Guides & tutorials

33 in-depth walkthroughs from the team running Windows in production. Filter by topic or sort by recency / length.

run your software15 min read·Updated Jun 26, 2026

Windows VPS for Business Software: What SMBs Should Know

Learn when a Windows VPS fits business software, accounting tools, SQL Server, IIS apps, RDP access, backups, security, and SMB operations.

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run your software11 min read·Updated Jun 20, 2026

Host Sage 50, 100, and 300 on a Windows VPS

Set up Sage 50, Sage 100, or Sage 300 on a Windows VPS for remote accounting teams. Covers sizing, RDS access, backups, and common pitfalls.

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run your software12 min read·Updated Jun 1, 2026

Free SSL on IIS with Let's Encrypt and win-acme

Install a free Let's Encrypt certificate on IIS with win-acme, bind it to your site, and verify automatic renewal on a Raff Windows VPS in 45 minutes.

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run your software10 min read·Updated May 26, 2026

MSSQL Backup Strategy on a Windows VPS: Full, Differential, and Log Backups

Back up SQL Server on a Windows VPS with a practical strategy for full, differential, and log backups, off-server copies, retention, and restore testing.

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run your software22 min read·Updated May 23, 2026

How to Set Up SMB over QUIC on Windows Server 2025 with a Let's Encrypt Certificate (No VPN Needed)

Windows Server 2025 brings SMB over QUIC to Standard and Datacenter editions, not just Azure Edition. We walk through the full setup: File Server role, free Let's Encrypt certificate via win-acme, SMB binding, and a Windows 11 client connection. Tested live on a Raff Server in Virginia.

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run your software18 min read·Updated Apr 30, 2026

How to Host ASP.NET Core 10 on IIS — Windows Server Guide (2026)

Deploy an ASP.NET Core 10 app on IIS using a Windows Server VPS. This guide covers IIS, the .NET 10 Hosting Bundle, app pool setup, deployment, firewall rules, and common errors — tested end-to-end on Raff.

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run your software9 min read·Updated Apr 20, 2026

Active Directory Replication Topology for 2-DC Setups

For 2 DCs in one site, default replication just works. Multi-site needs Sites/Subnets/Site Links. FSMO placement + repadmin /replsummary monitoring.

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run your software9 min read·Updated Apr 20, 2026

Active Directory Group Policy from Scratch

Create your first GPO in 30 minutes: open gpmc.msc, link to an OU, set policies, test on one OU before broad deployment. Backup + restore included.

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run your software10 min read·Updated Apr 20, 2026

Always On Availability Groups on Two Windows VPSes

Set up basic Always On Availability Groups across two Raff Windows VPSes for automatic MSSQL failover. WSFC, listener, sync vs async commit.

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run your software9 min read·Updated Apr 20, 2026

Promote a Windows VPS to a Domain Controller

Promote a fresh Windows VPS to the first Active Directory domain controller in a new forest using AD DS, DNS, Install-ADDSForest, and PowerShell verification.

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run your software11 min read·Updated Apr 20, 2026

Run ERP on a Windows VPS: SAP B1, Dynamics, Sage

Sizing + setup guide for SAP B1, Dynamics GP, Sage 300, Acumatica, Tally on a Windows VPS. RAM per user, SQL vs HANA, licensing, common mistakes.

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run your software11 min read·Updated Apr 20, 2026

MetaTrader VPS Setup for 24/7 EA Trading (Windows)

Run MT4/MT5 EAs 24/7 on a Raff Windows VPS: pick a low-latency region, install MetaTrader, set up your EA, enable algorithmic trading, auto-restart on reboot.

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run your software12 min read·Updated Apr 20, 2026

25 PowerShell Commands Every Windows VPS Admin Needs

25 copy-paste PowerShell commands for daily Windows VPS admin: services, processes, files, networking, users, disk, remote management, and Windows Updates.

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run your software19 min read·Updated Apr 20, 2026

Install SQL Server 2025 on a Windows Server VPS (Standard Developer, 2026 Guide)

End-to-end install guide for SQL Server 2025 Standard Developer on a Windows Server VPS. Covers winget setup, Custom wizard, tempdb, firewall, and post-install CU application.

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run your software14 min read·Updated Apr 20, 2026

Self-Host QuickBooks Desktop Multi-User on a Windows Server VPS (2026 Guide)

How to install QuickBooks Desktop in multi-user mode on a Raff Windows Server VPS. Covers QBDSM setup, dynamic ports, firewall, Windows users, RDS CALs, and what Intuit's docs don't emphasize — based on real end-to-end testing on Raff infrastructure.

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