Monitoring Windows Server 2008 R2 with SNMP and Cacti - part2

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Configure Cacti Server
Now we need to configure our Cacti server.  Type http://YourCactiServer/cacti/ into your web browser and login.

On the left side under the Management section click Devices.

Monitoring Windows Server 2008 R2 with SNMP and Cacti - part1

So you have a new Windows Server 2008 R2 installed and now you’d like to start gathering statistics about how it’s performing.  The SNMP protocol is a great way to get started.  In this tutorial I will install the SNMP agent service on a Windows server and configure it to allow queries from a SNMP based management server.  On the management server I will use a tool named Cacti that can collect this SNMP information and generate graphs from it in a fairly easy way.  I will assume that you have a server with Cacti already set up.  If not, details on how to set up an instance of Cacti on a CentOS Linux server can be found

Install Windows 2008 R2 NPS for RADIUS Authentication for Cisco Router Logins - part3

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This next attribute setting is optional but often configured to allow users to automatically have their privileges elevated to privileged (15) EXEC mode when they login to the Cisco router.  Under RADIUS Attributes select Vendor Specific.  Click Add.

Install Windows 2008 R2 NPS for RADIUS Authentication for Cisco Router Logins - part2

Optionally we can specify that this network policy will apply to a specific RADIUS client (i.e. Cisco router).  click Add.

Install Windows 2008 R2 NPS for RADIUS Authentication for Cisco Router Logins - part1

A while back I documented a procedure to allow RADIUS Authentication for Cisco Router Logins.  Shortly thereafter I included additional instructions on how to Set Up Windows 2003 IAS Server with RADIUS Authentication for Cisco Router Logins. This updated post will discuss the configuration of a Windows 2008 R2 server for Cisco router logins using RADIUS authentication.  In my example I will install the Network Policy Server to support RADIUS on a Windows 2008 R2 domain controller and give router login access to an Active Directory domain user.
First go into Server Manager.

Installing and Configuring Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) on Windows Server 2008 R2 - part5

Eliminate Certificate Warnings (optional)
Now let’s work to eliminate the multiple certificate warnings we receive when accessing our Remote Desktops and RemoteApp programs.  In this example I will make use of an enterprise certificate authority configured in my AD domain, of which my RD Session Host/Web Access server is a member.
Note that this process will only eliminate the warnings if my clients and RDS server are members of the AD domain since they will automatically trust the AD enterprise certificate authority.  If you have non-domain clients that connect to your RDS server you’ll need to export and import your CA root certificate into the certificate store on these systems so the IIS and RDS certificates are trusted.  Page 1 of the post Configuring Non-Domain Windows IIS Servers has details on how to do this.

Installing and Configuring Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) on Windows Server 2008 R2 - part4

Test Newly Published RemoteApp Program
Now I’ll log on to a client machine in my domain to test the newly published Calculator.  On the client open up Internet Explorer and enter “http://YourWebAccessServer/rdweb”.

Installing and Configuring Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) on Windows Server 2008 R2 - part3

Configure Session Host to Use Licensing Server
After you reboot and log on to your Session Host and go to Start > Administrative Tools > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration.

Installing and Configuring Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) on Windows Server 2008 R2 - part2

Install Remote Desktop Session Host and Web Access Roles
Now switch to the server that will be our Remote Desktop Session Host and Web Access server.  Start Server Manager.

Installing and Configuring Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) on Windows Server 2008 R2 - part1

In the latest release of Windows 2008 R2, Terminal Services has been renamed Remote Desktop Services (RDS).  There are many enhancements in this release including enhanced multimedia performance and the ability to publish custom applications sets to specific users through Remote Desktop Web Access.  The Web Access role as the name suggests allows users to access Remote Desktop applications through a web site.  This feature is official known as RemoteApp.  The new name for the core Terminal Server running in application mode for user sessions is Remote Desktop Session Host.
In my environment I will configure the Remote Desktop Session Host and Web Access roles on the same server.  I will also install the Remote Desktop Licensing role on a dedicated server so that any additional Session Hosts I add in the future can share this service.  The License Server role can be installed on your Session Host server if desired.  All of my servers are members of an Active Directory domain.

Installing Windows Remote Management (WinRM) and PowerShell 2.0 on Windows Server 2003 / XP

Windows Remote Management WinRM and PowerShell 2.0 are two very versatile tools that can greatly increase the manageability of your Windows hosts. Unfortunately it has been somewhat difficult for me locating the most up to date versions of this software. Basically the package available that installs PowerShell 2.0 also includes the WinRM 2.0 release as well. Also available at the link below are WinRM/PowerShell 2.0 releases for Windows Vista and Server 2008 R1.

There is a prerequisite that the computer is running Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0 SP1. I have included a link below to .Net 2.0 SP2:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=5b2c0358-915b-4eb5-9b1d-10e506da9d0f&displaylang=en

Now you can install the WinRM 2.0/PowerShell 2.0 Management Framework package here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968930