Online Education Links:

Free Training, Videos, Labs, Blog Sites and e-Books

Microsoft Virtual Academy - free training on Microsoft products/services/tools: http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/

Microsoft TechNet Virtual Labs - free hands-on labs on dozens of Microsoft products, server roles, and features: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/virtuallabs/bb467605.aspx

Ask the Directory Services Team Blog - Microsoft's official enterprise support blog for AD DS and other AD-related roles and services: http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/default.aspx?PageIndex=2

Ask Premier Field Engineering (PFE) Platforms Blog - this is one of Microsoft's most popular blogs with content developed by my colleagues in Premier Field Engineering: http://blogs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/

Channel 9 - videos, discussions, forums, and event information about Microsoft products and services, including recordings of presentations at Microsoft events like TechEd 2013, Microsoft's BUILD conference, etc. If you cannot attend the conference, the content usually ends up here: http://channel9.msdn.com

Free Microsoft e-Books:

Various titles: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mssmallbiz/archive/2013/06/18/huge-collection-of-free-microsoft-ebooks-for-you-including-office-office-365-sharepoint-sql-server-system-center-visual-studio-web-development-windows-windows-azure-and-windows-server.aspx

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/mssmallbiz/2016/07/10/free-thats-right-im-giving-away-millions-of-free-microsoft-ebooks-again-including-windows-10-office-365-office-2016-power-bi-azure-windows-8-1-office-2013-sharepoint-2016-sha/

System Center e-books for free: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2013/12/11/free-ebooks-microsoft-system-center-family-of-titles.aspx

Introducing Windows Server 2012R2 e-book: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2013/11/08/free-ebook-introducing-windows-server-2012-r2-technical-overview.aspx

Windows Azure for the IT Professional: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2013/10/01/free-ebook-introducing-windows-azure-for-it-professionals.aspx?loc=zTS1z&prod=zWAz&tech=zOttechz&prog=zPressz&type=zBLz&media=zBKz&country=zUSz

Introducing Windows 8.1 for IT Professionals: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2013/10/14/free-ebook-introducing-windows-8-1-for-it-professionals.aspx

Microsoft Test Lab Guides: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/1262.test-lab-guides.aspx

Active Directory Related Articles

Microsoft Best Practices Guide to Securing Active Directory: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server-docs/identity/ad-ds/plan/security-best-practices/best-practices-for-securing-active-directory

Understanding Managed Service Accounts: http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2009/09/10/managed-service-accounts-understanding-implementing-best-practices-and-troubleshooting.aspx

Kerberos Explained (kind of dated but still valid): http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb742516.aspx

Managing the Directory Services Restore Mode Password: http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2009/03/11/ds-restore-mode-password-maintenance.aspx

Virtualized Domain Controllers – Windows Server 2012 - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj574223.aspx

Managing RID Pool Depletion - http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2011/09/12/managing-rid-pool-depletion.aspx?PageIndex=2

What’s new in AGPM 4.0 SP2 - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn458961.aspx

Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM) videos: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/ff938829.aspx?ocid=wc-mscom-ent

Active Directory Replication Status Tool – new graphical user interface for checking the health of AD Replication - http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/12707.active-directory-replication-status-tool-adreplstatus-resources-page.aspx

The role of the ISTG in AD Replication (dated, but still valid): http://support.microsoft.com/kb/224815

Monitoring AD practices (again, somewhat dated, but still valid): http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727046.aspx and https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj130668(v=ws.10).aspx

Change Notification discussion including how to enable it: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/canberrapfe/archive/2012/03/26/active-directory-replication-change-notification-amp-you.aspx

Domain Rename Technical Reference - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc786120(v=ws.10).aspx

Token Size Adjustment: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/327825

Hotfix info when mixing Server 2003 and Server 2012 DC's : http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2014/07/23/it-turns-out-that-weird-things-can-happen-when-you-mix-windows-server-2003-and-windows-server-2012-r2-domain-controllers.aspx

Rename a domain controller: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc782761(v=ws.10).aspx

Sysvol migration guide: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd640019(v=WS.10).aspx

Streamlined FRS-to-DFSR Migration Guide: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/filecab/2014/06/25/streamlined-migration-of-frs-to-dfsr-sysvol/

Use the BurFlags registry key to reinitialize File Replication Service: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/290762/using-the-burflags-registry-key-to-reinitialize-file-replication-service

