Coursework Breakout
Unit 2
Installation Process
The process of installing any network operating system such as the windows server 2008 is best approached by performing a new installation directly from a DVD media. Alternatively, one can choose to do an upgrade installation, but having a new installation will be more stable. Therefore, experienced network administrators prefer a new installation of a server system as opposed to an upgrade. The installation begins by inserting a DVD distribution media to the servers drive followed by starting the server. The DVD initiates the booting process from the distribution media which activates the setup program. The program setup has two installation phases which are collecting information as well as installing windows.
Collecting the information phase is the first from which the setup program enquires the preliminary information required to start the installation. Such information includes; language, product key, type of operating system, license agreement, install type, disk location as well as an upgrade to NTFS. The second phase is the installing windows is the actual process of installation and it involves the following activities; copying files, expanding files, installing features, installing upgrades as well as completing the installation. One of the new features in the installation process is the automated setup. It lets one come up with a setup script that offers the answers to questions asked during the installation process. Once a script has been created, the automated setup is started and one can wait for the installation to finish. Creating the script is time-consuming but it very helpful when one has several servers to install.
Unit 3
install and configure Windows file storage
Installing and configuring windows file storage using the server manager has been of great help to many small and medium enterprises that wish to solve their windows file storage problems. The first requirement in this process is a file server, configured with an online domain controller that enables open shares on the file server. Start by opening the file server manager in the file server and navigate to the file and storage service and the storage pool and attach virtual dicks. Configure the storage pools as well as the provisioned space from the physical disks. Specify the name of the storage pool and ensure it is created on a specified file server then add the virtual disks into the pool such as the SSDs or SATA disks. Adding them to a single storage pool will help bring all the storage into a single place which gives the ability to tear the storage.
Select the disk and leave it at automatic hot spare. Since there are three disks created to prepare a parity of r85 storage as well as a file service for the server, which leads to anew storage pool. Then create a new virtual disk from the storage pool available and name it. One can also choose to create storage tears that are important for the system to detect the frequently opened files and place them on the fastest disk while the rarely opened files are places on the slowest disk. Also, set an enclosure awareness to provide redundancy method for storage copies on a different enclosure. Prepare a team provision disk that grows over time to the specified limit and can also be extended physically. After creating the new virtual disk, create a volume from the new virtual disk or the new storage pool and complete to see the new subsystem windows storage.
Once the installation and configuration are complete, allocate the size from the virtual disk and assign it a letter (E). Select the file system (NTFS) and choose the default volume label to be shared and create. Create a folder and name it Data Company and save it on the disk then share the folder. Permission to access the file should be to everyone. Switch to the first server and go to the NBL file to identify the shared folder. In case one of the disks fails it is important to simulate a disaster situation. It can be accomplished by removing the disk from the virtual machine. The parity option comes in hand and retrieves the file, which means the windows file storage continues to operate under the server manager.
Unit 4
use a PowerShell as a Windows CLI
The Powershell is a different windows command-line interface for computers. A CLI is a computer program that commands it to do some tasks using typed commands instead of the usual GUI (Graphical User Interface). The Powershell outruns the CLI in that one can get a quick overview of its features as compared to CLI on online platforms. Using the Powershell is advantageous in that it is possible to automate tasks and achieve many things with just one command. It also has several tools to users since some tasks can only be run from a command line. The Powershell is also appropriate to work with custom programs build in programming languages such as Python.
The Powershell allows one to type on the fly and contain a convenient lookup for all the commands. Powershell is a significant command line in programming since it can work with multiple files. The command line has many additional tools that make it easy to navigate a program. One of the main problems with the Powershell is that windows at times run into problems and configure paths incorrectly. To fix this issue it demands to set the environment variables ahead of the task. Additionally, new users find it difficult to navigate the Powershell command line in windows, but when one gets an understanding of how it works it is easy to use it and accomplish more tasks within a short time.
installation and configuration of Server Core on a Windows network
Installation of the server core is different from the full installation. After installing the windows server there is the option of installing the server core or serve with GUI. First, boot the windows sever panel for installation to begin. The auto-run dialogue box appears and it is time to initiate the installation process. The server core has several options, select one and follow the instructions to finish the setup. Once complete press the combination CTRL+ALT+DELETE to logon. After installation, there is a need to configure the server core through the command prompt. Configuration involves activities such as naming the IP address and working on the firewall settings.
