L1 & L2 SYSTEM ADMIN INTERVIEW QUESTIONS!

1. What is the Difference Between DNS & WINS Servers? Domain Name System (DNS) : 1. It resolves Hostnames to IP addresses and vice versa 2. It supports Hierarchical Structure for host names 3. Host name up to 64 Characters (FQDN is up to 255 characters) 4. It works with Windows and Unix 5. DNS works with only TCP/IP protocol 6. DNS is static in NT 4.0 and Dynamic in 2000 onwards Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) : 1. It resolves NetBIOS names to IP addresses and vice versa 2. It supports Flat structure for NetBIOS names 3. Host name is up to 15 characters (16th character indicates service) 4. Works with only Windows 5. Works with only TCP/IP Protocol 6. It supports the Dynamic updation of the database

2. What is the Difference Between Disk Duplexing & Disk Mirroring? Disk Mirroring :Disk mirroring uses only one disk controller. In RAID1, or disk mirroring, one drive in the array acts as a "mirror" drive, backing up all the data on the primary drive on-the-fly. Disk Duplexing : It uses additional disk controller. Duplexing adds another disk controller. So in case one controller fails, the other can pick up without any interruption in service. Mirroring Data is copied from on-disk controller (channel) to two disk drivers. If one drive fails, the other is still operational. Duplexing Data is duplicated over two disk channels and stored on two drives. This method extends fault tolerance to the controller. Server duplexing This method provides fault tolerance by duplicating the entire file server. If one server fails, the other provides continuous service to users. For example, Novell's System Fault Tolerance provides server duplexing. Replication A strategy of duplicating critical files and directories from a server at one location to a server at another location to make that information more accessible to users at the remote location and also to provide redundancy and backup. See "Redundancy" and "Replication." Clustering A cluster is a group of servers that share access to the same resources and service clients equally. Should one of the servers go down, the others take up the processing load. Clustered servers may access the same disk systems, which may be mirrored or in a RAID configuration. See "Clustering." Mirror site A mirror site is a duplicate data center, located at another site, that contains duplicate systems and data. The duplicate data center should go into operation as the primary site if the master data center site fails for any reason. Companies running mission-critical applications will often create mirrored sites. See "Data Center Design." 3. How many types of Backups are available? Backups are 5 Types: 1. Normal or Full 2. Daily 3. Copy 4. Incremental

5. Differential

4. What is the Difference Between Differential Backup & Incremental Backup? Incremental Backup resets the Archieve bits Differential Backup doesnt reset the Archieve bits 5. Tell about the DHCP functionality? DHCP client sends special broadcast packet to DHCP Disc over Message Nearest DHCP server responds by sending DHCP offer message DHCP client sends a DHCP request message DHCP ACK message broadcasts by DHCP server DHCP client configures its TCP/IP stack by using address it accepted from the server. 6. Difference between Hub & Switch? HUB: Hub is a Layer 1 (L1) Device It works on shared Bandwidth It have One Broadcast domain & One collision domain It sends the packets to every active port in the HUB, so traffic is more. Useful in small network Environment Switch: It is a Layer 2 (L2) Device. It have one Broadcast domain. It have many collision domains (Every port have its own collision domain) It sends the packets to only to the destination IP by learning the Destination IP. So traffic is less compared to Hub. Useful in Medium & Large networks.

7. We have 3 Hard disks with capacity of 2GB, 5GB and 4GB. If I implemented RAID 5, How much space available for User ? RAID5 takes the minimum disk space as basic so it takes 2GB from every disk so 6GB is total disk available. In that 2GB is for Parity. So totally 4GB is available for User. 8. What is the Booting process of Windows 2000? 1. NTLDR runs and then calls NTDETECT.COM, it checks the computers hardware attributes (Type of vedio, hard disk, ports, memory and so on) 2.Based on the results of the search, NTDETECT compiles a list of hardware. This information is placed in the Registry under the appropriate hardware keys. 3.NTLDR reads an ASCII text file BOOT.INI to determine which other OS are on the hard disk. (This file created during setup, is located in the root directory of the boot partition. 4.After the countdown period ends, the default OS in loaded 5.NT starts the booting process by loading the low level drivers and services 6. The GUI and higher drivers load, and NT logon security screen appears.

9. What is the Role of NTDETECT file? NTDETECT.COM checks the computers hardware attributes (Type of vedio, hard disk, ports, memory and so on) 10. Which options are available in Windows Security Logon window? Lock Computer, Logoff, Shutdown, Change Password, Task Manager, Cancel 11. What is hosts and lmhosts files explain? Hosts file used for DNS to resolve Hostnames to IP Address and Vice Versa LMHOSTS file is used for WINS to resolve NetBIOS names to IP Address and Vice Versa 12. What h mode indicates in WINS? In DHCP 4 Modes are available to resolve NetBIOS names to IP Address. 1. B-Node (Broadcast) : 2. P-Node (Peer-to-Peer): 3. M-Node (Mixed): 4. H-Node (Hybrid):

13. User locked the system and forget password. If we reset the password can the user able to logon immediately? It is not possible in NT 4. Even if u change the password, user should restart the system. It is possible in 2003 server. There is no need to restart the PC 14. Basic difference between between PDC and BDC? Primary Domain Controller (PDC): 1. A single member computer of an NT Domain that is running Windows NT server. 2. This maintains the SAM database for the Domains (R/W SAM Database) 3. It Authenticates the logon users. 4. It updates the SAM database in BDC Backup Domain Controller (BDC): 1. A member computer of an NT Domain that shares the load of user security 2. This machine has to run windows NT server and maintains a copy of SAM database. 3. The SAM database in BDC is Read only. It gets updated from PDC. 3. Whenever PDC is down, We can promote the BDC as a PDC. SAM: A protected sub system that operates and maintains the security accounts manager database

Security Accounts Manager (SAM) Database: the database that contains the user accounts, Passwords, and other settings for each user 15. Can we create users in BDC? Yes. We can create the users in BDC, Whenever users are created in BDC immediately the changes are updated in PDC 16. What is EIGRP and IGRP? Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP): Cisco Proprietary protocol. Distance Vector protocol Metric is Bandwidth of Delay Administrative distance 100 Classful Routing protocol Periodic Routing protocol (sends entire routing table to the neighbour router for every 90 secs) Does not supporting Subnetting Minimum HOP count 100 ( can go upto 255) Slow convergence Used for medium sized networks Uses AS numbers (1-65535) Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP): Ciscos proprietary protocol Advance distance vector protocol Hybrid protocols (distance vector + link state) Metric is 5 Factors (Bandwidth, Delay, Reliability, Load Maximum, Transmission Unit) Works on basis of AS num bers AD Value 90 internal, 170 external It supports triggered update (whenever change in topology that particular information will sent) Supports subnetting Classless routing protocol It supports multiple network layer protocol It uses DUAL (Diffusion Update Algorithm) to select the best path Route is represented by D symbol It keeps 3 routing tables (Topology table, Neighbour table, Routing table) Auto summarization by default, but manual summarization is also possible. 17. What is RIP explain? Routing Information Protocol (RIP): It is a standard protocol Distance Vector protocol Metric is HOP count Administrative distance 120 RIP Ver 1.0 does not supports subnetting, It is a Classfull routing protocol Periodic routing updates (sends entire routing table for every 30 secs) Does not supports subnetting Uses broadcast address 255.255.255.255 to send the updates

 Maximum HOP count is 15 Slow convergence Used for small inter networks RIP V 2.0 suports subnetting, It is a classless routing protocol, It sends updates through multicast address 224.0.0.9 18. What is difference between Router and Switch? Router: It is a Layer 3 (L3) device It breaks broadcast + collision domains It forwards the packets to other networks Switch: It is a Layer 2 (L2) device By default all the ports are in one broadcast domain It breaks the Collision domain (Every port have its own collision domain) It does not have WAN ports Only used in LAN environment

19. What is difference between L2 & L3 Switch? L2 switch is used only for Switching L2 switch have one broadcast domain and breaks the Collision domain Static & Dynamic VLANs possible, but inter VLAN communication not possible L3 switch is used for switching & routing purpose L3 switch breaks the Broadcast domain & Collision domain Static & Dynamic VLAN;s possible, Inter VLAN communication possible (Router) L3 switch can be used in LAN environment for fast throughput

