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Windows Server Backup is built-in to Windows Server 2008 R2 and allows you to back up a full server, a selected list of volumes, the system state, or specific files or folders. Learn how to install the Windows Server Backup feature using three different installation methods: the server manager, the command prompt and PowerShell.

In a continuation of his Traffic Policing and Shaping Overview, Sean Wilkins gets into the details of Traffic Policing and Shaping Configuration. Both features are implemented using the Modular Quality of Service (QoS) Command line interface (MQC) which is used to classify traffic, define a traffic policy, and assign it to a specific interface.

Exchange 2010 has made the process of upgrading much easier, and now includes a simple wizard to assist with moving mailboxes to your new server. SBS and Exchange expert Tom Finnis provides a guide for moving mailboxes to Exchange 2010, including step-by-step instructions for using the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) to override the BadItemLimit when moving large mailboxes.

In this article, Daniel Petri addresses the case for user activity monitoring instead of relying only on system logs, which leave blind spots in your audit reports. Several scenarios are detailed to demonstrate how user activity monitoring can be used to augment the existing system and database logs.

Overview by Sean Wilkins of traffic policing and traffic shaping configuration when implementing Quality of Service (QoS) on a network. Included are the main differences between traffic policing and shaping. Also explained is the token bucket mechanism.

Bruce Mackenzie-Low covers Xperf, one of Microsoft’s hottest diagnostic tools. This article continues where “Xperf Rocks Part 1: Troubleshooting Storage Performance Problems” left off. Part 2 focuses on how to use Xperf to analyze event data and generate graphs & tables. Powerful graph options are explained, which allow you to quickly pinpoint storage bottlenecks, along with the detailed data in a tabular format.

TrainSignal recently had the opportunity to sit down with Don Jones at Windows Connections 2011 in Orlando to discuss the importance of learning PowerShell. The overriding message of the interview is that if you plan to learn one thing in 2011, it should be PowerShell. Video and transcript included.

In this article, David Davis covers issues related to keeping track of IP addresses on lab and production networks. Included are suggested tools which can help prevent outages caused by duplicate IP addresses.

Sean Wilkins covers AutoQoS VoIP and AutoQoS for the Enterprise, which allow for automatic quality of service (QoS) configuration on your network. While AutoQoS VoIP requires very little configuration in order to implement, AutoQoS for the Enterprise is split into two separate configuration phases: a discovery phase, and a generation & installation phase.

There is one crown jewel from Microsoft’s toolbox treasure trove that has not received much attention. Xperf, which is part of the Microsoft Windows Performance Toolkit, allows you to dig deeper into performance issues than Perfmon and PAL ever dreamed. In this article, Bruce Mackenzie-Low provides an overview of Xperf for troubleshooting Windows storage performance issues.

2nd installment by J. Peter Bruzzese on RBAC (Role Based Access Control), a new permissions model in Exchange Server 2010. RBAC allows you to define both a broad, as well as a more granular assignment of permissions to administrators, ensuring that they are given the appropriate permissions based on the roles they perform within your organization. The 1st installment covered broad permission settings by employing Predefined Role Groups. Part 2 addresses more specific permission settings at the granular level.

Digital voice port configuration on a VoIP network by Sean Wilkins, focusing on T1 and E1 voice port types. Covers emulation methods, codec complexity configuration and T1 & E1 controller configuration.