Microsoft Windows

A couple of weeks ago I taught a Windows Server 2012 deep dive in Copenhagen. One of the first things I asked attendees was what tool they would use to install a feature on 50 new servers running Windows Server 2012. After thinking about it, everyone answered that they’d turn on Remote Desktop and use RDP to remotely connect to each server to perform their admin tasks. This isn't a bad answer. It's exactly how you'd do it if you were running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008. However, if your first step when setting up a server running Windows Server 2012 is to turn on Remote Desktop, then you don’t "get" the Windows Server 2012 Server Manager. Sysadmins have a mental toolkit. This toolkit hosts the tools and techniques we use for solving particular problems. One reason that experienced admins are paid more than those new to the industry is that we have a larger toolkit. We know how to solve more problems and perform more tasks because we've built a mental solutions toolkit after dealing with these things over the course of our career. It's part of human nature that if we come up with a technique that works reliably, we'll stick with it. Because we're happy that the tool works, we might not notice that a new tool has come along that makes the task easier and faster. This is especially true with problem solving tools. When you are under pressure dealing with a critical problem, you don't want to faff about trying something new. You go with a tool you know works. It isn't so much "if you have a hammer all problems look like nails", it's more "last time I had to deal with a nail, the hammer did the trick, so I'll do that again". When it comes to Windows Server 2012, all administrators are going to notice that the Server Manager console is substantially different to what it was in Windows Server 2008. Even though you notice that change, like my students in Copenhagen, most of you are going to keep doing things the way tha

byOrin Thomas