20. What shows net use? NET USE displays the present connected Mapped drives in the system 21. How can u map a folder by using Command Prompt? NET USE Z: \\ap-ftpsrv\drivers 22. What is ADS and what are the Functions of ADS? ADS is a Directory service which stores all the information in a central location. It provides the network accessibility to users, applications and administrators. In ADS everything is stored as an Object. It contains Class Objects and Attribute Objects All identical objects comes under one class ex. All users comes under User class Attributes are the properties of the Object ex. For user full name, logon name etc Simplifies Management: Eliminates redundant management tasks. Provides a single-point of management for Windows user

accounts, clients, servers, and applications as well as the ability to synchronize with existing directories. Reduces trips to the desktop. Automatically distributes software to users based on their role in the company, reducing or eliminating multiple trips that system administrators need to make for software installation and configuration. Better maximizes IT resources. Securely delegates administrative functions to all levels of an organization. Lowers total cost of ownership (TCO). Simplifies the management and use of file and print services by making network resources easier to find, configure, and use. Strengthens Security: It improves password security and management. By providing single sign-on to network resources with integrated, high-powered security services that are transparent to end users. It ensures desktop functionality. By locking-down desktop configurations and preventing access to specific client machine operations, such as software installation or registry editing, based on the role of the end user. It speeds e-business deployment. By providing built-in support for secure Internet-standard protocols and authentication mechanisms such as Kerberos, public key infrastructure (PKI) and lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) over secure sockets layer (SSL). It tightly controls security. By setting access control privileges on directory objects and the individual data elements that make them up. Extends Interoperability: Takes advantage of existing investments and ensures flexibility. Standards-based interfaces to all features make use of investments and ensure flexibility for future applications and infrastructure. Consolidates management of multiple application directories. Using open interfaces, connectors, and synchronization mechanisms, organizations can consolidate directories including Novell's NDS, LDAP, ERP, e-mail, and other mission-critical applications. Allows organizations to deploy directory-enabled networking. Network devices from leading vendors such as Cisco and 3COM can use the directory to let administrators assign quality of service and allocate network bandwidth to users based on their role in the company. Allows organizations to develop and deploy directory-enabled applications. Using the fully extensible directory architecture, developers can build applications that deliver functionality tailored to the needs of the end user. 23. What are the 4 Partitions of the ADS, explain? Naming Contexts and Directory Partitions: Each domain controller in an Active Directory forest includes directory partitions. Directory partitions are also known as naming contexts. A directory partition is a contiguous portion of the overall directory that has independent replication scope and scheduling data. By default, the Active Directory for an enterprise contains the following partitions: Schema Partition: Schema holds information on the definition of objects within the network. The schema partition contains the classSchema and attributeSchema objects that define the types of objects that can exist in the Active Directory forest. Every domain controller in the forest has a replica of the same schema partition. Defines rules for object creation and modification for all objects in the forest. Replicated to all domain controllers in the forest. Replicated to all domain controllers in the forest, it is known as an enterprise partition. Configuration Partition: Configuration partition holds information relating to the forest str ucture. The configuration partition contains replication topology and other configuration data that must be

replicated throughout the forest. Every domain controller in the forest has a replica of the same configuration partition. Information about the forest directory structure is defined including trees, domains, domain trust relationships, and sites (TCP/IP subnet group). Replicated to all domain controllers in the forest, it is known as an enterprise partition. Domain Partition: The domain partition contains the directory objects, such as users and computers, associated with the local domain. A domain can have multiple domain controllers and a forest can have multiple domains. Each domain controller stores a full replica of the domain partition for its local domain, but does not store replicas of the domain partitions for other domains. Has complete information about all domain objects (Objects that are part of the domain including OUs, groups, users and others). Replicated only to domain controllers in the same domain. Application Directory Partitions: The application directory partition provides the capability of hosting dynamic data in Active Directory, thus allowing ADSI/LDAP access to it, without significantly impacting network performance. Dynamic data typically changes more frequently than the replication latency involved in propagating the change to all replicas of the data. In Windows 2000, the support for dynamic data is limited. Storing dynamic data in a domain partition can be complicated. The data is replicated to all domain controllers in the domain, which is often unnecessary and can result in inconsistent data due to replication latency. This can adversely impact network performance.

24. What are the requirements to install ADS? An NTFS partition with enough free space (1 GB) 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 a crossover cable) An operational DNS server (which can be installed on the DC itself) A Domain name that you want to use The Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 CD media (or at least the i386 folder) 4. Which protocol is used behind the ADS? Light Weight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is used

25. What is the difference between LDAP and DAP? Lightweight Directory Access Protocol: LDAP is a communication protocol designed for use on TCP/IP networks. LDAP defines how a directory client can access a directory server and how the client can perform directory operations and share directory data. LDAP standards are established by working groups of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Active Directory implements the LDAP attribute draft specifications and the IETF standards for LDAP versions 2 and 3. As its name implies, LDAP is designed as an efficient method for accessing directory services without the complexity of other directory service protocols. Because LDAP defines what operations can be performed to query and modify information in a directory and how information in a directory can be securely accessed, you can use LDAP to find or enumerate directory objects and to query or administer Active Directory.

26. What is Schema and Global Catalog Server explain? Schema: The Schema is a Blue Print of Active Directory. It contains rules for object instantiation (representation) the schema governs the structure and content of Active Directory with structure and content rules. Because everything in Active Directory is stored in objects, the schema is implemented as a number of objects. There is one object for each class in the schema (classSchema objects) and one for each attribute (attributeSchema objects). However, there are no objects for the syntaxes; they are hard-coded into Active Directory. This means that classes and attributes can be created and modified, but syntaxes cannot. Global Catalog: The Global catalog is the central repository of information about objects in a tree or forest, as shown in Figure (D) By default, a global catalog is created automatically on the initial domain controller in the forest, known as the global catalog server. It stores a full replica of all object attributes in the directory for its host domain and a partial replica for all object attributes contained in the directory of every domain in the forest. The partial replica stores attributes most frequently used in search operations (such as a user's first and last names, logon name, and so on). Object attributes replicated to the global catalog inherit the same permissions as in source domains, ensuring that data in the global catalog is secure. The global catalog performs two key directory roles: It enables network logon by providing universal group membership information to a domain controller when a logon process is initiated. It enables finding directory information regardless of which domain in the forest actually contains the data.

27. If the Laptop is not displaying when u boot it, what is solution? Check for the Power Loose connections Remove Laptop battery and put it again and connect the power cable Wait for 2 minutes and Start the Laptop. 28. If the system performance is slow, how can u speed it? Remove Temp Files & Quarantine Files Execute the Disk Defragmentation tool Check for Viruses and scanned the system Check the services and deletes the unnecessary services. Check the Virtual Memory settings 29. How u r upgraded Anti Virus from Corporate Edition 9 to 10? For client upgradations, by using Symantec System Center Console. We push the anti virus into Client. Requirements IE 5.5 or above and 100MB space 30. What is the difference between DNS & WINS? Domain Name System (DNS) : 1. It resolves Hostnames to IP addresses and vice versa 2. It supports Hierarchical Structure for host names 3. Host name up to 64 Characters (FQDN is up to 255 characters)

4. It works with Windows and Unix 5. DNS works with only TCP/IP protocol 6. DNS is static in NT 4.0 and Dynamic in 2000 onwards Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) : 1. It resolves NetBIOS names to IP addresses and vice versa 2. It supports Flat structure for NetBIOS names 3. Host name is up to 15 characters (16th character indicates service) 4. Works with only Windows 5. Works with only TCP/IP Protocol 5. It supports the Dynamic updation of the database 31. If u r connected to the Internet which is used DNS or WINS? DNS is used. Because it is having the Hierarchical structure. 32. If u install DNS at the time of promoting the Workstation as DC. Is it creates any more records? Yes, If u install DNS at the time of DCPROMO. The DNS contains the active directory integrated zones. It wont have the Text zone files. It stores the zone information in the Active Directory database (NTDS.NIT) file. 33. What is the use of DHCP Server explain the process? DHCP client sends special broadcast packet to DHCP Discover Message Nearest DHCP server responds by sending DHCP offer message DHCP client sends a DHCP request message DHCP ACK message broadcasts by DHCP server DHCP client configures its TCP/IP stack by using address it accepted from the server. 34. If 2 DHCP servers are available, from which server the client takes IP? The client machine typically repeats the discover message several times to make sure it hears from all the servers, then eventually chooses the "best" server, where what is "best" is up to the client. It may mean that the addresses the DHCP server has available offer the longest lease time. Or the client might prefer a server that provides WINS servers over one that doesn't 35. What are the FSMO Roles (Master Operations) and explain?

