Master Server 2008 R2 for Free

Posted on November 5th, 2009 by Kasia Grabowska

Free Server 2008 R2 Learning Resources Interested in learning about what’s new in Server 2008 R2?

Ready to advantage of all the new features and tools that Server 2008 R2 has to offer?

Here’s a list of some free Server 2008 R2 resources to help you get started.

Microsoft’s Windows Server 2008 R2 site is always a good place to start –it’s packed with free information and resources.

Some of the pages worth checking out include:

What’s New in Windows Server 2008 R2 — a quick overview of the new features and options that you might be interested in implementing

Frequently Asked Questions — find answers to some of the basic questions regarding R2

Articles and White Papers on Server 2008 R2 — covering some general issues as well as more in depth areas that pertain to R2, like Hyper-V, Remote Desktop Services, High Availability, etc.

Evaluate Windows Server 2008 R2 — a link to the free 180 day trial, virtual labs and more

There are a number of great blogs that will teach you a lot about R2 and the best part is — they’re all free! Here are a few worth checking out:

Windows Server Division WebLog — the official Windows Server blog is updated on a regular basis and has a ton of info on Server 2008 R2

Windows IT Pro — if you’re not familiar with this site already, make sure to check it out, any Windows admin will love it

There are a couple of forums dedicated specifically to Server 2008 R2 that you might want to bookmark for future reference:

Server 2008 R2 General Forum on Microsoft’s TechNet — for general questions and more specific topics including Server Core, deployment, migration, etc.

Petri IT Knowledgebase — a very active forum that covers much more than Server 2008 R2

And last but not least, don’t forget about the wealth of information you can find on TechNet. Here are two good links:

Server 2008 R2 Information Center — were both recommended by Coach our Server 2008 R2 training instructor and Windows Server expert