Windows
Dishan Francis
Active Directory (AD) is a centralized and standardized system that automates networked management of user data, security, and distributed resources and enables inter-operation with other directories. This book will first help you brush up on the AD architecture and fundamentals, before guiding you through core components, such as sites, trust relationships, objects, and attributes. You will then explore AD schemas, LDAP, RMS, and security best practices to understand objects and components and how they can be used effectively. Next, the book will provide extensive coverage of AD Domain Services and Federation Services for Windows Server 2016, and help you explore their new features. Furthermore, you will learn to manage your identity infrastructure for a hybrid cloud setup. All this will help you design, plan, deploy, manage operations, and troubleshoot your enterprise identity infrastructure in a secure and effective manner. You’ll later discover Azure AD Module, and learn to automate administrative tasks using PowerShell cmdlets. All along, this updated second edition will cover content based on the latest version of Active Directory, PowerShell 5.1 and LDAP. By the end of this book, you’ll be well versed with best practices and troubleshooting techniques for improving security and performance in identity infrastructures.
Dishan Francis
Mastering Active Directory, Third Edition is a comprehensive guide for Information Technology professionals looking to improve their knowledge about MS Windows Active Directory Domain Service. The book will help you to use identity elements effectively and manage your organization’s infrastructure in a secure and efficient way. This third edition has been fully updated to reflect the importance of cloud-based strong authentication and other tactics to protect identity infrastructure from emerging security threats.Mastering Active Directory, Third Edition provides extensive coverage of AD Domain Services and helps you explore their capabilities as you update to Windows Server 2022. This book will also teach you how to extend on-premises identity presence to cloud via Azure AD hybrid setup. By the end of this Microsoft Active Directory book, you’ll feel confident in your ability to design, plan, deploy, protect, and troubleshoot your enterprise identity infrastructure.
Dishan Francis
Active Directory is a centralized and standardized system that automates networked management of user data, security, and distributed resources and enables interoperation with other directories. If you are aware of Active Directory basics and want to gain expertise in it, this book is perfect for you. We will quickly go through the architecture and fundamentals of Active Directory and then dive deep into the core components, such as forests, domains, sites, trust relationships, OU, objects, attributes, DNS, and replication. We will then move on to AD schemas, global catalogs, LDAP, RODC, RMS, certificate authorities, group policies, and security best practices, which will help you gain a better understanding of objects and components and how they can be used effectively. We will also cover AD Domain Services and Federation Services for Windows Server 2016 and all their new features. Last but not least, you will learn how to manage your identity infrastructure for a hybrid-cloud setup. All this will help you design, plan, deploy, manage operations on, and troubleshoot your enterprise identity infrastructure in a secure, effective manner. Furthermore, I will guide you through automating administrative tasks using PowerShell cmdlets. Toward the end of the book, we will cover best practices and troubleshooting techniques that can be used to improve security and performance in an identity infrastructure.
Mastering Ceph. Infrastructure storage solutions with the latest Ceph release - Second Edition
Nick Fisk
Ceph is an open source distributed storage system that is scalable to Exabyte deployments. This second edition of Mastering Ceph takes you a step closer to becoming an expert on Ceph.You’ll get started by understanding the design goals and planning steps that should be undertaken to ensure successful deployments. In the next sections, you’ll be guided through setting up and deploying the Ceph cluster with the help of orchestration tools. This will allow you to witness Ceph’s scalability, erasure coding (data protective) mechanism, and automated data backup features on multiple servers. You’ll then discover more about the key areas of Ceph including BlueStore, erasure coding and cache tiering with the help of examples. Next, you’ll also learn some of the ways to export Ceph into non-native environments and understand some of the pitfalls that you may encounter. The book features a section on tuning that will take you through the process of optimizing both Ceph and its supporting infrastructure. You’ll also learn to develop applications, which use Librados and distributed computations with shared object classes. Toward the concluding chapters, you’ll learn to troubleshoot issues and handle various scenarios where Ceph is not likely to recover on its own.By the end of this book, you’ll be able to master storage management with Ceph and generate solutions for managing your infrastructure.