Windows 2000 Single-Master Model: To prevent conflicting updates in Windows 2000, the Active Directory performs updates to certain objects in a single-master fashion. In a single-master model, only one DC in the entire directory is allowed to process updates. This is similar to the role given to a primary domain controller (PDC) in earlier versions of Windows (such as Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 and 4.0), in which the PDC is responsible for processing all updates in a given domain. The Windows 2000 Active Directory extends the single-master model found in earlier versions of Windows to include multiple roles, and the ability to transfer roles to any domain controller (DC) in the enterprise. Because an Active Directory role is not bound to a single DC, it is referred to as a Flexible

Single Master Operation (FSMO) role. Currently in Windows 2000 there are five FSMO roles: Schema Master: This DC is the only one that can process updates to the directory schema It controls all originating updates to the schema It contains master list of object classes and attributes that are used to creat e all active directory objects such as users, computers and printers. The schema updates are replicated to all Domain Controllers in the Forest. Only schema admins group can make modifications to the schema Domain Naming Master: It controls the addition or Removal of domains in the Forest It is responsible to ensuring that the domain names are UNIQUE. It manages the naming of sites to ensure that a duplicate sites are not created. It must also be running as a Global Catalog Server for querying objects in AD. PDC Emulator: It acts as a PDC to supports NT BDCs and pre windows 2000 based client computers Updates password changes from pre windows 2000 based client computers Minimizes replication latency for password changes for 2000 based cl ient computers Manages the Time synchronization Preventing the possibilities of overwriting GPOs Relative Identifier (RID) Master: It allocates blocks of RIDs to each domain controller in the Domain Prevents Object duplication if objects move from one Domain Controller to other. Object SID = Domain SID + RID It is UNIQUE for each object in AD. We cant create the objects if the RID Master Fails. Infrastructure Master: It is responsible to updating group membership data for groups that hav e members that move between two or more domains Updates references to Objects and Group membership from other domains. The infrastructure master is responsible for managing group and user references.

36. Where is ADS existed physically? C:/WINNT/NTDS Files in Active Directory: 1) NTDS.DIT (Directory database file stores all the AD objects in the Domain Controller) 2) EDB*.LOG (Each transaction is recorded in one or more log files. Each file contains 10MB of space) 3) EDB.CHK (Checkpoint file used by AD engine to track the data not yet written to the Active Directory database file) 4) RES1.LOG & RES2.LOG (If all disk space is used. Then AD uses this 20MB space for log files) 37. What is the use of SYSVOL folder?

 The SYSVOL share contains W2K software distribution files, scripts, and ADM templates as well as the Group Policy Template. An NT administrator would consider Sys vol to be W2K's version of NETLOGON. Replication in W2K is handled by the File Replication Service to keep the SYSVOL share synched between W2K domain controllers. In fact, W2K creates the NETLOGON share for down-level clients, Win9x and Windows NT, under the SYSVOL structure. 38. Where is Group Policy located physically? What is the use of GPO? C:/Winnt/SYSVOL/sysvol/ap.ttsl.com/policies We can restrict the Users Desktop environments by using Group Policies. We can create GPOs to Sites, Domains and OUs. All the GPOs applied based on the Computer / User The precedence order for processing GPOs are LSDOU. By using GPOs We can deploy the applications to Clients

39. How can u deploy the applications or patches in clients? By using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS 2.0) (for small Organizations) or System Management Server (SMS) 2003 (for Medium/Big Organizations) 40. How can the client OS updates automatically with latest security updates? If we have the internet. Select Windows Update option It will updates SP, Security Patches and IE and others 41. Tell about the GHOST? It is a Symantec Disk Cloning Utility We can Clone Disk to Disk or Partition to Partition 42. How can you see the performance of CPU and Memory? Go to Task Manager and see the Performance tab 43. What is RAID and explain all Levels? RAID is for Fault tolerance and Performance RAID 0 to RAID 6 & RAID 10 & RAID 01 are available RAID 0 for striped set RAID 1 for Disk Mirroring RAID 5 for Parity

Windows Administrator L1 Interview Question

1. What is the different between Workgroup and Domain? Domain Server has Centralized Control Where else Workgroup has no Centralized Control

Domain Network has higher level of security when compared to Workgroup. Domain Network Implementation and Maintained cost is very less when compared to that of workgroup. Time constrain is very less when compared to that of a Workgroup. Administrator has overall control on the network where else workgroup has no control. 2. How will assign Local Administrator rights for domain user? Navigate to Local User and Groups add the domain users to administrators group in the local system. 3. How will you restrict user logon timing in domain?Navigate to Active Directory Users and Computers, User Properties select logon times and restrict the user logon timing as needed. 4. What is the purpose of sysvol? The sysvol folder stores the server's copy of the domain's public files. The contents such as group policy, users, and groups of the sysvol folder are replicated to all domain controllers in the domain. The sysvol folder must be located on an NTFS volume. 5. What is OU? Explain its Uses. Organization Unit is set of active directory object within a domain. It is used to design an organization structure, Restrict users visibility and to delegate control. 6. Explain different edition of windows 2003 Server?

Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition: - is aimed towards small to medium sized businesses. Standard Edition supports file and printer sharing, offers secure Internet connectivity, and allows centralized desktop application deployment. Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition: - is aimed towards medium to large businesses. It is a full-function server operating system that supports up to eight processors and provides enterpriseclass features and support for up to 32 GB of memory. Windows Server 2003, Web Edition: - is mainly for building and hosting Web applications, Web pages, and XML Web Services. Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition: - is the flagship of the Windows Server line and designed for immense infrastructures demanding high security and reliability. 7. What is DNS Server? Domain Name System is used to resolve domain name to IP Address and also used to resolve IP Address to Domain Name. It has two zones Forward and Reverse Lookup Zone. Forward Lookup Zone resolve Domain name to IP address. Reverse Lookup Zone is used to resolve IP address to Domain Name. Some records associate with DNS

A Record binds Name with IP Address

PTR Record binds IP Address to Name 8. Why DNS server is required for Active Directory? The key reason for integrating DNS with AD is that client server communication takes place with Domain Name. Network needs IP address to reach the destination; In order to resolve Domain

Name to IP Address we need DNS Server. If DNS Server is not configured properly the network becomes slow. 9. What is the Purpose of A and PTR Record?

A Record OR Host Record is used to bind a Name with IP Address. PTR Record is used to bind an IP Address with Name. 10. What is the purpose of DHCP Server? DHCP Server is used to assign IP address automatically to all the clients computers. It is useful in large enterprise network, where we may not able track the IP address and also used to avoid IP conflict. 11. Explain about Scope in DHCP Server? Scope is collective information of assigning IP address for clients. It contains information like IP Address Range, Exclusion Range, Lease Period, Reservation, Router IP Address, DNS Address, etc. Based on the scope configuration DHCP allocates IP address to its entire client. 12. Explain about Group Scopes? 13. How will you backup DNS Server? Backup the directory %System Root%\System32\DNS. 14. How will backup DHCP Server? First Method: Backup the directory in the %System Root%\System32\DHCP folder. Alternate method: Open DHCP Console select server to backup and restore DHCP database. 15. Explain APIPA. A Windows-based computer that is configured to use DHCP can automatically assign itself an Internet Protocol (IP) address if a DHCP server is not available or does not exist. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has reserved 169.254.0.0-169.254.255.255 for Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA). 16. Explain about AD Database. Windows 2003 Active Directory data store, the actual database file, is %System Root%\NTDS\NTDS.DIT. AD Database all information such as User Accounts, Groups, Computer Information, Domain Controller information, Group Policy, Organization Unit,etc. 17. Explain about Group Policy. Group policies are used by administrators to configure and control user environment settings. Group Policy Objects (GPOs) are used to configure group policies which are applied to sites, domains, and organizational units (OUs) .There is a maximum of 1000 applicable group policies. 18. What is the default time for group policy refresh interval time? The default refresh interval for policies is 90 minutes. The default refresh interval for domain controllers is 5 minutes. Group policy object's group policy refresh intervals may be changed in the group policy object. 19. Explain Hidden Share.

Hidden or administrative shares are share names with a dollar sign ($) appended to their names. Administrative shares are usually created automatically for the root of each drive letter. They do not display in the network browse list. 20. What ports are used by DHCP and the DHCP clients? Requests are on UDP port 68, Server replies on UDP 67. 21. How do I configure a client machine to use a specific IP Address? By reserving an IP Address using client machine MAC or Physical address. 22. Name 3 benefits of using AD-integrated zones.

