Putting HTTPS on IIS is a three-part job: a certificate, a site binding that uses it, and a redirect that pushes HTTP traffic to the secure endpoint. Each step has its own pitfalls — a certificate name mismatch, a missing private key, or a redirect loop can waste an afternoon. This guide walks through bindings, … Read more
People often ask whether a Windows 11 desktop VM can replace Windows Server when the goal is simply remote desktop access — log in from anywhere, run applications, get work done. The short answer: it depends on how many users need access and what your provider’s licensing actually permits. This comparison looks at the differences … Read more
Every IIS application pool recycles itself on a schedule — by default every 1,740 minutes (29 hours) — but the default is rarely the right answer for your workload. Recycling is IIS’s way of releasing leaked memory, closing stale connections, and clearing corrupted state, and it happens far more often than most administrators realize. This … Read more
Windows Server ships with a full performance-monitoring stack — Performance Monitor (PerfMon), Data Collector Sets, and the Get-Counter PowerShell cmdlet — that covers 95% of what a small team needs without buying an agent. The problem is rarely tooling; it is knowing which of the hundreds of counters actually predict trouble. This article lists the … Read more
Patch Predictably or Patch in an Emergency An unpatched Windows Server is a liability; an auto-rebooting one is an outage. The fix is a maintenance window: a defined time slot when updates install, a defined reboot policy, and a way to verify the server comes back clean. This guide covers the three mechanisms that make … Read more
One Port Difference Changes Everything Direct RDP exposes TCP port 3389 to the internet; Remote Desktop Gateway tunnels RDP inside HTTPS on port 443. That single difference drives everything else — security posture, NAT traversal, licensing, and setup complexity. This comparison explains how both paths work, what each one costs in licensing and effort, and … Read more
Windows Server licensing confuses everyone — and with good reason: it combines per-core pricing, client access licenses (CALs), and edition differences that all interact. This article explains the building blocks in plain language: what you pay for, how it applies to rented servers, and which options exist for development and testing. It is informational guidance, … Read more
Running your own DNS server gives you names like app.corp.example that resolve only inside your network, full control over records, and the foundation for Active Directory. It also adds a service you must patch, monitor, and get right. This guide covers when to run your own DNS, how to install the role, and how to … Read more
RDP is the most attacked service on a Windows VPS. Expose port 3389 to the internet and automated scanners start guessing passwords within minutes; leave it wide open and a dictionary attack will eventually find a weak credential. The genuinely hard part of securing RDP is not knowing which settings to apply — it is … Read more
Choosing between IIS and Nginx on a Windows VPS is a workload decision, not a loyalty test. IIS is still the only web server that hosts ASP.NET natively and speaks Windows authentication out of the box, while Nginx brings a dramatically smaller memory footprint, mature HTTP/3, and first-class reverse proxying. In 2026 both run cleanly … Read more