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Preparation: Sridharan

INTERVIEW Q & A FOR SYSTEM ADMIN FROM ADS

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1. What is Active Directory?Active Directory service provides the means to manage the identities and

relationships that make up network environments.

2. How are Active Directories used?If you are a computer administrator for a large corporation or organization, you can

easily update all end users computers with new software, patches, files, etc simply byupdating one object in a forest or tree.

3. What is LDAP? Lightweight Directory Access ProtocolLDAP is a standard technology for network directories. Network directories are specialized databases

that store information about devices, applications, people and other aspects of a computer network.

4. Can you connect Active Directory to other 3rd-party Directory Services? Namea few options.

YES, Novell eDirectory, formerly called Novell Directory Services (NDS), LDAP toconnect to other directories

5. Where is the AD database held? What other folders are related to AD?NTDS.DIT is AD databasestored in WindowsSystem32NTDSntds.dit

6. What is the SYSVOL folder?Every domain controller has a shared folder in its local file system that is the file system

component of Active Directory. This shared folder named SYSVOL contains files andfolderss that must be available and synchronized between domain controllers in a domainincluding:

7. Name the AD NCs and replication issues for each NC*Schema NC, *Configuration NC, * Domain NC

Schema NC This NC is replicated to every other domain controller in the forest. It containsinformation about the Active Directory schema, which in turn defines the different objectclasses and attributes within Active Directory.

Configuration NC Also replicated to every other DC in the forest, this NC contains forest-


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wide configuration information pertaining to the physical layout of Active Directory, as wellas information about display specifiers and forest-wide Active Directory quotas.

Domain NC This NC is replicated to every other DC within a single Active Directorydomain. This is the NC that contains the most commonly-accessed Active Directory data: theactual users, groups, computers, and other objects that reside within a particular ActiveDirectory domain.

8. What are application partitions? When do I use themApplication Directory Partition is a partition space in Active Directory which anapplication can use to store that application specific data. This partition is thenreplicated only to some specific domain controllers.

The application directory partition can contain any type of data except securityprinciples (users, computers, groups).

9. How do you create a new application partition?When you create an application directory partition, you are creating the first instanceof this partition. You can create an application directory partition by using the createnc option in the domain management menu of Ntdsutil. When creating anapplication directory partition using LDP or ADSI, provide a description in thedescription attribute of the domain DNS object that indicates the specific applicationthat will use the partition. For example, if the application directory partition will beused to store data for a Microsoft accounting program, the description could beMicrosoft accounting application. Ntdsutil does not facilitate the creation of adescription.

10.How do you view replication properties for AD partitions and DCs?By using Active Directory Replication Monitor.Start--> Run--> Replmon

11.What is the Global Catalog?The globalcatalog is a distributed data

repository that is stored in global catalog servers and issued via MultiMate replication.It basically is composed of a representation (partial) of every object in the

multidomain Active Directory forest that can also be searched. Theglobal catalog is used because searches can be made faster because they don't need togo through the hassle of involving referrals to different domain controllers.


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In addition, the global catalog allows finding an object that youwish without needing to know the object's domain name. This is possible because not

only does it hold a full, writable domain directory replica, but it also has a partial,read-only replica of all the domain directory partitions in the forest. Therefore, by beingcomposed of only the most used attributes during searching, all objects in everydomain in any small or big forest can be found and represented in the database of oneglobal catalog server.

To maintain the ability to conduct a full, fast, and effective search,

the global catalog is constantly updated by the Active Directory

replication system. These attributes that are replicated to the catalogare known as partial attribute set (PAS). The PAS, in a Windows 2000 Server

environment will cause a full synchronization of the global catalog tooccur even if it may be a minor change. However, this issue was improved upon inthe Windows 2003 Server environment with a change in the PAS by only updatingthe attributes that change.

12.How do you view all the GCs in the forest?GC is like an index for all the DC's in a forest with all the AD information(objects,

attributes etc). It is used to authenticate UPN based logon request and Universal groupmembeship. The Infrastructure master (operation master) is used to check for the updatedAD information with other DC's in the forest, for this it queries the Global catalog whichhas all the updated (replicated)information. If GC is installed on all the DC's then the ADupdates is not

identified by the DC's Infrastucture master as GC and Infrastructure master are in thesame DC.You can look at schema by MMC snap in tool which isregistered by start->run->regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll

13.Why not make all DCs in a large forest as GCs?With too many DCs are configured to become the GC servers, it will cause the replication

overhead between the DCs across the forest.

14.Trying to look at the Schema, how can I do that?register schmmgmt.dll using this command c:\windows\system32>regsvr32schmmgmt.dll

Open mmc --> add snapin --> add Active directory schema


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name it as schema.msc

Open administrative tool --> schema.msc

15.What are the Support Tools? Why do I need them?In addition, the Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) is available to help youmigrate user accounts, groups, and computer accounts from Windows NT 4.0domains to Active Directory domains. The Active Directory Migration Tool is aMicrosoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in and is available on the installationcompact disk in the \i386\ADMT folder.

Tool Description

Movetree Move objects from one domain to another.

SIDWalkSet the access control lists on objects previously owned by accounts that weremoved, orphaned, or deleted.

LDPAllows LDAP operations to be performed against Active Directory. This toolhas a graphical user interface (GUI).

DnscmdEnables administrator to check presence of domain controller locator recordsin DNS, add or delete such records and perform configuration of DNS servers,

zones and records.

DSACLS View or modify the access control lists of directory objects.

NetdomBatch management of trusts, joining computers to domains, verifying trustsand secure channels.

NETDiag Check end to end network and distributed services functions.

NLTest Check that the locator and secure channel are functioning.

RepadminCheck replication consistency between replication partners, monitorreplication status, display replication metadata, force replication events andknowledge consistency checker recalculation.

ReplmonDisplay replication topology, monitor replication status (including grouppolicies), force replication events and knowledge consistency checkerrecalculation. This tool has a graphical user interface (GUI).

DSAStat Compare directory information on domain controllers and detect differences.

ADSI EditA Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in used to view all objects inthe directory (including schema and configuration information), modifyobjects and set access control lists on objects.

SDCheck Check access control list propagation and replication for specified objects in


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the directory. This tool enables an administrator to determine if access controllists are being inherited correctly and if access control list changes are beingreplicated from one domain controller to another.

ACLDiagDetermine whether a user has been assigned or denied access to a directoryobject. It can also be used to reset access control lists to their default state.

DFSUtilCommand-line utility for managing all aspects of Distributed File System(DFS), checking the configuration concurrency of DFS servers, and displayingthe DFS topology.

DcdiagAnalyzes the state of domain controllers in a forest or enterprise and reportsany problems to assist in troubleshooting.