AD Integrated Zones allow Secure Dynamic Updates. I.e. there will not be any duplicate or unwanted records. Since all the information are validated in active directory. By creating AD- integrated zone you can also trace hacker and spammer by creating reverse zone. AD integrated zones are stored as part of the active directory and support domain-wide or forestwide replication through application partitions in AD. 23. How do you backup & Restore AD? Using Windows NTBackup Utility. In Backup select systemstate will include active directory backup. Restore the Same using NTBackup Utility. 24. How do you change the DS Restore admin password? Using NTDSUTIL tool. 25. How can you forcibly remove AD from a server? Using the command dcpromo /forceremoval 26. What will be the problem if DNS Server fails? If your DNS server fails, No Client will able to reach the Domain Controller, which will create authentication and Control Issues. 27. How can you restrict running certain applications on a machine? The Group Policy Object Editor and the Software Restriction Policies extension of Group Policy Object Editor are used to restrict running certain applications on a machine. For Windows XP computers that are not participating in a domain, you can use the Local Security Settings snap-in to access Software Restriction Policies. 28. What can you do to promote a server to DC? Using the command dcpromo 29. How will map a folder through AD? Specify the network share path (UNC) in the active directory users home directory. 30. Explain Quotas. Disk Quota is a feature or service of NTFS which helps to restrict or manage the disk usage from the normal user. It can be implemented per user user per volume basis.By default it is disabled.

Administrative privilege is required to perform the task. In 2003server we can control only drive but in 2008server we can establish quota in folder level. 31. Explain Backup Methodology. The different types of backup methodologies are:

Normal Backup:-This is default backup in which all files are backed up even if it was backed up before. Incremental Backup:-In this type of backup only the files that havent been backed up are taken care of or backed up. Differential Backup:-This backup is similar to incremental backup because it does not take backup of those files backed up by normal backup but different from incremental because it will take backup of differentially backed up files at next time of differential backup. System Backup:-This type of backup takes backup of files namely, Boot file, COM+Class Registry, Registry. But in server it takes backup of ADS. ASR Backup:-This type of backup takes backup of entire boot partition including OS and user data. This should be the last troubleshooting method to recover an os from disaster. 32. Explain how to publish printer through AD. Navigate to Active Directory Users and Computers, Create new printer and add the printer i.e. the printer share name (UNC) Path. Automatically the printer will be published in Active Directory. 33. Explain the functionality of FTP Server? File Transfer Protocol is used transfer large volume of files and huge number of files simultaneous between different geographic locations. 34. Specify the Port Number for AD, DNS, DHCP, HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, POP3 & FTP

AD - 389 DNS - 53 DHCP - 67,68 HTTP - 80 HTTPS - 443 SMTP - 25 POP3 - 110 FTP - 21,22 35. Explain Virtual Directory in IIS? A virtual server can have one home directory and any number of other publishing directories. These other publishing directories are referred to as virtual directories. 36. What is Exclusion Range in DHCP Server? Exclusion Range is used to hold a range IP addresses. Those IP Address can be used or may not be used in the network, but DHCP server does not assign those IP to its client. 37. Explain SOA Record. Start Of Authority (SOA) Records indicate that Name Server is authoritative server for the domain. 38. What command is used to clear DNS cache in client PC? Ipconfig /flushdns

39. Explain Secure Dynamic Updates in DNS Server. Only when installing active directory and DNS in the same server (AD Integrated Zones) we can select Secure Dynamic Updates. Then all the records will automatically be updated in DNS. Since all the information is validated in active directory there will not be any duplicate or unwanted records. 40. Explain FRS in detail. File Replication Service is a Microsoft service which replicates folders stored in sysvol shared folders on domain controllers and distributed file system shared folders. This service is a part of Microsofts active directory service. 41. Explain the protocol involved in ADC replication. Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is the protocol used in ADC replication. 42. Explain the difference between Patches and Service pack. Patches are fixes, updates or enhancements for a particular program whereas service packs include a collection of 43. What is WSUS? WSUS is Windows Software Update Services. It is server provided by Microsoft free of cost to manage patches for windows environment centralized. 44. How client server communication takes place in WSUS server? Using Web Server or Web Services 45. What is the difference between Dynamic Disk and Basic Disk? Basic Disk: Basic Disk uses a partition table to manage all partitions on the disk, and it is supported by DOS and all Windows versions. A disk with installed OS would be default initialized to a basic one. A basic disk contains basic volumes, such as primary partitions, extended partition, and all logical partitions are contained in extended partition.

Dynamic Disk: Dynamic Disk is supported in Windows 2000 and later operating system. Dynamic disks do not use a partition table to track all partitions, but use a hidden database (LDM) to track information about dynamic volumes or dynamic partitions on the disk. With dynamic disks you can create volumes that span multiple disks such as spanned and striped volumes, and can also create fault-tolerant volumes such as mirrored volumes and RAID 5 volumes. Compared to a Basic Disk, Dynamic Disk offers greater flexibility. 46. What is maximum Size of file system NTFS and FAT32? NTFS - 16TB FAT32 - 4GB 47. What is hosts files? The hosts file is a computer file used in an operating system to map hostnames to IP addresses. The hosts file is a plain-text file and is traditionally named hosts.

48. What is lmhosts files? The lmhosts files are a computer file used in an operating system to map NetBIOS name. It is equivalent that of WINS. 49. Explain About Global Catalog. global catalog contains a complete replica of all objects in Active Directory for its Host domain, and contains a partial replica of all objects in Active Directory for every other domain in the forest. 50. Name some OU design considerations. It is used to design an organization structure, Restrict users visibility and to delegate control. 51. Name a few benefits of using GPMC.

GPMC is used to customize group policy. It is easy to maintain different OU policy effectively. Provide option to take backup and restore group policy. 52. 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? Configure Group Policy based on OU. 53. By default, if the name is not found in the cache or local hosts file, what is the first step the client takes to resolve the FQDN name into an IP address? Create a record in DNS Server 54. You are administering a network connected to the Internet. Your users complain that everything is slow. Preliminary research of the problem indicates that it takes a considerable amount of time to resolve names of resources on the Internet. What is the most likely reason for this? DNS Issues 55. Describe how the DHCP lease is obtained. Its a four-step process consisting of (a) IP request, (b) IP offer, (c) IP selection and (d) acknowledgement. 56. I cant seem to access the Internet, dont have any access to the corporate network and on 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). 57. Weve installed a new Windows-based DHCP server, however, the users do not seem to be getting DHCP leases off of it. The server must be authorized first with the Active Directory. 58. How do you configure mandatory profiles? Rename ntuser.dat to ntuser.man

59. What is Page File and Virtual Memory? Page File Is Storage Space For The Virtual Memory, Page File Uses Hard Disk Space As a Memory To Provide Memory Allocation... 60. What is the difference between DNS in Windows 2000 & Windows 2003 Server? We can rename or moved the domain name without rebuilding in windows 2003 server, but in windows 2000 server, we can't do that. 61. Where are group policies stored? %SystemRoot%System32\Group Policy 62. What are GPT and GPC? Group policy template and group policy container. 63. Where is GPT stored? %System Root%\SYSVOL\sysvol\domain name\Policies\GUID 64. You change the group policies, and now the computer and user settings are in conflict. Which one has the highest priority? The computer settings take priority. 65. What hidden shares exist on Windows Server 2003 installation? Admin$, Drive$, IPC$, NETLOGON, print$ and SYSVOL.

Active Directory Interview Questions User Submitted Active Directory Interview Questions - User Submitted Got a list of some Active Directory Interview Questions submitted by User : Noel.