Michael D. Smith
Mastering Docker on Windows is your comprehensive guide to deploying, securing, and scaling containers in enterprise-grade Windows environments. Tailored for developers, DevOps engineers, and IT professionals, this book dives deep into Docker’s advanced features, focusing on Windows 11.Starting with installation and setup, you’ll learn how to manage images, networks, and volumes on Windows. The book explores multi-container orchestration with Docker Compose, container security best practices, and performance optimization techniques to ensure your applications run efficiently and securely in production.You’ll also explore advanced topics such as running Docker in hybrid cloud environments and deploying AI/ML models using the Docker GenAI stack. Through practical examples and step-by-step tutorials, you’ll gain the skills to troubleshoot, monitor, and fine-tune Docker environments at scale. Throughout the book, you’ll build and evolve a small but realistic application stack that carries across chapters.Whether you're modernizing enterprise Windows workloads or building scalable, cloud-native applications, this book provides hands-on strategies and expert insights to help you master Docker on Windows. It’s ideal for readers with basic Docker experience who want to elevate their skills for real-world, enterprise success.
Chris Dent
PowerShell scripts offer a convenient way to automate various tasks, but working with them can be daunting. Mastering PowerShell Scripting takes away the fear and helps you navigate through PowerShell's capabilities.This extensively revised edition includes new chapters on debugging and troubleshooting and creating GUIs (online chapter). Learn the new features of PowerShell 7.1 by working with parameters, objects, and .NET classes from within PowerShell 7.1.This comprehensive guide starts with the basics before moving on to advanced topics, including asynchronous processing, desired state configuration, using more complex scripts and filters, debugging issues, and error-handling techniques. Explore how to efficiently manage substantial amounts of data and interact with other services using PowerShell 7.1. This book will help you to make the most of PowerShell's automation features, using different methods to parse data, manipulate regular expressions, and work with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
Chris Dent
Mastering PowerShell Scripting, Fifth Edition, is your comprehensive guide to harnessing PowerShell’s full potential. This edition introduces new chapters on debugging, troubleshooting, and creating GUIs while covering the latest enhancements in PowerShell 7.3, including parameters, objects, and .NET classes.The book takes you from foundational concepts to advanced techniques, covering asynchronous processing, desired state configuration, and managing large datasets. You'll explore PowerShell’s automation features, error-handling strategies, and integration with external services. Additionally, this guide provides practical insights into working with regular expressions, Windows Management Instrumentation, and complex scripting methods.By the end of this book, you’ll have the skills to efficiently automate tasks, troubleshoot scripts, and leverage PowerShell’s advanced capabilities for real-world scenarios.Be sure to explore the online bonus chapters 8, 9, and 20, where we dive into Strings, Numbers, and Dates, Regular Expressions, and Building Modules.
Christiaan Brinkhoff, Sandeep Patnaik, Morten Pedholt, Scott...
Windows 365 Cloud PC continues to evolve, integrating AI-driven management, enhanced security, and expanded capabilities to provide a seamless cloud-based Windows experience. This second edition builds on the foundation of the first, incorporating new content on Intune Suite, Copilot+ AI PCs, Windows App, and advanced security with Security Copilot to help IT professionals deploy, manage, and optimize Windows 365 Cloud PCs effectively.This edition expands beyond the basics, covering Intune Suite’s role in optimizing and securing deployments, new methods for application management and delivery, and insights into Windows 365 Link for hybrid cloud environments. You’ll also explore AI-powered administration with Security Copilot, providing intelligent security management and automation.Written by experts from the Windows 365 product team and a Microsoft MVP, this book provides practical guidance, best practices, and real-world insights to help you master modern Windows cloud management. Whether you’re working with Windows 365, Intune Suite, or AI-powered administration, this guide equips you with the latest tools and strategies to stay ahead in cloud computing.
Christiaan Brinkhoff, Sandeep Patnaik, Morten Pedholt, Panos...