How to force an authoritative and non-authoritative synchronization for DFSR-replicated SYSVOL (like "D4/D2" for FRS): https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/2218556/how-to-force-an-authoritative-and-non-authoritative-synchronization-for-dfsr-replicated-sysvol-like-d4-d2-for-frs

Active Directory Domain and Forest Functional Level Comparison Charts: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/understanding-active-directory-functional-levels(v=ws.10).aspx

Changing the IP address of a domain controller: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc758579(v=WS.10).aspx

Detecting and Removing Lingering Objects from AD – Introducing the Lingering Object Liquidator: http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2014/09/15/remove-lingering-objects-that-cause-ad-replication-error-8606-and-friends.aspx

Configuring an authoritative time server with Group Policy and WMI filters: http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2008/11/13/configuring-an-authoritative-time-server-with-group-policy-using-wmi-filtering.aspx

Upgrading your Active Directory infrastructure to Windows Server 2012 – Ask PFE blog series: http://blogs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/archive/2013/04/29/upgrading-or-migrating-active-directory-to-windows-server-2012-build-your-roadmap-now.aspx

Cloning a Windows Server 2012 Domain Controller VM: http://blogs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/archive/2012/10/01/virtual-domain-controller-cloning-in-windows-server-2012.aspx

Active Directory Migration Guide: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc974332(v=ws.10).aspx

Active Directory Recycle Bin Guide (Windows Server 2008R2): https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd392261(v=ws.10).aspx

Group Policy Settings Reference for Windows and Windows Server: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=25250

Group Policy Preferences Getting Started Guide (originally published when Server 2008 was released but still valid): https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731892(v=ws.10).aspx

GP Policy vs. Preference vs. GP preferences: http://blogs.technet.com/b/grouppolicy/archive/2008/03/04/gp-policy-vs-preference-vs-gp-preferences.aspx

Updating the Group Policy Central Store: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3087759

Microsoft Group Policy Search Tool: http://gpsearch.azurewebsites.net/

Clean up old ADM files from Group Policy:

Part One: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/heyscriptingguy/2013/02/15/use-powershell-to-simplify-removing-old-adm-files-from-ad-ds/

Part Two: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/heyscriptingguy/2013/02/16/weekend-scripter-backup-and-remove-old-adms/
Part Three: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/heyscriptingguy/2013/02/17/weekend-scripter-use-powershell-for-adm-cleanupthe-exciting-conclusion/

Manage Windows 10 with Group Policy: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/canitpro/2015/10/20/step-by-step-managing-windows-10-with-administrative-templates/

SRV Records registered by Netlogon: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/7608.srv-records-registered-by-net-logon.aspx

Active Directory and Active Directory Domain Services Port Requirements: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772723(v=ws.10).aspx

Cleaning up Conflict and Deleted Files in DFS: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/askds/2008/10/06/manually-clearing-the-conflictanddeleted-folder-in-dfsr/

How Domain and Forest Trusts Work: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773178(v=ws.10).aspx

Windows Clustering

What’s new in Failover Clustering for Windows Server 2012R2: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn265972.aspx

Server 2012/2012R2 Failover Clustering Overview (has links to create, manage, configure Failover Clustering services on 2012/2012/r2): http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831579.aspx

File and Print Services

What's new in printing: http://blogs.technet.com/b/askperf/archive/2012/11/03/windows-8-windows-server-2012-what-s-new-with-printing-in-windows-8.aspx

Migrate Print and Document Management Services to Windows Server 2012: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj134150.aspx

Other Windows Services and What’s New
What's new in Windows Server (covers both 2012 and 2012R2) - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn250016.aspx

Windows Sysinternals Tools Site - from here you can download the Windows Sysinternals tools, access the forums, Mark Russinovich's blog, and links to Channel 9 presentations on how to use the tools: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/sysinternals or http://www.sysinternals.com (redirects automatically to the first URL)

Migrating Roles and Features to Windows Server 2012R2: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn486773.aspx

DHCP Overview in Server 2012: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831825.aspx

Step-by-step configuring DHCP Failover in Windows Server 2012 (includes instruction on how to set up a lab to practice with): http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831385.aspx

User profile How To: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc782516(v=ws.10).aspx

How to move WINS to another computer: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/193820