Microsoft Windows Server Administration Essentials

Tom Carpenter is the author of several books for the IT industry, including Sybex's Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Administration: Real-World Skills for MCITP Certification and Beyond. He is the founder and senior consultant for The Systems Education Company (SysEdCo), a training and consulting company specializing in Microsoft and network infrastructure technologies. Tom has trained the U.S. Department of Defense, the FBI, Procter & Gamble, Wells Fargo, and several other companies and organizations on topics ranging from Windows Server administration to wireless LAN penetration testing.

Chapter 1 Windows Server Overview 1

Introducing Servers  1

Understanding Server Concepts  1

Understanding Client/Server Concepts 2

Choosing Server Hardware  6

Understanding Server Roles 8

Deploying Applications on Your Network 10

Providing Internet Access and Collaboration on Your Network  11

Managing Files and Printers on Your Network 12

Providing Network Access for Remote Users  12

Adding More Roles as Needed  13

Microsoft Windows Server Features 15

Windows Server User Interfaces  15

Networking Features  18

Management Features  19

Windows Server Editions 20

The Essentials and Beyond 22

Chapter 2 Installing Windows Servers 25

Installation Options  25

Choosing an Installation Destination 26

Performing an Interactive Installation 28

Automating an Installation 36

Understanding Windows Deployment Services  37

Upgrading Servers 38

Supported Upgrade Paths  38

Upgrades Versus Clean Installations 39

Understanding the Upgrade Process 40

Using Server Core 40

Server Core Features and Limitations  41

Performing a Server Core Installation  42

Administering a Server Core Installation 43

Working with Device Drivers  45

Understanding Device Drivers 45

Obtaining and Installing Drivers  46

Driver Maintenance  48

Understanding Hardware Resources 51

The Essentials and Beyond 54

Chapter 3 Managing Windows Server Storage 57

Data Storage Concepts  57

Selecting Hard Drives for Your Network 58

Choosing a File System  60

Understanding Networked Storage 61

Using the Distributed File System 62

Understanding RAID 64

Identifying Storage Technologies 67

Networked Storage Solutions  68

Understanding Disk Types  69

Basic and Dynamic Disks 69

Virtual Hard Disks 71

Optical Media 72

The Essentials and Beyond 72

Chapter 4 Administering Services 75

Understanding Services  75

Applications as Services 76

Important Windows Services  77

Add-On Services 81

Configuring Services  83

Service Startup Types  83

Service Recovery Options  84

Service Privileges 84

Managing Services 85

Starting Services  85

Stopping Services 86

Restarting Services  89

Troubleshooting Services 89

Service Dependencies  90

Service Configuration  91

Understanding Service Accounts  91

The Essentials and Beyond 92

Chapter 5 Active Directory Infrastructure 95

Understanding Active Directory 95

AD Domains 96

AD Domain Trees 99

AD Forests  100

Planning for Active Directory Servers 101

Domain Controllers 101

Supporting Servers  104

Planning a DNS Namespace 105

DNS Overview  105

Namespace Hierarchies  108

Exploring Sites and Replication 110

AD Sites  110

AD Replication  111

The Essentials and Beyond 113

Chapter 6 Configuring Active Directory 115

Planning an Active Directory Installation  115

High-Level Planning  116

Detailed Design  119

Installing Active Directory 123

Preparing to Install DNS 125

Adding the DNS Server Role  127

Configuring the DNS Zone  129

Configuring the IP Settings and Primary DNS Suffix 131

Installing the AD DS Role  135

Running the DCPROMO Wizard 136

The Essentials and Beyond 140

Chapter 7 Managing Active Directory 143

Exploring AD Management Tools 143

Understanding the AD Architecture Management Tools  144

Understanding the AD Object Management Tools  147

Working with Users and Groups 149

User Account Types  149

Creating User Accounts 151

Group Types and Scopes  155

Working with Groups 157

Group Management 162

Understanding Organizational Units and Containers 162

The Essentials and Beyond 164

Chapter 8 Group Policy Management 167

Understanding Group Policy  167

Group Policy Defined 168

Group Policy Requirements 170

Group Policy Management Tools 170

Group Policy Sections and Categories  172

Supporting Different Windows Client Versions  174

Defining the Group Policy Hierarchy 175

Group Policy Processing  175

