Revision #4

The Windows Server “8” Beta Test Lab Guides (TLGs) are a set of documents that describe how to configure and demonstrate the new features and functionality in Windows Server “8” Beta and Windows 8 Consumer Preview in a simplified and standardized test lab environment.

The test lab starts with the Windows Server “8” Beta Base Configuration test lab, which can consist of two subnets representing a simplified intranet and simulated Internet. The following figure shows the initial setup of the Windows Server “8” Beta test lab based on the Test Lab Guide: Windows Server “8” Beta Base Configuration.





The TLGs for Windows Server “8” Beta are the following:

• Test Lab Guide: Windows Server “8” Beta Base Configuration
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate DirectAccess Single Server Setup with Mixed IPv4 and IPv6 in Windows Server "8" Beta 
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate DirectAccess Simplified Setup in an IPv4-only Test Environment in Windows Server "8" Beta
• Test Lab Guide: Deploying Remote Desktop Licensing in Windows Server "8" Beta
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrating DHCP Failover in Windows Server "8" Beta
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate Virtualized Domain Controller (VDC) in Windows Server "8" Beta 
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate Printing in Windows Server "8" Beta
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server "8" Beta 
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate Remote Desktop Services Desktop Virtualization in Windows Server "8" Beta 
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate IP Address Management (IPAM) in Windows Server "8" Beta 
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) in Windows Server "8" Beta 
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate ADDS Simplified Administration in Windows Server "8" Beta 
• Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate High Availability Printing in Windows Server "8" Beta 

Some key changes from the Windows Server “8” Beta base configuration test lab and the Windows Server 2008 R2 base configuration test lab are the following:

• The configuration of a simplified public key infrastructure (PKI) has been removed.  You can add this to your base configuration with the Windows Server “8” Beta mini-module: Basic PKI.
• Windows PowerShell command equivalents are now available in addition to the UI-based procedures.

Test Lab mini-modules
Test lab mini-modules include just the essential configuration steps to get an existing and working test lab to a new working configuration. Test lab mini-modules for the Windows Server “8” Beta test lab are the following:

• Windows Server “8” Beta mini-module: Basic PKI

This mini-module configures an enterprise root certification authority (CA) on APP1 and configures the corp.contoso.com domain for computer certificate autoenrollment.

• Windows Server “8” Beta mini-module: Homenet subnet

This mini-module creates a Homenet subnet using a new computer named NAT1. The Homenet subnet simulates a typical home connection to the Internet subnet.

• Windows Server “8” Beta mini-module: Second Corpnet subnet

This mini-module creates a second subnet for the Contoso intranet, Corpnet2, using the address prefix 10.0.2.0/24 and configures DC1 as a router between the Corpnet and Corpnet2 subnets.

For more information about the TLG initiative and a list of all the TLGs, see Test Lab Guides in the TechNet Wiki.

For the latest information about TLGs for Windows Server “8” Beta, see the Test Lab Guides blog.

We strongly encourage you to develop and publish your own TLG content for Windows Server “8” Beta, either in the TechNet Wiki (example: Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate Remote Access VPNs) or in your own publishing forum (example: Test Lab Guide (Part 1) - Demonstrate TMG PPTP, L2TP/IPsec and SSTP Remote Access VPN Server). If you want to publish your TLG content in the TechNet wiki, see the How to contribute series of TLG blog posts for information about the types of content you can create and for links to templates, guidance, and examples.