Active DirectoryMigration Tool(ADMT)

A Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in used to migrate useraccounts, groups, and computer accounts from Windows NT 4.0 domains toActive Directory domains (available on the installation compact disk in the

\i386\ADMT folder).

16.What is LDP? What is REPLMON? What is ADSIEDIT? What is NETDOM?What is REPADMIN?

LDP means Allows LDAP operations to be performed against Active Directory. This toolhas a graphical user interface (GUI).

REPLMON means Display replication topology, monitor replication status

(including group policies), force replication events and knowledge consistency checkerrecalculation. This tool has a graphical user interface (GUI).

ADSIEDIT means A Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in used to view all objects inthe directory (including schema and configuration information), modify objects and set accesscontrol lists on objects.

NETDOM means Batch management of trusts, joining computers to domains, verifying trustsand secure channels.

REPADMIN means Check replication consistency between replication partners, monitor

replication status, display replication metadata, force replication events and knowledgeconsistency checker recalculation.


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What are sites? What are they used for?

A site is a grouping of machines based on a subnet of TCP/IP addresses. An administrator

determines what a site is. Sites may contain multiple subnets. There can be several domains in asite.

Active Directory replication to various sites is performed using Active Directory Sites andServices. (Make section explaining how to use this). Sites and subnets are not related to thestructure of the domain.

The following may be created:

Sites - One or more IP subnets. Generally this refers to a physical site such as a portionof the organization in particular city or part of a city which is linked by leased lines or

other media to other parts of the organization. Subnets - Subnets must be created in each site object before it is really active. A

network address and subnet mask is used to define the subnet. Site links - It is a list of two or more connected sites. Whether the link will use RPC or

SMTP for passing data must be determined before creating the link since it cannot bechanged. Selection IP means selection RPC over IP. Site link information includes:

o Replication schedule - Specify the times the sites can replicate and how oftenthey attempt replication.

o Link cost - High for a low bandwidth link. A high cost link gets lower priority. Alower priority link is normally used if there are more than one link to the samelocation.

o Member sites - Lists sites that are connected using the site link.o Transport Mechanism - RPC or SMTP (Mail) is specified.

SMTP (Mail) - It cannon be used for replication inside the same site andis a form ofasynchronous replication.

RPC - Requires more bandwidth than SMTP.Bridgehead server - A domain controller that is used to send replication information toone or more other sites across a site link.

Site link bridges - Allows one site in a string of sites to replicate through one or twosites to a second or third site. These are only used for fine control of how replication will

occur across WAN links. This is actually done automatically by AD, without finecontrol. To use this feature, automatic bridging of site links must be turned off. Youmust have three sites to create a site link bridge since it takes three sites and two sitelinks to make a string of sites.

Global catalog servers - The global catalog is a searchable master index with data aboutall objects in a forest. The global catalog server maintains this catalog. It:

o Helps Active Directory resources be located by users.


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o During logon, it provides group membership information.There is one in each domain by default, and the first domain controller in the domain is

originally the global catalog server. It is worthwhile to have a global catalog server oneach side of a WAN connection if the domain is spread out across a WAN.

If several domain controllers are placed on the network, and later the network is broken intosites, appropriate servers must be manually moved to the appropriate site that they are on. If thedomain controller is created after the site is created, the server is placed automatically in thecorrect site (based on IP address).

17.What's the difference between a site link's schedule and interval?Schedule enables you to list weekdays or hours when the site link is available for

replication to happen in the give interval. Interval is the re occurrence of the inter sitereplication in given minutes. It ranges from 15 - 10,080 mins. The default interval is180 mins.


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18.What is the KCC?The KCC is a built-in process that runs on all domain controllers and generates replication

topology for the Active Directory forest. The KCC creates separate replication topologiesdepending on whether replication is occurring within a site (intrasite) or between sites (intersite).The KCC also dynamically adjusts the topology to accommodate new domain controllers,domain controllers moved to and from sites, changing costs and schedules, and domaincontrollers that are temporarily unavailable.

Within a site, the connections between domain controllers are always arranged in a bidirectionalring, with additional shortcut connections to reduce latency in large sites. On the other hand, theintersite topology is a layering of spanning trees, which means one intersite connection existsbetween any two sites for each directory partition and generally does not contain shortcutconnections. For more information about spanning trees and Active Directory replication

topology, seeActive Directory Replication Topology Technical Referencein the WindowsServer 2003 Technical Reference on the Microsoft Web site .

On each domain controller, the KCC creates replication routes by creating one-way inboundconnection objects that define connections from other domain controllers. For domain controllersin the same site, the KCC creates connection objects automatically without administrativeintervention. When you have more than one site, you configure site links between sites and asingle KCC in each site automatically creates connections between sites as well.

19.What is the ISTG? Who has that role by default?Intersite Topology Generator (ISTG), which is responsible for the connections amongthe sites. By default Windows 2003 Forest level functionality has this role.

20.What are the requirements for installing AD on a new server? An NTFS partition with enough free space (250MB minimum) An Administrator's username and password The correct operating system version A NIC Properly configured TCP/IP (IP address, subnet mask and -

optional - default gateway)

A network connection (to a hub or to another computer via acrossover cable)

An operational DNS server (which can be installed on the DCitself)

A Domain name that you want to use The Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 CD media (or at least the

i386 folder)
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=44137http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=44137http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=44137http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=44137


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21.What can you do to promote a server to DC if you're in a remote location withslow WAN link?

First available in Windows 2003, you will create a copy of the system state from anexisting DC and copy it to the new remote server. Run "Dcpromo /adv". You will beprompted for the location of the system state files

22.How can you forcibly remove AD from a server, and what do you do later?dcpromo /forceremoval forcibly remove AD from a Server.After you use the dcpromo /forceremoval command, all the remaining metadata forthe demoted DC is not deleted on the surviving domain controllers, and therefore you

must manually remove it by using the NTDSUTIL command.

23.Can I get user passwords from the AD database?24.What tool would I use to try to grab security related packets from the wire?

You must usesniffer-detectingtools to help stop the snoops

25.Name some OU design considerations.OU design requires balancing requirements for delegating administrative rights - independent ofGroup Policy needs - and the need to scope the application of Group Policy. The following OU

design recommendations address delegation and scope issues.Applying Group Policy An OU isthe lowest-level Active Directory container to which you can assign Group Policy settings.Delegating administrative authority usually don't go more than 3 OU levels .