What is Active Directory ? Active Directory is a Meta Data. Active Directory is a data base which store a data base like your user information, computer information and also other network object info. It

has capabilities to manage and administor the complite Network which connect with AD. What is domain ? Windows NT and Windows 2000, a domain is a set of network resources (applications, printers, and so forth) for a group of users. The user need only to log in to the domain to gain access to the resources, which may be located on a number of different servers in the network. The domain is simply your computer address not to confused with an URL. A domain address might look something like 211.170.469. What is domain controller ? A Domain controller (DC) is a server that responds to security authentication requests (logging in, checking permissions, etc.) within the Windows Server domain. A domain is a concept introduced in Windows NT whereby a user may be granted access to a number of computer resources with the use of a single username and password combination. What is LDAP ? Lightweight Directory Access Protocol LDAP is the industry standard directory access protocol, making Active Directory widely accessible to management and query applications. Active Directory supports LDAPv3 and LDAPv2. What is KCC ? KCC ( knowledge consistency checker ) is used to generate replication topology for inter site replication and for intrasite replication.with in a site replication traffic is done via remote procedure calls over ip, while between site it is done through either RPC or SMTP. Where is the AD database held? What other folders are related to AD? The AD data base is store in c:\windows\ntds\NTDS.DIT. What is the SYSVOL folder? The sysVOL folder stores the servers copy of the domains public files. The contents such as group policy, users etc of the sysvol folder are replicated to all domain controllers in the domain. What are the Windows Server 2003 keyboard shortcuts ? Winkey opens or closes the Start menu. Winkey + BREAK displays the System Properties dialog box. Winkey + TAB moves the focus to the next application in the taskbar. Winkey + SHIFT + TAB moves the focus to the previous application in the taskbar. Winkey + B moves the focus to the notification area. Winkey + D shows the desktop. Winkey + E opens Windows Explorer showing My Computer. Winkey + F opens the Search panel. Winkey + CTRL + F opens the Search panel with Search for Computers module selected. Winkey + F1 opens Help. Winkey + M minimizes all. Winkey + SHIFT+ M undoes minimization. Winkey + R opens Run dialog. Winkey + U opens the Utility Manager. Winkey + L locks the computer. Where are the Windows NT Primary Domain Controller (PDC) and its Backup Domain Controller (BDC) in Server 2003 ? The Active Directory replaces them. Now all domain controllers share a multimaster peer-to-peer read and write relationship that hosts copies of the Active Directory.

I am trying to create a new universal user group. Why cant I ? Universal groups are allowed only in native-mode Windows Server 2003 environments. Native mode requires that all domain controllers be promoted to Windows Server 2003 Active Directory. What is LSDOU ? Its group policy inheritance model, where the policies are applied toLocal machines, Sites, Domains and Organizational Units. Active Directory Interview Questions User Submitted Part 2 Active Directory Interview Questions User Submitted - Part 2 Got a list of some Active Directory Interview Questions submitted by User : Noel.

Why doesnt LSDOU work under Windows NT ? If the NTConfig.pol file exist, it has the highest priority among the numerous policies. Whats the number of permitted unsuccessful logons on Administrator account? Unlimited. Remember, though, that its the Administrator account, not any account thats part of the Administrators group. Whats the difference between guest accounts in Server 2003 and other editions? More restrictive in Windows Server 2003. How many passwords by default are remembered when you check Enforce Password History Remembered? Users last 6 passwords. Can GC Server and Infrastructure place in single server If not explain why ? No, As Infrastructure master does the same job as the GC. It does not work together. Which is service in your windows is responsible for replication of Domain controller to another domain controller. KCC generates the replication topology. Use SMTP / RPC to replicate changes. What Intrasite and Intersite Replication ? Intrasite is the replication with in the same site & intersite the replication between sites. What is lost & found folder in ADS ? Its the folder where you can find the objects missed due to conflict. Ex: you created a user in OU which is deleted in other DC & when replication happed ADS didnt find the OU then it will put that in Lost & Found Folder.

What is Garbage collection ? Garbage collection is the process of the online defragmentation of active directory. It happens every 12 Hours. What System State data contains ? Contains Startup files, Registry Com + Registration Database Memory Page file System files AD information Cluster Service information SYSVOL Folder Active Directory Interview Questions User Submitted Part 3 What is the difference between Windows 2000 Active Directory and Windows 2003 Active Directory? Is there any difference in 2000 Group Polices and 2003 Group Polices? What is meant by ADS and ADS services in Windows 2003? Windows 2003 Active Directory introduced a number of new security features, as well as convenience features such as the ability to rename a domain controller and even an entire domain Windows Server 2003 also introduced numerous changes to the default settings that can be affected by Group Policy you can see a detailed list of each available setting and which OS is required to support it by downloading the Group Policy Settings Reference. ADS stands for Automated Deployment Services, and is used to quickly roll out identically-configured servers in large-scale enterprise environments. You can get more information from the ADS homepage. I want to setup a DNS server and Active Directory domain. What do I do first? If I install the DNS service first and name the zone name.org can I name the AD domain name.org too? Not only can you have a DNS zone and an Active Directory domain with the same name, its actually the preferred way to go if at all possible. You can install and configure DNS before installing Active Directory, or you can allow the Active Directory Installation Wizard (dcpromo) itself install DNS on your server in the background. How do I determine if user accounts have local administrative access? You can use the net localgroup administrators command on each workstation (probably in a login script so that it records its information to a central file for later review). This command will enumerate the members of the Administrators group on each machine you run it on. Alternately, you can use the Restricted Groups feature of Group Policy to restrict the membership of Administrators to only those users you want to belong. Why am I having trouble printing with XP domain users? In most cases, the inability to print or access resources in situations like this one will boil down to an issue with name resolution, either DNS or WINS/NetBIOS. Be sure that your Windows XP clients wireless connections are configured with the correct DNS and WINS name servers, as well as with the appropriate NetBIOS over TCP/IP settings.

Compare your wireless settings to your wired LAN settings and look for any discrepancies that may indicate where the functional difference may lie. What is the ISTG? Who has that role by default? Windows 2000 Domain controllers each create Active Directory Replication connection objects representing inbound replication from intra-site replication partners. For intersite replication, one domain controller per site has the responsibility of evaluating the inter-site replication topology and creating Active Directory Replication Connection objects for appropriate bridgehead servers within its site. The domain controller in each site that owns this role is referred to as the Inter-Site Topology Generator (ISTG). What is difference between Server 2003 vs 2008? 1. Virtualization. (Windows Server 2008 introduces Hyper-V (V for Virtualization) but only on 64bit versions. More and more companies are seeing this as a way of reducing hardware costs by running several virtual servers on one physical machine.) 2. Server Core (provides the minimum installation required to carry out a specific server role, such as for a DHCP, DNS or print server) 3. Better security. 4. Role-based installation. 5. Read Only Domain Controllers (RODC). 6. Enhanced terminal services. 7. Network Access Protection Microsofts system for ensuring that clients connecting to Server 2008 are patched, running a firewall and in compliance with corporate security policies. 8. PowerShell Microsofts command line shell and scripting language has proved popular with some server administrators. 9. IIS 7 . 10. Bitlocker System drive encryption can be a sensible security measure for servers located in remote branch offices. >br> The main difference between 2003 and 2008 is Virtualization, management. 2008 has more in-build components and updated third party drivers. 11. Windows Aero. What are the requirements for installing AD on a new server? 1 The Domain structure. 2 The Domain Name . 3 storage location of the database and log file. 4 Location of the shared system volume folder. 5 DNS config Methode. 6 DNS configuration. What is LDP? LDP : Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) is often used to establish MPLS LSPs when traffic engineering is not required. It establishes LSPs that follow the existing IP routing, and is particularly well suited for establishing a full mesh of LSPs between all of the routers on the network. Active Directory Interview Questions User Submitted Part 4 Got a list of some Active Directory Interview Questions submitted by User : Noel.

What are the Groups types available in active directory ? Security groups: Use Security groups for granting permissions to gain access to resources. Sending an e-mail message to a group sends the message to all members of the group. Therefore security groups share the capabilities of distribution groups. Distribution groups: Distribution groups are used for sending e-main messages to groups of users. You cannot grant permissions to security groups. Even though security groups have all the capabilities of distribution groups, distribution groups still requires, because some applications can only read distribution groups. Explain about the groups scope in AD ? Domain Local Group: Use this scope to grant permissions to domain resources that are located in the same domain in which you created the domain local group. Domain local groups can exist in all mixed, native and interim functional level of domains and forests. Domain local group memberships are not limited as you can add members as user accounts, universal and global groups from any domain. Just to remember, nesting cannot be done in domain local group. A domain local group will not be a member of another Domain Local or any other groups in the same domain. Global Group: Users with similar function can be grouped under global scope and can be given permission to access a resource (like a printer or shared folder and files) available in local or another domain in same forest. To say in simple words, Global groups can be use to grant permissions to gain access to resources which are located in any domain but in a single forest as their memberships are limited. User accounts and global groups can be added only from the domain in which global group is created. Nesting is possible in Global groups within other groups as you can add a global group into another global group from any domain. Finally to provide permission to domain specific resources (like printers and published folder), they can be members of a Domain Local group. Global groups exist in all mixed, native and interim functional level of domains and forests. Universal Group Scope: These groups are precisely used for email distribution and can be granted access to resources in all trusted domain as these groups can only be used as a security principal (security group type) in a windows 2000 native or windows server 2003 domain functional level domain. Universal group memberships are not limited like global groups. All domain user accounts and groups can be a member of universal group. Universal groups can be nested under a global or Domain Local group in any domain. What is REPLMON ? The Microsoft definition of the Replmon tool is as follows; This GUI tool enables administrators to view the low-level status of Active Directory replication, force synchronization between domain controllers, view the topology in a graphical format, and monitor the status and performance of domain controller replication.

