How to join an offline client to a domain using Windows 7


Offline Domain Join

Since Windows NT4, client computers have been able to join Windows domains as long as a direct connection to the domain controller was present. With Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, there is now a way to join an offline client to a domain. A new program called djoin.exe has been introduced to perform this task. Like previous versions of Windows, joining a domain is only available on Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions.

VPN Reconnect

Apart from DirectAccess, Windows 7 also introduces a feature called VPN Reconnect. This feature will be useful for the mobile user that must connect to the corporate network from the road. Prior to VPN Reconnect, if the Internet connection experienced connection issues for a mobile worker that was connected to VPN, the VPN would disconnect and not reconnect when the Internet connection returned. VPN Reconnect resolves that issue by automatically reconnecting to the VPN within the network outage time. VPN Reconnect uses IPsec Tunnel Mode that uses IKEv2. This requires configuration of the VPN server and the VPN client.

Windows Mobility Center

Windows 7 has improved the Mobility Center for managing mobile options for laptops, notebooks, netbooks, tablets, etc. The mobility center allows for easy management of display brightness, volume control, power options, wireless networking, external display, sync center, and presentation settings. All these options have been available in prior versions of Windows but not in an easy-to-use central console. This is definitely a feature that end users should be educated about. This feature is only available on mobile computers and can be started manually from C:\Windows\System32\mblctr.exe.

Windows Connect Now

Windows Connect Now was introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 2 but Windows 7 promises more compatibility and easier setup. This feature makes setting up a wireless network quicker and easier for the end user.

The Windows 7 system will connect to the wireless access point or router and automatically set up the device. Once the device is configured, it will automatically set up the computer to connect to the device and save the configuration on USB to easily configure other devices. If the device is already setup, the connection wizard for wireless networking has also been improved for quicker and easier connectivity to already configured wireless networks. This feature will most likely be used by home users and does require the wireless router or access point to be compatible with Windows 7. Connecting to a network is much simpler in Windows 7:

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Note: This article was sent to us by: Brian D. Smith at 10022010

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