Internet Explorer 9 system requirements

Computer/Processor

• Computer with a 1 gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor.

Operating System

• Windows Vista 32-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or higher
• Windows Vista 64-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or higher

• Windows 7 32-bit or higher
• Windows 7 64-bit or higher

• Windows Server 2008 32-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or higher
• Windows Server 2008 64-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or higher

• Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit

Memory

• Windows Vista 32-bit – 512 megabytes (MB)
• Windows Vista 64-bit – 512 MB

• Windows 7 32-bit – 512 MB
• Windows 7 64-bit – 512 MB

• Windows Server 2008 32-bit – 512 MB
• Windows Server 2008 64-bit – 512 MB

• Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit – 512 MB

Hard Drive Space

• Windows Vista 32-bit – 70 MB
• Windows Vista 64-bit – 120 MB

• Windows 7 32-bit – 70 MB
• Windows 7 64-bit – 120 MB

• Windows Server 2008 32-bit – 150 MB
• Windows Server 2008 64-bit – 200 MB

• Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit – 200 MB

Drive

• CD-ROM drive (if installation is done from a CD-ROM)

Display

• Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor with 256 colors

Peripherals

• Modem or Internet connection
• Microsoft Mouse, Microsoft IntelliMouse, or compatible pointing device

 Source

 

System Maintenance tasks of Microsoft Fix IT solution center

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Disable Password Requirements in Windows Server 2003 Domains

Windows Server 2003 provides security policies that ensure that all users select strong passwords. Creating a password policy involves setting the following options in the Default Domain Group Policy object. These policies, with the exception of those settings related to password lifetime, are enforced on all users in a domain.

The default password filter (Passfilt.dll) included with Windows Server 2003 requires that a password:

• Is not based on the user’s account name.
• Contains at least six characters.
• Contains characters from three of the following four categories:
  • Uppercase alphabet characters (A–Z)
  • Lowercase alphabet characters (a–z)
  • Arabic numerals (0–9)
  • Nonalphanumeric characters (for example, !$#,%)

As stated above, this policy is enabled by default.

In some occasions, such as testing, lab-building, classes and so on, you might want to disable this built-in requirement.

Security Warning: Bare in mind that this setting can only be enabled/disabled at the domain level, and NOT on an OU level. Disabling the password requirement for an entire domain will lower your security configuration, and should only be done when absolutely necessary.

In order to disable this requirement you need to edit the Default Domain Policy for your domain.
Go to Administrative tools folder.
Double-click on the Default Domain Security Policy icon.
Note: If for any reason you don't see that icon you can still edit the Default Domain Group Policy from the AD Users and Computers snap-in, or from a GPMC window (if you have GPMC installed - Download GPMC).
Navigate to Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy.
Right-click on the Minimum Password Length option in the right pane and select Properties.

Keep the V on the Define Setting selected! Do not remove the V from that check-box. Removing the V will cause the GPO to revert to the default setting, which is what we are trying to remove in the first place.
Enter 0 (zero) for the number of minimum characters required in a password.

Now double-click on the Passwords Must Meet Complexity Requirements option in the right pane.

Again, do not remove the V from that check-box. Instead, select Disabled.
Click OK all the way out and close the GPO window.

In order to refresh the policy type the following command in a CMD window and click ENTER.

gpupdate /force

Done.

Exploring Windows Storage Technologies: DAS, NAS and SAN-Based Solutions

Microsoft Windows storage technologies have evolved over the years to take advantage of new offerings from storage vendors. Internal disk drives have advanced from a few hundred megabytes to over a terabyte. The traditional IDE drives have been joined by SCSI and SATA hard disks offering a variety of options when configuring Windows storage. This article will explore the major storage architectures including Direct Attached Storage (DAS), Storage Area Networks (SAN) and Network Attached Storage (NAS), discussing their benefits and tradeoffs.

When considering the different storage options, you need to keep several things in mind. First, how much storage capacity will you need? Will you be able to add additional storage on-demand? How about data availability – will nightly backups suffice or do you need redundant storage arrays? And finally, how much are you willing to pay for your storage solutions? The answers to these questions will help you to decide what Windows storage technology is right for you.

DAS (Direct Attached Storage):

When Windows servers leave the factory, they can be configured with several storage options. Most servers will contain 1 or more local disk drives which are installed internal to the server’s cabinet. These drives are typically used to install the operating system and user applications. If additional storage is needed for user files or databases, it may be necessary to configure Direct Attached Storage (DAS).

DAS is well suited for a small-to-medium sized business where sufficient amounts of storage can be configured at a low startup cost. The DAS enclosure will be a separate adjacent cabinet that contains the additional disk drives. An internal PCI-based RAID controller is typically configured in the server to connect to the storage. The SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) technology is used to connect the disk arrays as illustrated in the following example.

As mentioned, one of the primary benefits of DAS storage is the lower startup cost to implement. Managing the storage array is done individually as the storage is dedicated to a particular server. On the downside, there is typically limited expansion capability with DAS, and limited cabling options (1 to 4 meter cables). Finally, because the RAID controller is typically installed in the server, there is a potential single point of failure for the DAS solution.

SAN (Storage Area Networks):

With Storage Area Networks (SAN), we typically see this solution used with medium-to-large size businesses, primarily due to the larger initial investment. SANs require an infrastructure consisting of SAN switches, disk controllers, HBAs (host bus adapters) and fibre cables. SANs leverage external RAID controllers and disk enclosures to provide high-speed storage for numerous potential servers.

The main benefit to a SAN-based storage solution is the ability to share the storage arrays to multiple servers. This allows you to configure the storage capacity as needed, usually by a dedicated SAN administrator. Higher levels of performance throughput are typical in a SAN environment, and data is highly available through redundant disk controllers and drives. The disadvantages include a much higher startup cost for SANs, and they are inherently much more complex to manage. The following diagram illustrates a typical SAN environment.

NAS (Network Attached Storage):

A third type of storage solution exists that is a hybrid option called Network Attached Storage (NAS). This solution uses a dedicated server or “appliance” to serve the storage array. The storage can be commonly shared to multiple clients at the same time across the existing Ethernet network. The main difference between NAS and DAS and SAN is that NAS servers utilize file level transfers, while DAS and SAN solutions use block level transfers which are more efficient.

NAS storage typically has a lower startup cost because the existing network can be used. This can be very attractive to small-to-medium size businesses. Different protocols can be used for file sharing such as NFS for UNIX clients and CIF for Windows clients. Most NAS models implement the storage arrays as iSCSI targets that can be shared across the networks. Dedicated iSCSI networks can also be configured to maximize the network throughput. The following diagram shows how a NAS configuration might look.