26.What is tombstone lifetime attribute?The number of days before a deleted object is removed from the directory services. This assistsin removing objects from replicated servers and preventing restores from reintroducing a deletedobject. This value is in the Directory Service object in the configuration NIC

by default 2000


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27.What do you do to install a new Windows 2003 DC in a Windows 2000 AD?If you plan to install windows 2003 server domain controllers into an existing

windows 2000 domain or upgrade a windows 2000 domain controllers to windowsserver 2003, you first need to run the Adprep.exe utility on the windows 2000 domaincontrollers currently holding the schema master and infrastructure master roles. Theadprep / forestprer command must first be issued on the windows 2000 server holdingschema master role in the forest root doman to prepare the existing schema to supportwindows 2003 active directory. The adprep /domainprep command must be issued onthe sever holding the infrastructure master role in the domain where 2000 server willbe deployed

28.What do you do to install a new Windows 2003 R2 DC in a Windows 2003 AD?If you're installing Windows 2003 R2 on an existing Windows 2003 server with

SP1 installed, you require only the second R2 CD-ROM. Insert the second CD andthe r2auto.exe will display the Windows 2003 R2 Continue Setup screen.

If you're installing R2 on a domain controller (DC), you must first upgrade theschema to the R2 version (this is a minor change and mostly related to the new Dfsreplication engine). To update the schema, run the Adprep utility, which you'll find inthe Cmpnents\r2\adprep folder on the second CD-ROM. Before running thiscommand, ensure all DCs are running Windows 2003 or Windows 2000 with SP2 (orlater). Here's a sample execution of the Adprep /forestprep command:

D:\CMPNENTS\R2\ADPREP>adprep /forestprep

ADPREP WARNING: Before running adprep, all Windows 2000 domain controllersin the forest should be upgraded to Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 (SP1) with QFE265089, or to Windows 2000 SP2 (or later).

QFE 265089 (included in Windows 2000 SP2 and later) is required to preventpotential domain controller corruption.

For more information about preparing your forest and domain see KB article Q331161 at http://support.microsoft.com.

[User Action] If ALL your existing Windows 2000 domain controllers meet thisrequirement, type C and then press ENTER to continue. Otherwise, type any otherkey and press ENT ER to quit.

C Opened Connection to SAVDALDC01 SSPI Bind succeeded Current SchemaVersion is 30 Upgrading schema to version 31 Connecting to "SAVDALDC01"Logging in as current user using SSPI Importing directory from file


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"C:\WINDOWS\system32\sch31.ldf" Loadingentries..................................................... ...................................................... 139 entriesmodified successfully.

The command has completed successfully Adprep successfully updated the forest-wide information.

After running Adprep, install R2 by performing these steps:

1. Click the "Continue Windows Server 2003 R2 Setup" link, as the figureshows.2. At the "Welcome to the Windows Server 2003 R2 Setup Wizard" screen, click Next.3. You'll be prompted to enter an R2 CD key (this is different from your existing Windows

2003 keys) if the underlying OS wasn't installed from R2 media (e.g., a regular Windows2003 SP1 installation). Enter the R2 key and click Next. Note: The license key entered

for R2 must match the underlying OS type, which means if you installed Windows 2003using a volume-license version key, then you can't use a retail or Microsoft DeveloperNetwork (MSDN) R2 key.

4. You'll see the setup summary screen which confirms the actions to be performed (e.g.,Copy files). Click Next.

5. After the installation is complete, you'll see a confirmation dialog box. Click Finish

29.How would you find all users that have not logged on since last month?Using only native commands, JSILLD.bat produces a sorted/formated report of Users who havenot logged on since YYYYMMDD.

The report is sorted by UserName and list the user's full name and last logon date.

The syntax for using JSILLD.bat is:

JSILLD \Folder\OutputFile.Ext YYYYMMDD [/N]

where:

YYYYMMDD will report all users who have not logged on since this date.

/N is an optional parameter that will bypass users who have never logged on.

JSILLD.bat contains:

@echo off


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setlocalif {%2}=={} goto syntaxif "%3"=="" goto begin

if /i "%3"=="/n" goto begin:syntax@echo Syntax: JSILLD File yyyymmdd [/N]endlocalgoto :EOF:beginif /i "%2"=="/n" goto syntaxset dte=%2set XX=%dte:~0,4%if "%XX%" LSS "1993" goto syntaxset XX=%dte:~4,2%

if "%XX%" LSS "01" goto syntaxif "%XX%" GTR "12" goto syntaxset XX=%dte:~6,2%if "%XX%" LSS "01" goto syntaxif "%XX%" GTR "31" goto syntaxset never=Xif /i "%3"=="/n" set never=/nset file=%1if exist %file% del /q %file%for /f "Skip=4 Tokens=*" %%i in ('net user /domain^|findstr /v /c:"----"^|findstr /v /i /c:"Thecommand completed"') do (

do call :parse "%%i")endlocalgoto :EOF:parseset str=#%1#set str=%str:#"=%set str=%str:"#=%set substr=%str:~0,25%#set substr=%substr: =%set substr=%substr: #=%

set substr=%substr:#=%if "%substr%"=="" goto :EOFfor /f "Skip=1 Tokens=*" %%i in ('net user "%substr%" /domain') do call :parse1 "%%i"set substr=%str:~25,25%#set substr=%substr: =%set substr=%substr: #=%set substr=%substr:#=%if "%substr%"=="" goto :EOF


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for /f "Skip=1 Tokens=*" %%i in ('net user "%substr%" /domain') do call :parse1 "%%i"set substr=%str:~50,25%#set substr=%substr: =%

set substr=%substr: #=%set substr=%substr:#=%if "%substr%"=="" goto :EOFfor /f "Skip=1 Tokens=*" %%i in ('net user "%substr%" /domain') do call :parse1 "%%i"goto :EOF:parse1set ustr=%1if %ustr%=="The command completed successfully." goto :EOFset ustr=%ustr:"=%if /i "%ustr:~0,9%"=="Full Name" set fullname=%ustr:~29,99%if /i not "%ustr:~0,10%"=="Last logon" goto :EOF

set txt=%ustr:~29,99%for /f "Tokens=1,2,3 Delims=/ " %%i in ('@echo %txt%') do set MM=%%i&set DD=%%j&setYY=%%kif /i "%MM%"=="Never" goto tstnvrgoto year:tstnvrif /i "%never%"=="/n" goto :EOFgoto report:yearif "%YY%" GTR "1000" goto mmmif "%YY%" GTR "92" goto Y19

set /a YY=100%YY%%%100set YY=%YY% + 2000goto mmm:Y19set YY=19%YY%:mmmset /a XX=100%MM%%%100if %XX% LSS 10 set MM=0%XX%set /a XX=100%DD%%%100if %XX% LSS 10 set DD=0%XX%set YMD=%YY%%MM%%DD%

if "%YMD%" GEQ "%dte%" goto :EOF:reportset fullname=%fullname% #set fullname=%fullname:~0,35%set substr=%substr% #set substr=%substr:~0,30%@echo %substr% %fullname% %txt% >> %file%


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30.What are the DS* commands?New DS (Directory Service) Family of built-in command line utilities for Windows Server 2003Active Directory

A:

New DS built-in tools for Windows Server 2003The DS (Directory Service) group of commands are split into two families. In one branch areDSadd, DSmod, DSrm and DSMove and in the other branch are DSQuery and DSGet.