Written by experts from the Windows 365 product group and a seasoned Microsoft MVP, this book offers a unique perspective on the features, functionality, and best practices of Windows 365. Drawing from their extensive professional experience and insight, the authors provide invaluable knowledge for those eager to learn about the next generation of cloud computing. Get ready to gain deep insights into this cutting-edge technology from industry insiders.Mastering Windows 365 starts by covering the fundamentals of Windows 365, helping you gain a deep understanding of deployment, management, access, security, analysis, and extensions with partner solutions. As you progress, you’ll explore the different connectivity layers and options to optimize your network connectivity from the endpoint to your Cloud PC. You’ll also learn how to manage a Cloud PC via the Microsoft Intune admin center successfully and experience how Windows and Windows 365 come together to provide new integrated experiences with Windows 11. In addition, this book will help you prepare for the new MD-102 Endpoint Administrator Exam, enhancing your career prospects.By the end of this book, you will be able to successfully plan, set up, and deploy Windows 365 Cloud PCs.
Jordan Krause
This book begins with a discussion of the core material any administrator needs to know in order to start working with Group Policy. Moving on, we will also walk through the process of building a lab environment to start testing Group Policy today. Next we will explore the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) and start using the powerful features available for us within that interface. Once you are well versed with using GPMC, you will learn to perform and manage the traditional core tasks inside Group Policy. Included in the book are many examples and walk-throughs of the different filtering options available for the application of Group Policy settings, as this is the real power that Group Policy holds within your network. You will also learn how you can use Group Policy to secure your Active Directory environment, and also understand how Group Policy preferences are different than policies, with the help of real-world examples. Finally we will spend some time on maintenance and troubleshooting common Group Policy-related issues so that you, as a directory administrator, will understand the diagnosing process for policy settings.By the end of the book, you will be able to jump right in and use Group Policy to its full potential.
Jordan Krause
This book begins with a discussion of the core material any administrator needs to know in order to start working with Group Policy. Moving on, we will also walk through the process of building a lab environment to start testing Group Policy today. Next we will explore the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) and start using the powerful features available for us within that interface. Once you are well versed with using GPMC, you will learn to perform and manage the traditional core tasks inside Group Policy. Included in the book are many examples and walk-throughs of the different filtering options available for the application of Group Policy settings, as this is the real power that Group Policy holds within your network. You will also learn how you can use Group Policy to secure your Active Directory environment, and also understand how Group Policy preferences are different than policies, with the help of real-world examples. Finally we will spend some time on maintenance and troubleshooting common Group Policy-related issues so that you, as a directory administrator, will understand the diagnosing process for policy settings.By the end of the book, you will be able to jump right in and use Group Policy to its full potential.
Chris Dent
PowerShell scripts offer a handy way to automate various chores, however working effectively with these scripts can be a difficult task.This comprehensive guide starts with the fundamentals before moving on to advanced-level topics to help you become a PowerShell Core 6.0 expert. The first module, PowerShell Core 6.0 Fundamentals, begins with the new features of PowerShell Core 6.0, installing it on Linux, and working with parameters, objects and .NET classes from within PowerShell Core 6.0. As you make your way through the chapters, you'll see how to efficiently manage large amounts of data and interact with other services using PowerShell Core 6.0. You'll be able to make the most of PowerShell Core 6.0's powerful automation feature, where you will have different methods available to parse data and manipulate regular expressions and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). After having explored automation, you will enter the extending PowerShell Core 6.0 module, covering asynchronous processing and desired state configuration. In the last module, you will learn to extend PowerShell Core 6.0 using advanced scripts and filters, and also debug issues along with working on error handling techniques.By the end of this book, you will be an expert in scripting with PowerShell Core 6.0.