What is ADSIEDIT ? ADSIEDIT :ADSIEdit is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that acts as a low-level editor for Active Directory. It is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) tool. Network administrators can use it for common administrative tasks such as adding, deleting, and moving objects with a directory service. The attributes for each object can be edited or deleted by using this tool. ADSIEdit uses the ADSI application programming interfaces (APIs) to access Active Directory. The following are the required files for using this tool: ADSIEDIT.DLL ADSIEDIT. What is NETDOM ? NETDOM is a command-line tool that allows management of Windows domains and trust relationships. It is used for batch management of trusts, joining computers to domains, verifying trusts, and secure channels. What is REPADMIN? This command-line tool assists administrators in diagnosing replication problems between Windows domain controllers.Administrators can use Repadmin to view the replication topology (sometimes referred to as RepsFrom and RepsTo) as seen from the perspective of each domain controller. In addition, Repadmin can be used to manually create the replication topology (although in normal practice this should not be necessary), to force replication events between domain controllers, and to view both the replication metadata and up-to-dateness vectors. How to take backup of AD ? For taking backup of active directory you have to do this : first go START -> PROGRAM >ACCESORIES -> SYSTEM TOOLS -> BACKUP OR Open run window and ntbackup and take systemstate backup when the backup screen is flash then take the backup of SYSTEM STATE it will take the backup of all the necessary information about the syatem including AD backup , DNS ETC. What are the DS* commands ? The following DS commands: the DS family built in utility . DSmod modify Active Directory attributes. DSrm to delete Active Directory objects. DSmove to relocate objects DSadd create new accounts DSquery to find objects that match your query attributes. DSget list the properties of an object What are the requirements for installing AD on a new server? An NTFS partition with enough free space. An Administrators 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 a crossover cable) . An operational DNS server (which can be installed on the DC itself) . A Domain name that you want to use . The Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 CD media (or at least the i386 folder) . Active Directory Interview Questions User Submitted Part 5

Got a list of some Active Directory Interview Questions submitted by User : Noel.

Explain about Trusts in AD ? To allow users in one domain to access resources in another, Active Directory uses trusts. Trusts inside a forest are automatically created when domains are created. The forest sets the default boundaries of trust, not the domain, and implicit, transitive trust is automatic for all domains within a forest. As well as two-way transitive trust, AD trusts can be a shortcut (joins two domains in different trees, transitive, one- or twoway), forest (transitive, one- or two-way), realm (transitive or nontransitive, one- or two-way), or external (nontransitive, one- or two-way) in order to connect to other forests or non-AD domains. Trusts in Windows 2000 (native mode) One-way trust One domain allows access to users on another domain, but the other domain does not allow access to users on the first domain. Two-way trust Two domains allow access to users on both domains. Trusting domain The domain that allows access to users from a trusted domain. Trusted domain The domain that is trusted; whose users have access to the trusting domain. Transitive trust A trust that can extend beyond two domains to other trusted domains in the forest. Intransitive trust A one way trust that does not extend beyond two domains. Explicit trust A trust that an admin creates. It is not transitive and is one way only. Cross-link trust An explicit trust between domains in different trees or in the same tree when a descendant/ancestor (child/parent) relationship does not exist between the two domains. Windows 2000 Server supports the following types of trusts: Two-way transitive trusts. One-way intransitive trusts. Additional trusts can be created by administrators. These trusts can be: Shortcut Windows Server 2003 offers a new trust type the forest root trust. This type of trust can be used to connect Windows Server 2003 forests if they are operating at the 2003 forest functional level. Authentication across this type of trust is Kerberos based (as opposed to NTLM). Forest trusts are also transitive for all the domains in the forests that are trusted. Forest trusts, however, are not transitive. Difference between LDIFDE and CSVDE? CSVDE is a command that can be used to import and export objects to and from the AD into a CSV-formatted file. A CSV (Comma Separated Value) file is a file easily readable in Excel. I will not go to length into this powerful command, but I will show you some basic samples of how to import a large number of users into your AD. Of course, as with the

DSADD command, CSVDE can do more than just import users. Consult your help file for more info. LDIFDE is a command that can be used to import and export objects to and from the AD into a LDIF-formatted file. A LDIF (LDAP Data Interchange Format) file is a file easily readable in any text editor, however it is not readable in programs like Excel. The major difference between CSVDE and LDIFDE (besides the file format) is the fact that LDIFDE can be used to edit and delete existing AD objects (not just users), while CSVDE can only import and export objects. What is tombstone lifetime attribute ? The number of days before a deleted object is removed from the directory services. This assists in removing objects from replicated servers and preventing restores from reintroducing a deleted object. This value is in the Directory Service object in the configuration NIC. What are application partitions? When do I use them ? AN application diretcory partition is a directory partition that is replicated only to specific domain controller.Only domain controller running windows Server 2003 can host a replica of application directory partition. Using an application directory partition provides redundany,availability or fault tolerance by replicating data to specific domain controller pr any set of domain controllers anywhere in the forest. How do you create a new application partition ? Use the DnsCmd command to create an application directory partition. To do this, use the following syntax: DnsCmd ServerName /CreateDirectoryPartition FQDN of partition How do you view all the GCs in the forest? C:\>repadmin /showreps domain_controller where domain_controller is the DC you want to query to determine whether it?s a GC. The output will include the text DSA Options: IS_GC if the DC is a GC. Can you connect Active Directory to other 3rd-party Directory Services? Name a few options. Yes, you can use dirXML or LDAP to connect to other directories. In Novell you can use E-directory. What is IPSec Policy IPSec provides secure gateway-to-gateway connections across outsourced private wide area network (WAN) or Internet-based connections using L2TP/IPSec tunnels or pure IPSec tunnel mode. IPSec Policy can be deployed via Group policy to the Windows Domain controllers 7 Servers. What are the different types of Terminal Services ? User Mode & Application Mode. What is RsOP RsOP is the resultant set of policy applied on the object (Group Policy). What is the System Startup process ? Windows 2K boot process on a Intel architecture.

1. Power-On Self Tests (POST) are run. 2. The boot device is found, the Master Boot Record (MBR) is loaded into memory, and its program is run. 3. The active partition is located, and the boot sector is loaded. 4. The Windows 2000 loader (NTLDR) is then loaded. The boot sequence executes the following steps: 1. The Windows 2000 loader switches the processor to the 32-bit flat memory model. 2. The Windows 2000 loader starts a mini-file system. 3. The Windows 2000 loader reads the BOOT.INI file and displays the operating system selections (boot loader menu). 4. The Windows 2000 loader loads the operating system selected by the user. If Windows 2000 is selected, NTLDR runs NTDETECT.COM. For other operating systems, NTLDR loads BOOTSECT.DOS and gives it control. 5. NTDETECT.COM scans the hardware installed in the computer, and reports the list to NTLDR for inclusion in the Registry under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_HARDWARE hive. 6. NTLDR then loads the NTOSKRNL.EXE, and gives it the hardware information collected by NTDETECT.COM. Windows NT enters the Windows load phases.

Active Directory Interview Questions User Submitted Part 6 Got a list of some Active Directory Interview Questions submitted by User : Noel.

How do you change the DS Restore admin password ?