When it comes to choosing a scripting tool for Active Directory objects, you really are spoilt for

choice. The the DS family of built-in command line executables offer alternative strategies toCSVDE, LDIFDE and VBScript.

Let me introduce you to the members of the DS family:

DSadd - add Active Directory users and groupsDSmod - modify Active Directory objectsDSrm - to delete Active Directory objectsDSmove - to relocate objectsDSQuery - to find objects that match your query attributesDSget - list the properties of an object

DS SyntaxThese DS tools have their own command structure which you can split into five parts:

1 2 3 4 5Tool object "DN" (as in LDAP distinguished name) -switch value For example:DSadd user "cn=billy, ou=managers, dc=cp, dc=com" -pwd cX49pQba

This will add a user called Billy to the Managers OU and set the password to cx49Qba

Here are some of the common DS switches which work with DSadd and DSmod-pwd (password) -upn (userPrincipalName) -fn (FirstName) -samid (Sam account name).

The best way to learn about this DS family is to logon at a domain controller and experimentfrom the command line. I have prepared examples of the two most common programs. Try somesample commands for DSadd.


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Two most useful Tools: DSQuery and DSGetThe DSQuery and DSGet remind me of UNIX commands in that they operate at the commandline, use powerful verbs, and produce plenty of action. One pre-requisite for getting the most

from this DS family is a working knowledge of LDAP.

If you need to query users or computers from a range of OU's and then return information, forexample, office, department manager. Then DSQuery and DSGet would be your tools of choice.Moreover, you can export the information into a text file

31.What's the difference between LDIFDE and CSVDE? Usage considerations?Ldifde creates, modifies, and deletes directory objects on computers running Windows Server

2003 operating systems or Windows XP Professional. You can also use Ldifde to extend theschema, export Active Directory user and group information to other applications or services,and populate Active Directory with data from other directory services.

The LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) is a draft Internet standard for a file format that maybe used for performing batch operations against directories that conform to the LDAP standards.LDIF can be used to export and import data, allowing batch operations such as add, create, andmodify to be performed against the Active Directory. A utility program called LDIFDE isincluded in Windows 2000 to support batch operations based on the LDIF file format standard.This article is designed to help you better understand how the LDIFDE utility can be used tomigrate directories.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/237677

Csvde

Imports and exports data from Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) using files that storedata in the comma-separated value (CSV) format. You can also support batch operations basedon the CSV file format standard.

Csvde is a command-line tool that is built into Windows Server 2008 in the/system32 folder. Itis available if you have the AD DS or Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) server role installed. To use csvde, you must run the csvde command from an elevatedcommand prompt. To open an elevated command prompt, clickStart, right-clickCommandPrompt, and then clickRun as administrator.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732101.aspx

DIFFERENCE USAGE WISE


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Csvde.exe is a Microsoft Windows 2000 command-line utility that is located in theSystemRoot\System32 folder after you install Windows 2000. Csvde.exe is similar toLdifde.exe, but it extracts information in a comma-separated value (CSV) format. You can use

Csvde to import and export Active Directory data that uses the comma-separated value format.Use a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel to open this .csv file and view the header andvalue information. See Microsoft Excel Help for information about functions such asConcatenate that can simplify the process of building a .csv file.

Note Although Csvde is similar to Ldifde, Csvde has a significant limitation: it can only importand export Active Directory data by using a comma-separated format (.csv). Microsoftrecommends that you use the Ldifde utility for Modify or Delete operations. Additionally, thedistinguished name (also known as DN) of the item that you are trying to import must be in thefirst column of the .csv file or the import will not work.

The source .csv file can come from an Exchange Server directory export. However, because ofthe difference in attribute mappings between the Exchange Server directory and ActiveDirectory, you must make some modifications to the .csv file. For example, a directory exportfrom Exchange Server has a column that is named "obj-class" that you must rename to"objectClass." You must also rename "Display Name" to "displayName."

32.What are the FSMO roles? Who has them by default? What happens when eachone fails?

FSMO stands for the Flexible single Master Operation

It has 5 Roles: -

Schema Master:The schema master domain controller controls all updates and modifications to theschema. Once the Schema update is complete, it is replicated from the schema master toall other DCs in the directory. To update the schema of a forest, you must have access tothe schema master. There can be only one schema master in the whole forest.

Domain naming master:The domain naming master domain controller controls the addition or removal ofdomains in the forest. This DC is the only one that can add or remove a domain from thedirectory. It can also add or remove cross references to domains in external directories.There can be only one domain naming master in the whole forest.

Infrastructure Master:


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When an object in one domain is referenced by another object in another domain, itrepresents the reference by the GUID, the SID (for references to security principals), andthe DN of the object being referenced. The infrastructure FSMO role holder is the DC

responsible for updating an object's SID and distinguished name in a cross-domain objectreference. At any one time, there can be only one domain controller acting as theinfrastructure master in each domain.Note: The Infrastructure Master (IM) role should be held by a domain controller that isnot a Global Catalog server (GC). If the Infrastructure Master runs on a Global Catalogserver it will stop updating object information because it does not contain any referencesto objects that it does not hold. This is because a Global Catalog server holds a partialreplica of every object in the forest. As a result, cross-domain object references in thatdomain will not be updated and a warning to that effect will be logged on that DC's eventlog. If all the domain controllers in a domain also host the global catalog, all the domaincontrollers have the current data, and it is not important which domain controller holds

the infrastructure master role.

Relative ID (RID) Master:The RID master is responsible for processing RID pool requests from all domaincontrollers in a particular domain. When a DC creates a security principal object such asa user or group, it attaches a unique Security ID (SID) to the object. This SID consists ofa domain SID (the same for all SIDs created in a domain), and a relative ID (RID) that isunique for each security principal SID created in a domain. Each DC in a domain isallocated a pool of RIDs that it is allowed to assign to the security principals it creates.When a DC's allocated RID pool falls below a threshold, that DC issues a request for

additional RIDs to the domain's RID master. The domain RID master responds to therequest by retrieving RIDs from the domain's unallocated RID pool and assigns them tothe pool of the requesting DC. At any one time, there can be only one domain controlleracting as the RID master in the domain.