Server core and the Graphics User Interface (GUI) are two forms of windows installation. The server core only uses the command-line interface to install and manage the host, while the GUI can use both the command line interface and the graphic user interface. Server core has a small footprint since it has most but not all the server roles, while the GUI has a large footprint since it has multiple features as well as components. Third, the server core is convenient in resource consumption, while the GUI consumes a lot of resources of the hardware while running different operations. Last but not least, the server core requires less servicing or patching and the system requires a few reboots as compared to the GUI that requires many patching and servicing. The GUI demands many servicing updates as well as restarts over time.
Chien, Taylor. “Comparing Pre-Built Hypervisors.” (2017).
image servicing
Some server images have been deployed on a large scale and at times the images might need some alterations. Microsoft has enhanced this process by developing a Windows Development Service (WDS) role. It operates on an already prebuilt image and wishes to conduct an offline image servicing. Images require updates and the administrator requires to create a new image from the computer and run it through the updates, repackage and send it back to the repository. It is such a lengthy process and mostly when minor updates are required. The current command lines have assisted with the offline image servicing in areas such as deployment image servicing. Command lines such as the DISM enables the administrator to mount a file and command any update on the image.
Image servicing is different for small, medium and large server networks. For a small server network, the administrator can save time by running a few installations simultaneously. The administration can custom install image using the preinstalled application. One can create an image by utilizing the Windows deployment service which is an image capture wizard. For a medium-size server network, the administrator can use the windows deployment service. Having an unattended setup helps the administrator deploy windows to the server system at a branch site even without a physical presence. The administrator uses the existing replication solution to facilitate images to other site servers. The network boot referral system is also available and it reduces the network traffic between the main office and the branch sites. In case of a large server network, the administrator should choose windows deployment service that enables the use of specific language packs that minimizes the required number of images. It also makes it possible to monitor all the server from a single machine. A large server network should also use the multicast deployment to the server as a bandwidth while deploying images to many locations. The administrator can also write a script that helps automate various management tasks.
Unit 5
problems network server System Administrator encounter
A single network might consist of many separate cable systems that are coupled together with switches and routers. One of the major problems that affect system administrators in large networks is the broadcast messages that create traffic and slow down the busy network. Generally, some broadcast messages only require to be sent to some subset hosts who have administrative relationships. Therefore there is a need to alter the broadcast messages that are transmitted to all host network and consider administrative subsets. Specific IP addresses should be assigned to different groups that use similar cables and ensure the broadcast is limited to hosts only belonging to the group. It means breaking up the larger community into small manageable subsets. Subsets are necessary to divide up the networks systems that share a common goal and also isolate some regions as independent groups. Such measures will help the system administrator reduce any useless traffic.
The partitioning can be attained by dividing hosts up, using routers into sub-networks. Netmask is an appropriate way to subdivide the network into subnets. Every address will have two phases; the network address and the host address. Netmask is a systems variable and it figures out how the IP address should be interpreted locally. The netmask also controls the boundaries between bits of the IP address from different hosts and the number of bits for each network location. Therefore, there exists a tradeoff between the range of domains allowed and the number of hosts that should belong to the same subnet. Subnets are separated by routers and it is up to the systems administrator to decide the number of machines to be supported by one router.
Unit 5
AD FSMO role Management Research
There are many approaches to tell whether DCs are configured as GCs. Such approaches involve GUI, command line or the script approach. On the other hand, the Active Directory is one of the multi-master databases that ensures updates are configured in writable DCs, some operations are sensitive and should be controlled up closes as compared to others, such as the schema management or the addition and the removal of domains from the AD forest. Such roles are referred to as FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operations). Therefore, the DC within the replica ring provides a specific operation and adds it to the site and service snap-in.
The administrator can also use the Repadmin, which is a tool of the command-line. It is recommended that the forest roles on the DC (Domain Controller) while the domain roles are placed on another server. In case all the DCs are global catalogue servers, it would be significant to consider the infrastructure master on any other server that is not Global catalogue server. It is recommended that the server administrator should be prepared for any kind of failure with the FSMO roles. Therefore, place DC to two forest roles within the server. Second, the Schema Domain Master DC should be placed on domain roles in the server.
There are other ways to identify the roles which a DC currently holds. First is by knowing the default setting and identify the first DC that was installed in the forest root domain and assigned to the global catalogue server. It is essential to come up with a plan for when the role holder fails. The primary DC, as well as the RID (relative identifier master), should be placed on the same DC. The primary DC role can be utilized for all the FSMO roles and has the advantage of the widest range of functionality. The global catalogue and the infrastructure master role need to be on separate DCs to prevent any unexpected damaging behaviour within the multi-domain environment.