Learning Snacks
Updated: October 6, 2008
Learning Snacks are short, interactive presentations about popular topics created by Microsoft Learning experts. Each Snack is delivered by using innovative Microsoft Silverlight technology and includes various media, such as animations and recorded demos. At the end of each free presentation, you can view more Snacks, learn more about the topic, or visit a related Web site.
Note To view Learning Snacks, you must install Microsoft Silverlight and enable pop-up windows.
On This Page
Microsoft Silverlight
Getting Started with Microsoft Silverlight 1.0
Microsoft Silverlight is the next-generation platform for accessing and delivering rich Internet applications. This Learning Snack highlights the features of the Silverlight plug-in, which delivers your media-rich Web applications to your end users. It introduces you to the Silverlight architecture and the tools with which you can easily design and develop your Web applications. It also introduces XAML, the language for collaboration between designers and developers.
The Silverlight Development System
Microsoft Expression Studio and Microsoft Visual Studio provide tools that designers and developers can use to create cost-effective Silverlight-based applications. This Learning Snack walks you through the tools' features, and explains how the tools help designers create attractive user interfaces and add rich content. It also describes how developers can create compelling interactivity around such user interfaces and content to produce a rich Web experience.
Creating an Interactive Silverlight Experience
The tools for creating Silverlight-based applications provide a platform for smooth collaboration between designers and developers. This Learning Snack describes how the Microsoft Expression Studio tools and Visual Studio help designers and developers collaborate while they retain creative freedom over their individual domains. It also illustrates how XAML and the collaborative features of the tools make it easy for designers and developers to share their work.
Enhancing the Experience with High-Definition Video
Used in conjunction, Microsoft Expression Media and Visual Studio provide designers and developers with tools they can use to add high-definition video, live feeds, and webcasts to their applications. This Learning Snack describes how designers can use Expression Encoder to encode video in a highly compressed but lossless format that conforms with the widely accepted VC-1 video format. It also demonstrates how developers can include RSS and other live feeds or webcasts in their applications.
Flexible Development Environment
Microsoft Silverlight incorporates important features of the Microsoft .NET Framework and uses XAML. This Learning Snack describes how the powerful and flexible Silverlight development environment facilitates the creation of cross-platform, networked applications. It explains how Silverlight uses the .NET Framework so that you can easily program for on-demand downloads, progressive downloads, and live feeds. It also describes how Silverlight supports a variety of file formats and easy file transfers.
Objects and Events in Silverlight 1.0
Silverlight objects are the building blocks of a Silverlight-based application. These objects are then manipulated by the use of events. This Learning Snack identifies some of the important objects in Silverlight, such as the Canvas, Downloader, and InkPresenter objects. It explains how these objects can be manipulated by using appropriate input or non-input events. It also demonstrates how to script events.
Windows Server 2008
Introducing Branch Office Server in Windows Server 2008
This Snack describes the benefits that Windows Server 2008 provides for installing and maintaining a branch office network. It demonstrates the installation of a branch office network by using the new server core option. It also lists the benefits of Active Directory read-only domain controllers (RODCs) and BitLocker Drive Encryption.
Introducing Centralized Application Access in Windows Server 2008
This Snack explains the operational benefits of centralizing applications by using Windows Server 2008. It examines the benefits of Terminal Services. It lists ways to provide remote users with access to centralized applications by using Terminal Services Web Access. It also describes the requirements for providing a single sign-on for remote users.
Implementing Active Directory Domain Services in Windows Server 2008
This Snack describes the new options available in Windows Server 2008 for installing and configuring Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and auditing changes to it. It lists the features of read-only domain controllers (RODCs) and describes how to perform a non-authoritative or an authoritative restore of AD DS data.
Implementing Network Access Protection in Windows Server 2008
This Snack describes the benefits of implementing Network Access Protection (NAP) in Windows Server 2008. It describes how to configure network and health policies for various types of clients. It identifies the options for configuring Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) enforcement for NAP and demonstrates the steps for testing a NAP implementation with DHCP enforcement.
Implementing Windows Server 2008 Security
This Snack examines and lists the features of Group Policy settings in Windows Server 2008. It demonstrates the steps for implementing Group Policy settings and the process of upgrading them. It also explains the purpose of security templates that can be imported into Group Policy settings.
Intro to Windows Server 2008 Virtualization
This Snack explains the new virtualization features in Windows Server 2008 and lists the system requirements. It also demonstrates the steps necessary to install Windows Server virtualization.
Green IT and Virtualization (new!)
Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental and business benefits of adopting a Green IT environment. This Learning Snack highlights how virtualization facilitates a Green IT environment. It describes the Hyper-V server role and the System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) tool, which help create and support a virtualized infrastructure in Windows Server 2008.
Windows Vista
Windows Vista Essentials
This Snack describes some of the innovative new features in Windows Vista, including a sidebar that provides information at a glance. It showcases the Windows Aero technology and demonstrates the improved file organization techniques. In addition, this Snack walks you through the various ways you can search for information on your computer or on the Internet.
The Business Value of Windows Vista (new!)
The Windows Vista operating system offers several benefits over its predecessors. It provides improved performance, administration, and security. This Snack highlights the enhanced features of Windows Vista, including improved support for mobile users, which can help organizations improve their IT infrastructure and reduce the cost of ownership. This Snack also describes various performance-enhancement features that can help businesses improve productivity and reduce administration and support costs.
Planning for Windows Vista (new!)
Successfully upgrading a desktop operating system across an organization takes careful planning. To simplify the process of migrating desktops to Windows Vista, Microsoft provides a three-step desktop migration process. This Snack takes you through a step-by-step guide for assessing an organization’s existing hardware and software and creating a detailed plan for deploying Windows Vista. It also describes download tools offered free by Microsoft; these tools can help you automate the hardware and software assessment of the IT infrastructure and the deployment of Windows Vista.
Deploying Windows Vista (new!)
Microsoft provides a range of tools and utilities that can help organizations successfully deploy Windows Vista. This Learning Snack describes how to deploy Windows Vista across a network and demonstrates how to create Windows Vista installation images and deploy them on desktops on a network. It also provides guidelines and best practices for deploying Windows Vista in an organization.
Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (new!)
The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) is a suite of products that can help organizations implement the Core Infrastructure Optimization (Core IO) model. This Learning Snack explains how the MDOP facilitates Infrastructure Optimization (IO). It also demonstrates procedures for recovering lost files and managing Group Policy objects (GPOs) by using products in the MDOP suite.