PDC Emulator:The PDC emulator is necessary to synchronize time in an enterprise. Windows2000/2003 includes the W32Time (Windows Time) time service that is required by theKerberos authentication protocol. All Windows 2000/2003-based computers within anenterprise use a common time. The purpose of the time service is to ensure that the

Windows Time service uses a hierarchical relationship that controls authority and doesnot permit loops to ensure appropriate common time usage.The PDC emulator of a domain is authoritative for the domain. The PDC emulator at theroot of the forest becomes authoritative for the enterprise, and should be configured togather the time from an external source. All PDC FSMO role holders follow thehierarchy of domains in the selection of their in-bound time partner.:: In a Windows 2000/2003 domain, the PDC emulator role holder retains the followingfunctions:


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:: Password changes performed by other DCs in the domain are replicated preferentiallyto the PDC emulator.Authentication failures that occur at a given DC in a domain because of an incorrect

password are forwarded to the PDC emulator before a bad password failure message isreported to the user.Account lockout is processed on the PDC emulator.Editing or creation of Group Policy Objects (GPO) is always done from the GPO copyfound in the PDC Emulator's SYSVOL share, unless configured not to do so by theadministrator.The PDC emulator performs all of the functionality that a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0Server-based PDC or earlier PDC performs for Windows NT 4.0-based or earlier clients.This part of the PDC emulator role becomes unnecessary when all workstations, memberservers, and domain controllers that are running Windows NT 4.0 or earlier are allupgraded to Windows 2000/2003. The PDC emulator still performs the other functions as

described in a Windows 2000/2003 environment.

33.What FSMO placement considerations do you know of?Windows 2000/2003 Active Directory domains utilize a Single Operation Master methodcalled FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operation), as described in Understanding FSMORoles in Active Directory.

In most cases an administrator can keep the FSMO role holders (all 5 of them) in the samespot (or actually, on the same DC) as has been configured by the Active Directory installationprocess. However, there are scenarios where an administrator would want to move one ormore of the FSMO roles from the default holder DC to a different DC.Windows Server 2003 Active Directory is a bit different than the Windows 2000 versionwhen dealing with FSMO placement. In this article I will only deal with Windows Server2003 Active Directory, but you should bear in mind that most considerations are also truewhen planning Windows 2000 AD FSMO roles

34.I want to look at the RID allocation table for a DC. What do I do?35.What's the difference between transferring a FSMO role and seizing one?

Which one should you NOT seize? Why?

36.How do you configure a "stand-by operation master" for any of the roles?37.How do you backup AD?

Backing up Active Directory is essential to maintain an Active Directory database. You can backup Active Directory by using the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and command-line tools thatthe Windows Server 2003 family provides.


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You frequently backup the system state data on domain controllers so that you can restore themost current data. By establishing a regular backup schedule, you have a better chance of

recovering data when necessary.

To ensure a good backup includes at least the system state data and contents of the system disk,you must be aware of the tombstone lifetime. By default, the tombstone is 60 days. Any backupolder than 60 days is not a good backup. Plan to backup at least two domain controllers in eachdomain, one of at least one backup to enable an authoritative restore of the data when necessary.

System State DataSeveral features in the windows server 2003 family make it easy to backup Active Directory.You can backup Active Directory while the server is online and other network function cancontinue to function.

System state data on a domain controller includes the following components:

Active Directory system state data does not contain Active Directory unless the server, on whichyou are backing up the system state data, is a domain controller. Active Directory is present onlyon domain controllers.The SYSVOL shared folder: This shared folder contains Group policy templates and logonscripts. The SYSVOL shared folder is present only on domain controllers.The Registry: This database repository contains information about the computer's configuration.System startup files: Windows Server 2003 requires these files during its initial startup phase.They include the boot and system files that are under windows file protection and used by

windows to load, configure, and run the operating system.The COM+ Class Registration database: The Class registration is a database of informationabout Component Services applications.The Certificate Services database: This database contains certificates that a server runningWindows server 2003 uses to authenticate users. The Certificate Services database is presentonly if the server is operating as a certificate server.System state data contains most elements of a system's configuration, but it may not include allof the information that you require recovering data from a system failure. Therefore, be sure tobackup all boot and system volumes, including the System State, when you back up your server.

38.How do you restore AD?Restoring Active DirectoryIn Windows Server 2003 family, you can restore the Active Directory database if it becomescorrupted or is destroyed because of hardware or software failures. You must restore the ActiveDirectory database when objects in Active Directory are changed or deleted.


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Active Directory restore can be performed in several ways. Replication synchronizes the latestchanges from every other replication partner. Once the replication is finished each partner has anupdated version of Active Directory. There is another way to get these latest updates by Backup

utility to restore replicated data from a backup copy. For this restore you don't need to configureagain your domain controller or no need to install the operating system from scratch.

Active Directory Restore MethodsYou can use one of the three methods to restore Active Directory from backup media: primaryrestore, normal (non authoritative) restore, and authoritative restore.

Primary restore: This method rebuilds the first domain controller in a domain when there is noother way to rebuild the domain. Perform a primary restore only when all the domain controllersin the domain are lost, and you want to rebuild the domain from the backup.Members of Administrators group can perform the primary restore on local computer, or user

should have been delegated with this responsibility to perform restore. On a domain controlleronly Domain Admins can perform this restore.Normal restore: This method reinstates the Active Directory data to the state before the backup,and then updates the data through the normal replication process. Perform a normal restore for asingle domain controller to a previously known good state.Authoritative restore: You perform this method in tandem with a normal restore. An authoritativerestore marks specific data as current and prevents the replication from overwriting that data.The authoritative data is then replicated through the domain.Perform an authoritative restore individual object in a domain that has multiple domaincontrollers. When you perform an authoritative restore, you lose all changes to the restore objectthat occurred after the backup. Ntdsutil is a command line utility to perform an authoritative

restore along with windows server 2003 system utilities. The Ntdsutil command-line tool is anexecutable file that you use to mark Active Directory objects as authoritative so that they receivea higher version recently changed data on other domain controllers does not overwrite systemstate data during replication.

39.How do you change the DS Restore admin password?SUMMARY

When you promote a Windows 2000 Server-based computer to a domain controller, you areprompted to type a Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator password. This password isalso used by Recovery Console, and is separate from the Administrator password that is stored inActive Directory after a completed promotion.

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MORE INFORMATION

The Administrator password that you use when you start Recovery Console or when you pressF8 to start Directory Service Restore Mode is stored in the registry-based Security AccountsManager (SAM) on the local computer. The SAM is located in the\System32\Config folder. TheSAM-based account and password are computer specific and they are not replicated to otherdomain controllers in the domain.

For ease of administration of domain controllers or for additional security measures, you canchange the Administrator password for the local SAM. To change the local Administratorpassword that you use when you start Recovery Console or when you start Directory ServiceRestore Mode, use one of the following methods.

