Tag Archives: Windows Server 2012

This is just a quick guide to disabling the setting that makes Internet Explorer unbarable in a labb or test environment. Often, you do use the browser on the lab, dev or test server to quickly verify functionality or in SharePoint, to access Central Administration web site and make the first initial configurations. When IE ESC is eneabled, you get popups all the time and you are asked to add every new url to the IE trusted sites zone.
So, on a dev, test or lab server, it is ok to disable it, at least if you ask me. As long as you are aware of what you are doing and that it after all does provide an extra layer of security.

GUI – Graphical User Interface

The steps:

1. On the Windows Server 2012 server desktop, locate and start the Server Manager.

2. Select Local Server (The server you are currently on and the one that needs IE ESC turned off)

3. On the right side of the Server Manager, you will by default find the IE Enhanced Security Configuration Setting. (The default is On)

4. You have two settings that can be disabled, one only affects the Administrators and the other all users. The preferred method when testing (if for example SharePoint) is to use a non-admin account and if that is the case, disable the IEESC only for users. Using a local administrator account would cause an additional threat to security and it will also often not give you the required result in tests, since the administrator has permissions where a normal user do not.
Make your selection to Off for Administrators, Users or both.

5. In this example, I have selected to completely disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security. When your seelction is made, click OK.

6. Back in the Server Manager, you will see that the setting has not changed at all. Press F5 to refresh the Server Manager and you wil see that it is changed to Off.

Done, open up a IE browser windows and try to access any internal site to test the setting, you will notice that you no longer are prompted in the same way.

via: https://blog.blksthl.com/2012/11/28/how-to-disable-ie-enhanced-security-in-windows-server-2012/

Operating System

Disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security on Server 2012

December 3, 2013 AleWhite Leave a comment

Internet Explorer can be a pain of its own when it is set to its default settings. It gets even worse when Microsoft locks it down so much that you can’t even pull down anything to download. Instead of adding every website to a trusted site zone, you can disable the security for IE on the server, and then re-enable it when you aren’t using it.

In Windows Server 8, it can be even more difficult to find where the hell to disable the Enhanced Security Features for Internet Explorer. It changes every time Microsoft decides to release an OS…

1) Open Server Manager

Go ahead and open server manager. It should be the icon in the lower left hand corner of a default Windows Server 8 installation. Click on “Local Server”. Once you have the “Local Server” highlighted, you will see IE Enhanced Security Configuration set to “On”.

2) Click “On” to bring up the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security settings

From here, you will be able to turn off the security for Internet Explorer so you can go an grab the files that you need for your new server. Yes, you could always download them to your flash drive and transfer them… but sometimes we don’t always have those handy!

via: http://www.serversideup.net/servers/disable-internet-explorer-enhanced-security-on-server-2012

Operating System

10 cool new features in Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials

December 2, 2013 AleWhite Leave a comment

Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials will now allow Essentials features in larger domains as a Windows Server role. See what else John Joyner picked as the best new features.

Along with the Windows Server 2012 R2 official release this month, there is another member of the Windows Server family that deserves attention, which is Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials. I’ve written here previously about Windows Server 2012 Essentials, and can report that Microsoft continues to invest in the Essentials product. While optimized for a hybrid small office scenario, new with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials is the option to deploy Essentials features in a larger domain as a Windows Server role. Here are 10 new and cool things about Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials:

1. Server deployment

You can install Essentials as a member server in a domain of any size. Previously, Windows Server 2012 Essentials could be installed as the only domain controller of a small office network. Now Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials can be installed on a virtual server or physical server, and on a member server in an existing domain of any size. When installing as a member server, you can have more than one server running Essentials in your domain. Figure A shows the option in Windows Server 2012 R2 Server Manager to install the Essentials Experience role.

Figure A

Installing the Essentials Experience role on a member server in an existing domain.

2. Client deployment

You can connect computers to your domain from a remote location. In other words, you can domain join your users’ mobile computers even when they are not on your corporate network. Directing a new employee to the “/connect” virtual directory of Essentials remote access website (see Figure B) launches a simple wizard that prompts the user for four pieces of information:

Username and password for the domain.
If the computer is only for you, or for you and other domain users.
An optional description to type such as “TechRepublic Windows 8.1 Tablet”.
Will you want the computer to wake up for backups or to only perform backups when the computer is running.

Figure B

The Connect web page hosted by Essentials will domain-join a computer locally or on the Internet.

3. Pre-configured auto-VPN dialing

If you need access to on-premise network resources there is a pre-configured VPN client.Figure C shows the box that appears after connecting the computer to the network over the Internet. The user can optionally trigger auto-VPN dialing so they are always connected to the workplace.

Figure C

A pre-configured VPN Client can be optionally set to auto-dial the office.

4. Server storage

You can create shared folders such as user home folders on a secondary server on the network. Get an alert when a server folder grows beyond its defined quota.

5. Health Report

A really useful Health Report is integrated with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials and no longer needs to be installed as an add-in. Depending on your business needs, you can customize the system health reports to display items that you prefer to monitor. Figure Dshows a daily health report viewed on a smartphone. This is a quick and easy way to keep your pulse on the health of a small network.

Figure D

Health Report viewed on a mobile device.

6. BranchCache

You can turn on BranchCache to improve data access if the server running Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials is located offsite. BranchCache is a wide area network (WAN) bandwidth optimization technology that is included in some editions of the Windows Server Windows client operating systems. To optimize WAN bandwidth when users access content on remote servers, BranchCache copies content from a main office or hosted cloud content servers and caches the content at branch office locations, allowing client computers at branch offices to access the content locally rather than over the WAN.

7. Office 365 integration

The following functionalities are new in Office 365 integration with Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials: SharePoint Libraries management and Office 365 Distribution Groups management. For the small business that is looking for a way to accelerate their cloud journey by moving some functions like email to Office 365, it’s hard to imagine this being any easier.

8. Mobile Device Management

If your Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials server is integrated with Office 365, you can manage your mobile devices using the Exchange Active Sync functionalities from the Essentials dashboard, such as define email access from a mobile device, set up password policies, and remote wipe of the mobile device.

9. Client Full System Restore

Client Full System Restore is now supported by Windows Deployment Services (WDS). You can create client restore service using the Set up Client Restore Service task and perform client full system restore over the network with WDS instead of using an image saved on a DVD.

10. Remote Web Access

Remote Web Access is updated and optimized for touch devices and enhanced with rich HTML5 support. Figure E shows off this really nice looking interface.

Figure E

The Remote Web Access home page is optimized for touch screen devices like tablets.

via: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-cool-new-features-in-windows-server-2012-r2-essentials/

AleWhite