In Windows 2000 Server, you used to have to boot the computer whose password you wanted to change in Directory Restore mode, then use either the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Local User and Groups snap-in or the command net user administrator * to change the Administrator password. Win2K Server Service Pack 2 (SP2) introduced the Setpwd utility, which lets you reset the Directory Service Restore Mode password without having to reboot the computer. (Microsoft refreshed Setpwd in SP4 to improve the utility?s scripting options.) In Windows Server 2003, you use the Ntdsutil utility to modify the Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator password. To do so, follow these steps: 1. Start Ntdsutil (click Start, Run; enter cmd.exe; then enter ntdsutil.exe). 2. Start the Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator password-reset utility by entering the argument ?set dsrm password? at the ntdsutil prompt: ntdsutil: set dsrm password. 3. Run the Reset Password command, passing the name of the server on which to change the password, or use the null argument to specify the local machine. For example, to reset the password on server testing, enter the following argument at the Reset DSRM Administrator Password prompt: Reset DSRM Administrator Password: reset password on server testing To reset the password on the local machine, specify null as the server name: Reset DSRM Administrator Password: reset password on server null 4. You?ll be prompted twice to enter the new password. You?ll see the following messages: 5. Please type password for DS Restore Mode Administrator Account: 6. Please confirm new password: Password has been set successfully. 7. Exit the password-reset utility by typing ?quit? at the following prompts: 8. Reset DSRM Administrator Password: quit ntdsutil: quit

Active Directory Interview Questions User Submitted Part 7 Got a list of some Active Directory Interview Questions submitted by User : Noel.

I am upgrading from NT to 2003. The only things that are NT are the PDC and BDCs; everything else is 2000 or 2003 member servers. My question is, when I upgrade my NT domain controllers to 2003, will I need to do anything else to my Windows 2000/2003 member servers that were in the NT domain? Your existing member servers, regardless of operating system, will simply become member servers in your upgraded AD domain. If you will be using Organizational Units and Group Policy (and I hope you are), youll probably want to move them to a specific OU for administration and policy application, since theyll be in the default Computers container immediately following the upgrade. How do I use Registry keys to remove a user from a group? In Windows Server 2003, you can use the dsmod command-line utility with the -delmbr switch to remove a group member from the command line. You should also look into the freeware utilities available from www.joeware.net . ADFind and ADMod are indispensable tools in my arsenal when it comes to searching and modifying Active Directory. Why are my NT4 clients failing to connect to the Windows 2000 domain? Since NT4 relies on NetBIOS for name resolution, verify that your WINS server (you do have a WINS server running, yes?) contains the records that you expect for the 2000 domain controller, and that your clients have the correct address configured for the WINS server. How to add your first Windows 2003 DC to an existing Windows 2000 domain ? The first step is to install Windows 2003 on your new DC. This is a straighforward process, so we aren?t going to discuss that here. Because significant changes have been made to the Active Directory schema in Windows 2003, we need to make our Windows 2000 Active Directory compatible with the new version. If you already have Windows 2003 DCs running with Windows 2000 DCs, then you can skip down to the part about DNS. Before you attempt this step, you should make sure that you have service pack 4 installed on your Windows 2000 DC. Next, make sure that you are logged in as a user that is a member of the Schema Admin and Enterprise Admin groups. Next, insert the Windows 2003 Server installation CD into the Windows 2000 Server. Bring up a command line and change directories to the I386 directory on the installation CD. At the command prompt, type: Code : adprep /forestprep After running this command, make sure that the updates have been replicated to all existing Windows 2000 DCs in the forest. Next, we need to run the following command: Code : adprep /domainprep

The above command must be run on the Infrastructure Master of the domain by someone who is a member of the Domain Admins group. Once this is complete, we move back to the Windows 2003 Server. Click ?start? then ?run? type in dcpromo and click OK. During the ensuing wizard, make sure that you select that you are adding this DC to an existing domain. After this process is complete, the server will reboot. When it comes back online, check and make sure that the AD database has been replicated to your new server. Next, you will want to check and make sure that DNS was installed on your new server. If not, go to the control panel, click on ?Add or Remove Programs?, and click the ?Add/Remove Windows Components? button. In the Windows Components screen, click on ?Networking Services? and click the details button. In the new window check ?Domain Name System (DNS)? and then click the OK button. Click ?Next? in the Windows Components screen. This will install DNS and the server will reboot. After reboot, pull up the DNS Management window and make sure that your DNS settings have replicated from the Windows 2000 Server. You will need to re-enter any forwarders or other properties you had set up, but the DNS records should replicate on their own. The next 2 items, global catalog and FSMO roles, are important if you plan on decomissioning your Windows 2000 server(s). If this is the case, you need to tansfer the global catalog from the old server to the new one. First, let?s create a global catalog on our new server. Here are the steps: 1. On the domain controller where you want the new global catalog, start the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in. To start the snap-in, click ?Start?, point to ?Programs?, point to ?Administrative Tools?, and then click ?Active Directory Sites and Services?. 2. In the console tree, double-click ?Sites?, and then double-click ?sitename?. 3. Double-click ?Servers?, click your domain controller, right-click ?NTDS Settings?, and then click ?Properties?. 4. On the General tab, click to select the Global catalog check box to assign the role of global catalog to this server. 5. Restart the domain controller. Make sure you allow sufficient time for the account and the schema information to replicate to the new global catalog server before you remove the global catalog from the original DC or take the DC offline. After this is complete, you will want to transfer or seize the FSMO roles for your new server. For instructions, read Using Ntdsutil.exe to transfer or seize FSMO roles to a domain controller. After this step is complete, we can now run DCPROMO on the Windows 2000 Servers in order to demote them.

Once this is complete, copy over any files you need to your new server and you should have successfully replaced your Windows 2000 server(s) with a new Windows 2003 server. Windows Active directory Interview Questions User Submitted Part 8 Windows Active Directory Interview Questions - User Submitted Part 8 Got a list of some Active Directory Interview Questions submitted by User : Noel. What is the default size of ntds.dit ? 10 MB in Server 2000 and 12 MB in Server 2003 . Where is the AD database held and What are other folders related to AD ? AD Database is saved in %systemroot%/ntds. You can see other files also in this folder. These are the main files controlling the AD structure. ntds.dit edb.log res1.log res2.log edb.chk When a change is made to the Win2K database, triggering a write operation, Win2K records the transaction in the log file (edb.log). Once written to the log file, the change is then written to the AD database. System performance determines how fast the system writes the data to the AD database from the log file. Any time the system is shut down, all transactions are saved to the database. During the installation of AD, Windows creates two files: res1.log and res2.log. The initial size of each is 10MB. These files are used to ensure that changes can be written to disk should the system run out of free disk space. The checkpoint file (edb.chk) records transactions committed to the AD database (ntds.dit). During shutdown, a shutdown statement is written to the edb.chk file. Then, during a reboot, AD determines that all transactions in the edb.log file have been committed to the AD database. If, for some reason, the edb.chk file doesnt exist on reboot or the shutdown statement isnt present, AD will use the edb.log file to update the AD database. The last file in our list of files to know is the AD database itself, ntds.dit. By default, the file is located in\NTDS, along with the other files weve discussed What FSMO placement considerations do you know of ? Windows 2000/2003 Active Directory domains utilize a Single Operation Master method called FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operation), as described in Understanding FSMO Roles in Active Directory. In most cases an administrator can keep the FSMO role holders (all 5 of them) in the same spot (or actually, on the same DC) as has been configured by the Active Directory installation process. However, there are scenarios where an administrator would want to move one or more 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 version when dealing with FSMO placement. In this article I will only deal with Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, but you should bear in mind that most considerations are also true when planning Windows 2000 AD FSMO roles What do you do to install a new Windows 2003 R2 DC in a Windows 2003 AD? If youre 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 and the r2auto.exe will display the Windows 2003 R2 Continue Setup screen. If youre installing R2 on a domain controller (DC), you must first upgrade the schema to the R2 version (this is a minor change and mostly related to the new Dfs replication engine). To update the schema, run the Adprep utility, which youll find in the Components\r2\adprep folder on the second CD-ROM. Before running this command, ensure all DCs are running Windows 2003 or Windows 2000 with SP2 (or later). Heres a sample execution of the Adprep /forestprep command: D:\CMPNENTS\R2\ADPREP>adprep /forestprep ADPREP WARNING: Before running adprep, all Windows 2000 domain controllers in the forest should be upgraded to Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 (SP1) with QFE 265089, or to Windows 2000 SP2 (or later). QFE 265089 (included in Windows 2000 SP2 and later) is required to prevent potential domain controller corruption. [User Action] If ALL your existing Windows 2000 domain controllers meet this requirement, type C and then press ENTER to continue. Otherwise, type any other key and press ENT ER to quit. C Opened Connection to SAV DALDC01 SSPI Bind succeeded Current Schema Version is 30 Upgrading schema to version 31 Connecting to SAVDALDC01 Logging in as current user using SSPI Importing directory from file C:\WINDOWS\system32\sch31.ldf Loading entries 139 entries modified 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. Youll be prompted to enter an R2 CD key (this is different from your existing Windows 2003 keys) if the underlying OS wasnt installed from R2 media (e.g., a regular Windows 2003 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 2003 using a volume-license version key, then you cant use a retail or Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) R2 key.