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Method 1

If Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 or later is installed on your computer, you can use theSetpwd.exe utility to change the SAM-based Administrator password. To do this: 1. Log on tothe computer as the administrator or a user who is a member of the Administrators group. 2. At acommand prompt, change to the\System32 folder. 3. To change the local SAM-basedAdministrator password, type setpwd, and then press ENTER.

To change the SAM-based Administrator password on a remote domain controller, type the

following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER

setpwd /s:servername

where servername is the name of the remote domain controller. 4. When you are prompted totype the password for the Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator account, type the newpassword that you want to use.

NOTE: If you make a mistake, repeat these steps to run setpwd again. For additional informationabout the Setpwd.exe utility, click the article number below to view the article in the MicrosoftKnowledge Base:

271641 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/271641/EN-US/) The Configure Your Server WizardSets Blank Recovery Password

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Method 2

1. Log on to the computer as the administrator or a user who is a member of the Administratorsgroup. 2. Shut down the domain controller on which you want to change the password. 3. Restartthe computer. When the selection menu screen is displayed during restar, press F8 to viewadvanced startup options. 4. Click the Directory Service Restore Mode option. 5. After you logon, use one of the following methods to change the local Administrator password: At a

command prompt, type the following command:

net user administrator *

Use the Local Userand Groups snap-in (Lusrmgr.msc) to change the Administrator password.6. Shut down and restart the computer. You can now use the Administrator account to log on toRecovery Console or Directory Services Restore Mode using the new password.

For additional information about how to secure the local SAM, click the article number below toview the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

223301 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223301/EN-US/) Protection of the AdministratorAccount in the Offline SAM

40.Why can't you restore a DC that was backed up 4 months ago?Because of the tombstone life which is set to only 60 days

41.What are GPOs?Group Policy gives you administrative control over users and computers in your network. Byusing Group Policy, you can define the state of a user's work environment once, and then rely onWindows Server 2003 to continually force the Group Policy settings that you apply across anentire organization or to specific groups of users and computers.

Group Policy Advantages

You can assign group policy in domains, sites and organizational units.All users and computers get reflected by group policy settings in domain, site and organizationalunit.No one in network has rights to change the settings of Group policy; by default onlyadministrator has full privilege to change, so it is very secure.Policy settings can be removed and can further rewrite the changes.Where GPO's store Group Policy InformationGroup Policy objects store their Group Policy information in two locations:


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Group Policy Container: The GPC is an Active Directory object that contains GPO status,version information, WMI filter information, and a list of components that have settings in theGPO. Computers can access the GPC to locate Group Policy templates, and domain controller

does not have the most recent version of the GPO, replication occurs to obtain the latest versionof the GPO.Group Policy Template: The GPT is a folder hierarchy in the shared SYSVOL folder on adomain controller. When you create GPO, Windows Server 2003 creates the corresponding GPTwhich contains all Group Policy settings and information, including administrative templates,security, software installation, scripts, and folder redirection settings. Computers connect to theSYSVOL folder to obtain the settings.The name of the GPT folder is the Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) of the GPO that youcreated. It is identical to the GUID that Active Directory uses to identify the GPO in the GPC.The path to the GPT on a domain controller is systemroot\SYSVOL\sysvol.Managing GPOs

To avoid conflicts in replication, consider the selection of domain controller, especially becausethe GPO data resides in SYSVOL folder and the Active Directory. Active Directory uses twoindependent replication techniques to replicate GPO data among all domain controllers in thedomain. If two administrator's changes can overwrite those made by other administrator, dependson the replication latency. By default the Group Policy Management console uses the PDCEmulator so that all administrators can work on the same domain controller.

WMI FilterWMI filters is use to get the current scope of GPOs based on attributes of the user or computer.In this way, you can increase the GPOs filtering capabilities beyond the security group filteringmechanisms that were previously available.

Linking can be done with WMI filter to a GPO. When you apply a GPO to the destinationcomputer, Active Directory evaluates the filter on the destination computer. A WMI filter hasfew queries that active Directory evaluates in place of WMI repository of the destinationcomputer. If the set of queries is false, Active Directory does not apply the GPO. If set of queriesare true, Active Directory applies the GPO. You write the query by using the WMI QueryLanguage (WQL); this language is similar to querying SQL for WMI repository.

Planning a Group Policy Strategy for the EnterpriseWhen you plan an Active Directory structure, create a plan for GPO inheritance, administration,and deployment that provides the most efficient Group Policy management for your

organization.

Also consider how you will implement Group Policy for the organization. Be sure to consider thedelegation of authority, separation of administrative duties, central versus decentralizedadministration, and design flexibility so that your plan will provide for ease of use as well asadministration.


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Planning GPOsCreate GPOs in way that provides for the simplest and most manageable design -- one in whichyou can use inheritance and multiple links.

Guidelines for Planning GPOsApply GPO settings at the highest level: This way, you take advantage of Group Policyinheritance. Determine what common GPO settings for the largest container are starting with thedomain and then link the GPO to this container.Reduce the number of GPOs: You reduce the number by using multiple links instead of creatingmultiple identical GPOs. Try to link a GPO to the broadest container possible level to avoidcreating multiple links of the same GPO at a deeper level.Create specialized GPOs: Use these GPOs to apply unique settings when necessary. GPOs at ahigher level will not apply the settings in these specialized GPOs.Disable computer or use configuration settings: When you create a GPO to contain settings for

only one of the two levels-user and computer-disable the logon and prevents accidental GPOsettings from being applied to the other area.

42.What is the order in which GPOs are applied?Local, Site, Domain, OU

Group Policy settings are processed in the following order:

1:- Local Group Policy object-each computer has exactly one Group Policy object that is storedlocally. This processes for both computer and user Group Policy processing.

2:- Site-Any GPOs that have been linked to the site that the computer belongs to are processednext. Processing is in the order that is specified by the administrator, on the Linked Group PolicyObjects tab for the site in Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). The GPO with thelowest link order is processed last, and therefore has the highest precedence.

3:- Domain-processing of multiple domain-linked GPOs is in the order specified by theadministrator, on the Linked Group Policy Objects tab for the domain in GPMC. The GPO withthe lowest link order is processed last, and therefore has the highest precedence.

4:- Organizational units-GPOs that are linked to the organizational unit that is highest in theActive Directory hierarchy are processed first, then GPOs that are linked to its childorganizational unit, and so on. Finally, the GPOs that are linked to the organizational unit thatcontains the user or computer are processed.

At the level of each organizational unit in the Active Directory hierarchy, one, many, or noGPOs can be linked. If several GPOs are linked to an organizational unit, their processing is in


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the order that is specified by the administrator, on the Linked Group Policy Objects tab for theorganizational unit in GPMC. The GPO with the lowest link order is processed last, andtherefore has the highest precedence.

