Mastering Windows Server 2025: Accelerate your journey from IT Pro to System Administrator using the world's most powerful server platform 5th ed.

Build the skills needed to modernize your IT infrastructure using Windows Server 2025, with hands-on configuration, enterprise-grade security, virtualization, and cloud integration

Key Features

• Configure, manage, secure, and troubleshoot Windows Server environments from the ground up
• Understand and take control of key components including AD, DNS, DHCP, GPO, and PKI
• Apply knowledge in real-world labs and walkthroughs that bring each server role to lif

Book Description

Written by a 10-time Microsoft MVP with 25 years of IT and technical coaching experience, this practical guide offers real-world expertise in Windows Server management. From building and connecting servers to securing them, and even intentionally breaking them to learn, you’ll find comprehensive, experience-based coverage that takes you deep into professional administration.

Fully updated for the 2025 release, this edition prepares you to manage any Windows Server environment, whether deploying the latest version or maintaining Server 2012 in a modern infrastructure. You'll work with PowerShell, Server Manager, Windows Admin Center, RSAT, and Azure Arc to achieve centralized and efficient administration. While the focus is on Windows Server 2025 LTSC with Desktop Experience, the book also explores Server Core, containerization, and the evolving role of Nano Server.

Along the way, you'll gain hands-on experience with core services, including Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and Group Policy, and explore advanced topics such as certificate services and PKI, Hyper-V virtualization, Remote Desktop Services, failover clustering, DFS, and Intune integration.

By the end of this book, you’ll have the skills to manage and modernize complex server infrastructures with confidence.

What you will learn

• Create an entire lab of new servers and configure multiple roles
• Manage servers using Server Manager, PowerShell, and Windows Admin Center
• Close knowledge gaps in core infrastructure technologies such as Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and Group Policy
• Virtualize your datacenter with Hyper-V
• Create redundancy through Failover Clustering services
• Deploy Remote Desktop Services
• Design and implement Distributed File System with Replication (DFSR) and Storage Replica
• Don the DevOps cap as you explore containers and Nano Server

Who this book is for

This book is for IT professionals who want to step into a full systems administrator role or modernize their server management skills. Whether you're managing legacy Windows Server deployments or preparing for 2025 migrations, you’ll find practical, hands-on content tailored for sysadmins, IT operations teams, and infrastructure engineers. Newcomers to Windows Server will build the foundation they need, while experienced admins will discover what's new and what's next in Server 2025.

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started with Windows Server 2025
2. Installation and Management
3. Active Directory
4. DNS and DHCP
5. Group Policy
6. File Management
7. Certificates
8. Networking with Windows Server 2025
9. Remote Access
10. Hardening and Security
11. Server Core
12. PowerShell
13. Redundancy in Windows Server 2025
14. Containers
15. Hyper-V
16. Remote Desktop Services
17. Troubleshooting