4. Youll see the setup summary screen which confirms the actions to be performed (e.g., Copy files). Click Next. 5. After the installation is complete, youll see a confirmation dialog box. Click Finish What is OU ? Organization Unit is a container object in which you can keep objects such as user accounts, groups, computer, printer . applications and other (OU). In organization unit you can assign specific permission to the users. organization unit can also be used to create departmental limitation. Name some OU design considerations ? OU design requires balancing requirements for delegating administrative rights independent of Group 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 is the lowest-level Active Directory container to which you can assign Group Policy settings. Delegating administrative authority usually dont go more than 3 OU levels Windows Active directory Interview Questions User Submitted Part 9 Got a list of some Active Directory Interview Questions submitted by User : Noel.

How do you view replication properties for AD partitions and DCs? By using replication monitor go to start > run > type repadmin go to start > run > type replmon Why cant you restore a DC that was backed up 4 months ago? Because of the tombstone life which is set to only 60 days. Different modes of AD restore ? A nonauthoritative restore is the default method for restoring Active Directory. To perform a nonauthoritative restore, you must be able to start the domain controller in Directory Services Restore Mode. After you restore the domain controller from backup, replication partners use the standard replication protocols to update Active Directory and associated information on the restored domain controller. An authoritative restore brings a domain or a container back to the state it was in at the time of backup and overwrites all changes made since the backup. If you do not want to replicate the changes that have been made subsequent to the last backup operation, you must perform an authoritative restore. In this one needs to stop the inbound replication first before performing the An authoritative restore.

How do you configure a stand-by operation master for any of the roles? # Open Active Directory Sites and Services. # Expand the site name in which the standby operations master is located to display the Servers folder. # Expand the Servers folder to see a list of the servers in that site. # Expand the name of the server that you want to be the standby operations master to display its NTDS Settings. # Right-click NTDS Settings, click New, and then click Connection. # In the Find Domain Controllers dialog box, select the name of the current role holder, and then click OK. # In the New Object-Connection dialog box, enter an appropriate name for the Connection object or accept the default name, and click OK. Whats the difference between transferring a FSMO role and seizing ? Seizing an FSMO can be a destructive process and should only be attempted if the existing server with the FSMO is no longer available. If you perform a seizure of the FSMO roles from a DC, you need to ensure two things: the current holder is actually dead and offline, and that the old DC will NEVER return to the network. If you do an FSMO role Seize and then bring the previous holder back online, youll have a problem. An FSMO role TRANSFER is the graceful movement of the roles from a live, working DC to another live DC During the process, the current DC holding the role(s) is updated, so it becomes aware it is no longer the role holder I want to look at the RID allocation table for a DC. What do I do? dcdiag /test:ridmanager /s:servername /v (servername is the name of our DC) What is BridgeHead Server in AD ? A bridgehead server is a domain controller in each site, which is used as a contact point to receive and replicate data between sites. For intersite replication, KCC designates one of the domain controllers as a bridgehead server. In case the server is down, KCC designates another one from the domain controller. When a bridgehead server receives replication updates from another site, it replicates the data to the other domain controllers within its site. Windows Active directory Interview Questions User Submitted Part 10 Windows Active Directory Interview Questions - User Submitted Part 10 What is sites ? What are they used for ? One or more well-connected (highly reliable and fast) TCP/IP subnets. A site allows administrators to configure Active Directory access and replication topology to take advantage of the physical network. A Site object in Active Directory represents a physical geographic location that hosts networks. Sites contain objects called Subnets. Sites can be used to Assign Group Policy Objects, facilitate the discovery of resources, manage active directory replication, and manage network link traffic. Sites can be linked to other Sites. Site-linked objects may be assigned a cost value that

represents the speed, reliability, availability, or other real property of a physical resource. Site Links may also be assigned a schedule. Trying to look at the Schema, how can I do that ? register schmmgmt.dll using this command c:\windows\system32>regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll Open mmc > add snapin > add Active directory schema name it as schema.msc Open administrative tool > schema.msc What is the port no of Kerbrose ? 88 What is the port no of Global catalog ? 3268 What is the port no of LDAP ? 389 Explain Active Directory Schema ? Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 Active Directory uses a database set of rules called Schema. The Schema is defines as the formal definition of all object classes, and the attributes that make up those object classes, that can be stored in the directory. As mentioned earlier, the Active Directory database includes a default Schema, which defines many object classes, such as users, groups, computers, domains, organizational units, and so on. These objects are also known as Classes. The Active Directory Schema can be dynamically extensible, meaning that you can modify the schema by defining new object types and their attributes and by defining new attributes for existing objects. You can do this either with the Schema Manager snap-in tool included with Windows 2000/2003 Server, or programmatically. How can you forcibly remove AD from a server, and what do you do later? ? Can I get user passwords from the AD database? Dcpromo /forceremoval , an administrator can forcibly remove Active Directory and roll back the system without having to contact or replicate any locally held changes to another DC in the forest. Reboot the server then After you use the dcpromo /forceremoval command, all the remaining metadata for the demoted DC is not deleted on the surviving domain controllers, and therefore you must manually remove it by using the NTDSUTIL command. In the event that the NTDS Settings object is not removed correctly you can use the Ntdsutil.exe utility to manually remove the NTDS Settings object. You will need the following tool: Ntdsutil.exe, Active Directory Sites and Services, Active Directory Users and Computers What are the FSMO roles? Who has them by default? What happens when each one fails? Flexible Single Master Operation (FSMO) role. Currently there are five FSMO roles: Schema master Domain naming master RID master

PDC emulator Infrastructure master What is domain tree ? Domain Trees: A domain tree comprises several domains that share a common schema and configuration, forming a contiguous namespace. Domains in a tree are also linked together by trust relationships. Active Directory is a set of one or more trees. Trees can be viewed two ways. One view is the trust relationships between domains. The other view is the namespace of the domain tree. What is forests ? A collection of one or more domain trees with a common schema and implicit trust relationships between them. This arrangement would be used if you have multiple root DNS addresses. How to Select the Appropriate Restore Method ? You select the appropriate restore method by considering: Circumstances and characteristics of the failure. The two major categories of failure, From an Active Directory perspective, are Active Directory data corruption and hardware failure. Active Directory data corruption occurs when the directory contains corrupt data that has been replicated to all domain controllers or when a large portion of the Active Directory hierarchy has been changed accidentally (such as deletion of an OU) and this change has replicated to other domain controllers. Where are the Windows NT Primary Domain Controller (PDC) and its Backup Domain Controller (BDC) in Server 2003? The Active Directory replaces them. Now all domain controllers share a multimaster peer-to-peer read and write relationship that hosts copies of the Active Directory. What is Global Catalog? The Global Catalog authenticates network user logons and fields inquiries about objects across a forest or tree. Every domain has at least one GC that is hosted on a domain controller. In Windows 2000, there was typically one GC on every site in order to prevent user logon failures across the network. How long does it take for security changes to be replicated among the domain controllers? Security-related modifications are replicated within a site immediately. These changes include account and individual user lockout policies, changes to password policies, changes to computer account passwords, and modifications to the Local Security Authority (LSA). When should you create a forest? Organizations that operate on radically different bases may require separate trees with distinct namespaces. Unique trade or brand names often give rise to separate DNS identities. Organizations merge or are acquired and naming continuity is desired. Organizations form partnerships and joint ventures. While access to common resources is desired, a separately defined tree can enforce more direct administrative and security restrictions.

Describe the process of working with an external domain name ? If it is not possible for you to configure your internal domain as a subdomain of your external domain, use a stand-alone internal domain. This way, your internal and external domain names are unrelated. For example, an organization that uses the domain name contoso.com for their external namespace uses the name corp.internal for their internal namespace. The advantage to this approach is that it provides you with a unique internal domain name. The disadvantage is that this configuration requires you to manage two separate namespaces. Also, using a stand-alone internal domain that is unrelated to your external domain might create confusion for users because the namespaces do not reflect a relationship between resources within and outside of your network. In addition, you might have to register two DNS names with an Internet name authority if you want to make the internal domain publicly accessible.