Local Group Policy 177

Touring the Group Policy Management Console 179

Exploring the GPMC Interface 179

Understanding the GPMC Features 181

Creating a Group Policy Object  182

Determining Policy Settings 182

Creating the GPO 183

Linking GPOs to Containers  183

Modifying Permissions on the GPO  184

Configuring a Local Group Policy Setting  184

The Essentials and Beyond 185

Chapter 9 Application Servers 189

Understanding Application Servers  189

Database Servers 191

Microsoft SQL Server 192

Database Application Types 193

Mail Servers: Using Microsoft Exchange Server  195

Exchange Server Design Goals  197

Exchange Server Roles 198

Exchange Server Storage Architecture 198

Exchange Mailbox Management  199

Collaboration Servers 200

SharePoint 2010 Defined  200

SharePoint Editions 202

Monitoring Servers 203

Threat Management Servers  204

The Essentials and Beyond 205

Chapter 10 Internet Information Services ( I IS) 207

Understanding Web Services  207

Internet Information Services  209

Understanding How IIS Works  209

Adding the Web Server (IIS) Role  211

Configuring IIS  213

Running an FTP Server  217

Configuring Sites and Ports 221

Web Server Security 223

Planning for Authentication  223

Planning for Encryption  226

The Essentials and Beyond 229

Chapter 11 File and Print Servers 231

Exploring File Servers  231

Understanding Share Permissions  232

Understanding NTFS Permissions  234

Auditing Files and Folders 236

Understanding DFS 238

Understanding How DFS Works  238

Planning for DFS Recommended Uses  240

Creating a DFS Namespace  241

Understanding Print Servers  242

Managing Basic Print Server Functionality 242

Understanding Printer Pools 244

Using Web Printing  246

The Essentials and Beyond 247

Chapter 12 Remote Access Technologies 249

Planning for Remote Administration Tools 249

Understanding Remote Access Solutions  250

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) 252

Understanding Remote Desktop Services  255

Remote Desktop Versus Remote Desktop Services 255

RDS Licensing  258

Remote Desktop Role Services  259

The Essentials and Beyond 260

Chapter 13 Server Troubleshooting 263

Introducing Troubleshooting Processes and Procedures . 263

REACTing  264

Research 266

Engage  267

Adjust  268

Configure  268

Take Note  269

Stepping Through the OSI Model  269

Layer 1  270

Layer 2  271

Layer 3  271

Upper Layers 274

Troubleshooting with the Hardware/Software Model 274

Hardware Problems  274

Software Problems 275

Symptom, Diagnosis, and Solution  276

Systems Thinking 277

Troubleshooting Tools  279

Task Manager 279

Performance Monitor 281

Resource Monitor 282

Event Viewer 284

The Essentials and Beyond 288

Chapter 14 Performance Tuning 291

Performance Myths and Truths  291

One System Component Is Seldom the Culprit  292

Better Code Is Better, But Better Design Is Best  293

It Still Has to Travel the Network  293

Command Prompt Tools 293

Using the TaskList Command 294

Using the SC Command 295

Using the TaskKill Command  296

Using the Shutdown Command  296

Using the SystemInfo Command  297

Using the TypePerf Command  299

Resource Monitor  300

Performance Monitor  302

Understanding Performance Counters  304

Defining a Baseline  306

Developing Monitoring Points 307

Viewing Live Performance Data  308

Capturing and Logging Performance Data 310

Viewing DCS Reports 312

Virtualization and Performance 313

Exploring Virtualization Modes 314

Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions 316

Migrating Between Physical and Virtual 318

The Essentials and Beyond 319

Chapter 15 Server Maintenance 321

Maintaining the Hardware 321

Planning for Server Downtime 325

Executing the Planning Actions for Downtime . 325

Understanding the Windows Server Boot Process 326

Understanding Windows Update  328

Updating with Windows Update 330

Using Windows Server Update Service  333

Automating with Logs and Alerts  338

Planning for Continuity  339

Disaster Recovery 340

Clustering 344

The Essentials and Beyond 345

Appendix A Answers to Review Questions 349

Chapter 1 349

Chapter 2 350

Chapter 3 350

Chapter 4 351

Chapter 5 352

Chapter 6 353

Chapter 7 353

Chapter 8 354

Chapter 9 355

Chapter 10 356

Chapter 11 357

Chapter 12 357

Chapter 13 358

Chapter 14 359

Chapter 15 360

Appendix B Microsof t’s Certification Program 361

Certification Objectives Map  362

Index 367

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