Center product series. This course covers the objectives for Microsoft exam 70-647 PRO: Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator. Passing the prerequisite MCTS exams and this Professional Series exam completes the requirements for the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator certification.
Target Audience
Windows Server administrators who are rolling out and supporting Windows Server 2008 in the enterprise; Windows Server administrators who manage infrastructure, web, and IT application servers for an enterprise organization; individuals seeking certification on Microsoft’s new generation server platform.
Prerequisites
As an exam prerequisite, any candidate should have a minimum of one year of experience implementing and administering a network operating system in an environment that has the following characteristics:
• 250 to 5,000 or more users
• three or more physical locations
• three or more domain controllers
• network services and resources such as messaging, a database, file and print, a proxy server, a firewall, the Internet, an intranet, remote access, and client computer management
• connectivity requirements such as connecting branch offices and individual users in remote locations to the corporate network and connecting corporate networks to the Internet
As an exam prerequisite, any candidate should have taken and passed the following MCTS level exams:
70-640: TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring
70-642: TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
70-643: TS: Windows Server 2008 Application Infrastructure, Configuring