Deploying Microsoft SQL 2014 Standalone Server

In this blog I will be installing Microsoft SQL 2014 in a Standalone configuration. I needed to setup a SQL server for my home lab so thought i’d document the installation process.

Before You Start:

Microsoft SQL 2014 1 - .Net 3.5 Installation

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How to setup Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services [AD CS]

Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services [AD CS] provides a platform for issuing and managing public key infrastructure [PKI] certificates. On top of securing application and HTTP traffic the certificates that AD CS provides can be used for authentication of computer, user, or device accounts on a network.

In this post I will be setting up a single AD CS server on my domain and configuring group policy to auto enroll my servers. For an enterprise environment you will deploy subordinate CA’s and shut down your root CA for security. For more information about this setup click here: PKI Design Options

Installing the AD CS Server Role:

Open Server Manager and click Manage -> Add Roles and Features:

PKI 1 - Add Roles and Features

Click Next:

PKI 2 - Before you Begin

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How to setup Microsoft Web Application Proxy

Microsoft Web Application Proxy [WAP] is a new service added in Windows Server 2012 R2 that allows you to access web applications from outside your network. WAP functions as a reverse proxy and an Active Directory Federation Services [AD FS] proxy to pre-authenticate user access.

Web Application Proxy Overview

vBoring Blog Series:

  1. How to setup Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services [AD FS]
  2. How to setup Microsoft Web Application Proxy

Requirements:

  • The only hard requirement of WAP is having an AD FS server. Refer to step 1 for setting that up.
  • WAP cannot be installed on a server that AD FS is installed on. They must be separate servers.

Installing the Web Application Proxy Server Role:

Open Server Manager and click Manage -> Add Roles and Features:

Microsoft Web Application Proxy 1 - Add Roles and Features

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How to setup Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services [AD FS]

In this post I will be installing and configuring the Active Directory Federation Services [AD FS] server role. AD FS is able to provide Single-Sign-On [SSO] capabilities to multiple web application using a single Active Directory account.

vBoring Blog Series:

  1. How to setup Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services [AD FS]
  2. How to setup Microsoft Web Application Proxy

Install the AD FS Server Role:

Open Server Manager and click Manage -> Add Roles and Features:

AD FS 1 - Add Roles and Features

Click Next:

AD FS 2 - Before you Begin

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Deploy and Configure WSUS on Server 2012 R2

Windows Server Update Service [WSUS] is a server role that serves as a repository for Microsoft product updates on your network. Instead of every computer on your network downloading updates directly from Microsoft you can deploy a WSUS server so the updates are downloaded once and distributed to your environment from the WSUS server.

In this post I will be deploying WSUS Server 2012 R2 in a domain environment, using the Windows Internal Database (WID), and using Group Policy to have my computers connect to WSUS instead of Microsoft Updates.

Single WSUS Server

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Setup RD Licensing Role on Windows Server 2012 R2

Once you have an Remote Desktop Services [RDS] environment setup and want to continue using it past the 120 day trial period you will need to setup the RD Licensing role. This blog post will document how to setup the role, activate the license server with Microsoft, add a license key, then configure RDS with the license.

Remote Desktop Serivces - Licensing Role
RDS Architecture

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Setup Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012 R2

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services [RDS] allows users to access centralized applications and workstations in the data center remotely. Microsoft RDS is the new expanded and renamed Microsoft Terminal Services. In this post I will document the implementation of RDS in my home lab using an ‘all-in-one’ configuration.

vBoring Blog Series:

  1. Setup Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012 R2
  2. Setup RD Licensing Role on Windows Server 2012 R2
  3. Setup RD Gateway Role on Windows Server 2012 R2
RDS Architecture
RDS Architecture

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