Chris Dent
PowerShell scripts offer a handy way to automate various chores. Working with these scripts effectively can be a difficult task.This comprehensive guide starts from scratch and covers advanced-level topics to make you a PowerShell expert. The first module, PowerShell Fundamentals, begins with new features, installing PowerShell on Linux, working with parameters and objects, and also how you can work with .NET classes from within PowerShell. In the next module, you’ll see how to efficiently manage large amounts of data and interact with other services using PowerShell. You’ll be able to make the most of PowerShell’s powerful automation feature, where you will have different methods to parse and manipulate data, regular expressions, and WMI.After automation, you will enter the Extending PowerShell module, which covers topics such as asynchronous processing and, creating modules. The final step is to secure your PowerShell, so you will land in the last module, Securing and Debugging PowerShell, which covers PowerShell execution policies, error handling techniques, and testing. By the end of the book, you will be an expert in using the PowerShell language.
Chris Dent
PowerShell scripts offer a handy way to automate various chores. Working with these scripts effectively can be a difficult task.This comprehensive guide starts from scratch and covers advanced-level topics to make you a PowerShell expert. The first module, PowerShell Fundamentals, begins with new features, installing PowerShell on Linux, working with parameters and objects, and also how you can work with .NET classes from within PowerShell. In the next module, you’ll see how to efficiently manage large amounts of data and interact with other services using PowerShell. You’ll be able to make the most of PowerShell’s powerful automation feature, where you will have different methods to parse and manipulate data, regular expressions, and WMI.After automation, you will enter the Extending PowerShell module, which covers topics such as asynchronous processing and, creating modules. The final step is to secure your PowerShell, so you will land in the last module, Securing and Debugging PowerShell, which covers PowerShell execution policies, error handling techniques, and testing. By the end of the book, you will be an expert in using the PowerShell language.
Sheridan Yuen
Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) provides a rich set of libraries and APIs for developers to create engaging user experiences. This book features a wide range of examples, from simple to complex, to demonstrate how to develop enterprise-grade applications with WPF.This updated second edition of Mastering Windows Presentation Foundation starts by introducing the benefits of using the Model-View-View Model (MVVM) software architectural pattern with WPF, then moves on, to explain how best to debug our WPF applications. It explores application architecture, and we learn how to build the foundation layer of our applications.It then demonstrates data binding in detail, and examines the various built-in WPF controls and a variety of ways in which we can customize them to suit our requirements. We then investigate how to create custom controls, for when the built-in functionality in WPF cannot be adapted for our needs.The latter half of the book deals with polishing our applications, using practical animations, stunning visuals and responsive data validation. It then moves on, to look at improving application performance, and ends with tutorials on several methods of deploying our applications.
Mark Dunkerley, Matt Tumbarello
Are you looking for effective ways to protect Windows-based systems from being compromised by unauthorized users?Mastering Windows Security and Hardening is a detailed guide that helps you gain expertise when implementing efficient security measures and creating robust defense solutions.We will begin with an introduction to Windows security fundamentals, baselining, and the importance of building a baseline for an organization. As you advance, you will learn how to effectively secure and harden your Windows-based system, protect identities, and even manage access. In the concluding chapters, the book will take you through testing, monitoring, and security operations. In addition to this, you’ll be equipped with the tools you need to ensure compliance and continuous monitoring through security operations.By the end of this book, you’ll have developed a full understanding of the processes and tools involved in securing and hardening your Windows environment.
Jordan Krause
Written by a nine-time Microsoft MVP award winner with over twenty years of experience working in IT, Mastering Windows Server 2019 is a hands-on guide for anyone looking to keep their skills up to date.This third edition comes with four new chapters to provide you with the in-depth knowledge needed to implement and use this operating system in any environment.Centralized management, monitoring, and configuration of servers are key to an efficient IT department.This book delves into multiple methods for quickly managing all your servers from a ‘single pane of glass' — the ability to monitor different servers across a network using Server Manager, Windows PowerShell, and even Windows Admin Center — from anywhere. Despite the focus on Windows Server 2019 LTSC, you will still explore containers and Nano Server, which are more related to the SAC of server releases. This additional coverage will give you insights into all aspects of using Windows Server 2019 in your environment.This book covers a range of remote access technologies available in this operating system, teaches management of PKI and certificates, and empowers you to virtualize your datacenter with Hyper-V. You will also discover the tools and software included with Windows Server 2019 that assist in the inevitable troubleshooting of problems that crop up.