This order means that the local GPO is processed first, and GPOs that are linked to theorganizational unit of which the computer or user is a direct member are processed last, whichoverwrites settings in the earlier GPOs if there are conflicts. (If there are no conflicts, then theearlier and later settings are merely aggregated.)

43.Name a few benefits of using GPMC.Microsoft released the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) years ago, which is an

amazing innovation in Group Policy management. The tool provides control over Group Policyin the following manner:

Easy administration of all GPOs across the entire Active Directory Forest View of all GPOs in one single list Reporting of GPO settings, security, filters, delegation, etc. Control of GPO inheritance with Block Inheritance, Enforce, and Security Filtering Delegation model Backup and restore of GPOs Migration of GPOs across different domains and forests

With all of these benefits, there are still negatives in using the GPMC alone. Granted, the GPMCis needed and should be used by everyone for what it is ideal for. However, it does fall a bit shortwhen you want to protect the GPOs from the following:

Role based delegation of GPO management Being edited in production, potentially causing damage to desktops and servers Forgetting to back up a GPO after it has been modified Change management of each modification to every GPO

44.What are the GPC and the GPT? Where can I find them?


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GPOs store group policy settings in two locations: a Group Policy container (GPC) (preferred)and a Group Policy template (GPT). The GPC is an Active Directory object that stores versioninformation, status information, and other policy information (for example, application objects).

The GPT is used for file-based data and stores software policy, script, and deploymentinformation. The GPT is located on the system volume folder of the domain controller. A GPOcan be associated with one or more Active Directory containers, such as a site, domain, ororganizational unit. Multiple containers can be associated with the same GPO, and a singlecontainer can have more than one associated GPO."

45.What are GPO links? What special things can I do to them?Linking GPOs

To apply the settings of a GPO to the users and computers of a domain, site, or OU, you need toadd a link to that GPO. You can add one or more GPO links to each domain, site, or OU by usingGPMC. Keep in mind that creating and linking GPOs is a sensitive privilege that should bedelegated only to administrators who are trusted and understand Group Policy.

Linking GPOs to the Site

If you have a number of policy settings to apply to computers in a particular physical location

only - certain network or proxy configuration settings, for example - these settings might beappropriate for inclusion in a site-based policy. Because domains and sites are independent, it ispossible that computers in the site might need to cross domains to link the GPO to the site. In thiscase, make sure there is good connectivity.

If, however, the settings do not clearly correspond to computers in a single site, it is better toassign the GPO to the domain or OU structure rather than to the site.

Linking GPOs to the Domain

Link GPOs to the domain if you want them to apply to all users and computers in the domain.

For example, security administrators often implement domain-based GPOs to enforce corporatestandards. They might want to create these GPOs with the GPMC Enforce option enabled toguarantee that no other administrator can override these settings.

Important

If you need to modify some of the settings contained in the Default Domain PolicyGPO, it is recommended that you create a new GPO for this purpose, link it to the


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domain, and set the Enforce option. In general, do not modify this or the DefaultDomain Controller Policy GPO. If you do, be sure to back up these and any other GPOsin your network by using GPMC to ensure you can restore them.

As the name suggests, the Default Domain Policy GPO is also linked to the domain. TheDefault Domain Policy GPO is created when the first domain controller in the domain isinstalled and the administrator logs on for the first time. This GPO contains the domain-wideaccount policy settings, Password Policy, Account Lockout Policy, and Kerberos Policy, whichis enforced by the domain controller computers in the domain. All domain controllers retrievethe values of these account policy settings from the Default Domain Policy GPO. In order toapply account policies to domain accounts, these policy settings must be deployed in a GPOlinked to the domain, and it is recommended that you set these settings in the Default DomainPolicy. If you set account policies at a lower level, such as an OU, the settings only affect localaccounts (non-domain accounts) on computers in that OU and its children.

Before making any changes to the default GPOs, be sure to back up the GPO using GPMC. If forsome reason there is a problem with the changes to the default GPOs and you cannot revert backto the previous or initial states, you can use the Dcgpofix.exe tool to recreate the default policiesin their initial state.

Dcgpofix.exe is a command-line tool that completely restores the Default Domain Policy GPOand Default Domain Controller GPO to their original states in the event of a disaster where youcannot use GPMC. Dcgpofix.exe restores only the policy settings that are contained in thedefault GPOs at the time they are generated. The only Group Policy extensions that includepolicy settings in the default GPOs are RIS, Security, and EFS. Dcgpofix.exe does not restore

other GPOs that administrators create; it is only intended for disaster recovery of the defaultGPOs.

Note that Dcgpofix.exe does not save any information created through applications, such as SMSor Exchange. The Dcgpofix.exe tool is included with Windows Server 2003 and only works in aWindows Server 2003 domain.

Dcgpofix.exe is located in the C:\Windows\Repair folder. The syntax for Dcgpofix.exe is asfollows:

Copy Code DCGPOFix [/Target: Domain | DC | BOTH]

Table 2.1 describes the options you can use with the command line parameter /Target: whenusing the Dcgpofix.exe tool.

Table 2.1 Dcgpofix.exe Options for Using the /Target Parameter

/Target

option:

Description of

optionDOMAIN


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Specifies that the Default Domain Policy should be recreated.

DC

Specifies that the Default Domain Controllers Policy should berecreated.

BOTH

Specifies that both the Default Domain Policy and the DefaultDomain Controllers Policy should be recreated.

For more information about Dcgpofix.exe, in Help and Support

Center for Windows Server 2003 clickTools, and then clickCommand-line reference A-Z

Linking GPOs to the OU Structure

Most GPOs are normally linked to the OU structure because this provides the most flexibilityand manageability:

You can move users and computers into and out of OUs. OUs can be rearranged if necessary. You can work with smaller groups of users who have common administrative

requirements. You can organize users and computers based on which administrators manage them.

Organizing GPOs into user- and computer-oriented GPOs can help make your Group Policyenvironment easier to understand and can simplify troubleshooting. However, separating the userand computer components into separate GPOs might require more GPOs. You can compensatefor this by adjusting the GPO Status to disable the user or computer configuration portions ofthe GPO that do not apply and to reduce the time required to apply a given GPO.

Changing the GPO Link Order

Within each domain, site, and OU, the link order controls the order in which GPOs are applied.To change the precedence of a link, you can change the link order, moving each link up or downin the list to the appropriate location. Links with the lowest number have higher precedence for agiven site, domain, or OU. For example, if you add six GPO links and later decide that you wantthe last one that you added to have the highest precedence, you can adjust the link order of theGPO link so it has link order of 1. To change the link order for GPO links for a domain, OU, orsite, use GPMC


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46.What can I do to prevent inheritance from above?Declare your class as Final. A final class cannot be inherited by any other class.

