While I don’t run anything that needs to worry about file server performance (~300 users on one decent size box is not hard work), I still went to this session because there wasn’t much else. The presenter had a real cute start:

“Fileserver performance tuning is all automatic in Windows 2003. Thank you.”

He then went on to explain that while that was not true, any changes you do choose to make had better be well tested before you do them in production. He also had a very entertaining display of acting like data going to/from the client by running back and forth across the front of the room, breaking his wireless mic in the process.

Lots of interesting things, one of which is that you DO NOT need an Active Directory to start using Volume Shadow Copy (but you do need Windows XP at the client if you want users to directly retrieve files). Something to think about I guess.

And, disappointingly so, the Redhat shirt has generated a grand total of 1 comment. From a guy at ASU who says they are all Linux except for Exchange. What is the world coming too?