WINDOWS SERVER 2003 AD

47.How can I override blocking of inheritance?

48.How can you determine what GPO was and was not applied for a user? Name afew ways to do that.

Simply use the Group Policy Management Console created by MS for that verypurpose, allows you to run simulated policies on computers or users to determine whatpolicies are enforced. Link in sources

49.A user claims he did not receive a GPO, yet his user and computer accounts arein the right OU, and everyone else there gets the GPO. What will you look for?

50.Name a few differences in Vista GPOs51.Name some GPO settings in the computer and user parts.

Group Policy Object (GPO) computer=Computer Configuration, User=User Configuration

52.What are administrative templates?Administrative Templates are a feature ofGroup Policy, aMicrosofttechnology for

centralised management of machines and users in anActive Directoryenvironment.

Administrative Templates facilitate the management of registry-based policy. An ADM

file is used to describe both the user interface presented to the Group Policy administratorand the registry keys that should be updated on the target machines. An ADM file is atext file with a specific syntax which describes both the interface and the registry valueswhich will be changed if the policy is enabled or disabled.

ADM files are consumed by the Group Policy Object Editor (GPEdit).Windows XPService Pack 2 shipped with five ADM files (system.adm, inetres.adm, wmplayer.adm,conf.adm and wuau.adm). These are merged into a unified "namespace" in GPEdit and
http://www.answers.com/topic/group-policyhttp://www.answers.com/topic/group-policyhttp://www.answers.com/topic/group-policyhttp://www.answers.com/topic/microsofthttp://www.answers.com/topic/microsofthttp://www.answers.com/topic/microsofthttp://www.answers.com/topic/active-directoryhttp://www.answers.com/topic/active-directoryhttp://www.answers.com/topic/active-directoryhttp://www.answers.com/topic/windows-xphttp://www.answers.com/topic/windows-xphttp://www.answers.com/topic/windows-xphttp://www.answers.com/topic/windows-xphttp://www.answers.com/topic/active-directoryhttp://www.answers.com/topic/microsofthttp://www.answers.com/topic/group-policy


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presented to the administrator under the Administrative Templates node (for bothmachine and user policy).

53.What's the difference between software publishing and assigning?Now that you know the difference between publishing and assigning applications andwhen to use which technique, lets look at the procedure for each type of installation.

Regardless of whether you want to publish or assign an application, the first step is toopen the group policy object you plan to use. If you havent created a group policy

object, you can open the default domain group policy object by entering the MMCcommand at the Run prompt. Doing so will launch an empty Microsoft ManagementConsole session. Now, select the Add/Remove Snap-In command from the Consolemenu to open the Add/Remove Snap-In Properties sheet. Click the Add button on theGeneral tab to display a list of the available snap-ins, select Group Policy from thelist, and then click the Add button.

At this point, youll see a screen explaining that the group policy object can existeither on the local machine or in the Active Directory. The default is to store thepolicy on the local machine, but you need to store it in the Active Directory instead.To change this setting, click the Browse button. Youll now be able to browse for a

group policy object. Unless you already have one set up, select the Default DomainPolicy, click OK, and then click Finish, Close, and OK.

Now you can select either User Configuration or Computer Configuration, dependingon whether you want to publish or assign the application on a user basis or assign iton a computer basis. For the purposes of this article, let's assume that youreassigning the application on a user basis. Beneath User Configuration, navigate toSoftware Settings | Software Installation. Right-click on Software Installation andselect the New | Package command from the resulting context menu. Youll see adialog box that prompts you for the location of the software distribution point.

Remember that the software distribution point should be shared and should containthe Windows installer package. If you havent configured sharing for the folder thatyou want to use as a software distribution point, you should do so immediately aftersetting up the group policy.

Now, select the Windows Installer file and click the Open button. If you see amessage stating that Windows cant verify the network path, it probably means that

you referenced the installer file through a local drive rather than through My Network


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Places. To see whether this is the case, look in the title bar of the message box to seeif it contains a drive letter (C:\Installer\Test.msi) instead of a network path(\\Animal\C$\Installer\Test.msi).

You should now see the Deploy Software dialog box, which asks whether you wantto publish the application or assign it. (Note that if you had chosen to use theComputer Configuration portion of the group policy object, the Publish optionwouldn't be available.) Select the option to assign the application and click OK.

54.Can I deploy non-MSI software with GPO?55.You want to standardize the desktop environments (wallpaper, My Documents,

Start menu, printers etc.) on the computers in one department. How would you

do that?

Login on client as Domain Admin user change whatever you need add printers etc go tosystem-User profiles copy this user profile to any location by select Everyone inpermitted to use after copy change ntuser.dat to ntuser.man and assgin this path underuser profile

56.Describe how the DHCP lease is obtained.Its a four-step process consisting of (a) IP request, (b) IP offer, IP selection and (d)

acknowledgement.

57.I cant seem to access the Internet, dont have any access to the corporate network andon ipconfig my address is 169.254.*.*. What happened?

The 169.254.*.* netmask is assigned to Windows machines running 98/2000/XP if the

DHCP server is not available. The name for the technology is APIPA (Automatic Private

Internet Protocol Addressing).

58.Weve installed a new Windows-based DHCP server, however, the users do not seem tobe getting DHCP leases off of it.

server must be authorized first with the Active Directory.

59.How can you force the client to give up the dhcp lease if you have access to theclient PC?ipconfig /release

60.What authentication options do Windows 2000 Servers have for remote clients?PAP, SPAP, CHAP, MS-CHAP and EAP.

61.What are the networking protocol options for the Windows clients if for somereason you do not want to use TCP/IP?

NWLink (Novell), NetBEUI, AppleTalk (Apple).


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62.What is data link layer in the OSI reference model responsible for? Data linklayer is located above the physical layer, but below the network layer.Taking raw data bits and packaging them into frames. The network layer will be

responsible for addressing the frames, while the physical layer is reponsible forretrieving and sending raw data bits.

63.What is binding order?The order by which the network protocols are used for client-server communications.The most frequently used protocols should be at the top.

64.How do cryptography-based keys ensure the validity of data transferred acrossthe network?Each IP packet is assigned a checksum, so if the checksums do not match on both

receiving and transmitting ends, the data was modified or corrupted.65.Should we deploy IPSEC-based security or certificate-based security?

They are really two different technologies. IPSec secures the TCP/IP communicationand protects the integrity of the packets. Certificate-based security ensures thevalidity of authenticated clients and servers.

66.What is LMHOSTS file?Its a file stored on a host machine that is used to resolve NetBIOS to specific IP

addresses.67.Whats the difference between forward lookup and reverse lookup in DNS?

Forward lookup is name-to-address, the reverse lookup is address-to-name.68.How can you recover a file encrypted using EFS?

Use the domain recovery agent.