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Windows Server 2003

Also known as the Win2K3, Windows Server 2003 is a server OS (operating system) from the American software company Microsoft. This OS has the capability to share printers and files, provide email services, authenticate users, and host message queues.

1,215 Questions

What are the advantages of manual testing?

Advantages of Manual Testing

1. Manual Testing is eyeball testing

2. Applications with short life cycles.

3. Applications that have GUIs that constantly changes

4. It requires less time and expense to begin productive manual testing.

5. Automation cannot replace human intuition, inference, and inductive reasoning.

6. Automation Testing cannot change course in the middle of a test run to examine something that had not been previously considered.

7. Manual QA testing can be used in both small and big projects.

8. Easily we can update our test case according to project movement.

9. It is covered in limited cost.

10. Easy to learn for new people who are entered into testing.

11. Manual QA Testing is more reliable than automation (in many cases automation will not cover all cases)

What advantages of using IIS as a web server?

Internet Information Services is used to make your computer a web server. If we want to have a web server for developing dynamic website or want to publish website on our own server then we install the IIS. IIS is used on windows plate form

IIS takes request from user and executes the required files and sends result back to the user. IIS server also provides the services of SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol). We can send emails using SMTP. FrontPage server extensions are also the part of IIS. Using FrontPage server extension we can use the dynamic features of IIS like form handler, Hit counter and etc.

Additional information:

The most popular web server on the Internet is the Apacheweb server. The Apache web server is available from The Apache Software Foundation at

http://www.apache.org

To view hosting information on Apache and IIS, please visit

www.netcraft.com

and scan the page for the Web Server Survey.

What is replication in active directory and how it is done?

the Active Directory database is replicated between domain controllers. The data replicated between controllers called "data" are also called "naming context". Only the changes are replicated, once a domain controller has been established. Active Directory uses a multimaster model which means changes can be made on any controller and the changes are sent to all other controllers. The replication path in Active Directory forms a ring which adds reliability to the replication.

How Replication is Tracked

* USN - Each object has an Update Sequence Number (USN), and if the object is modified, the USN is incremented. This number is different on each domain controller.

* Stamps - Each object has a stamp with the version number, timestamp, and the GUID of the domain controller where the change was made

Domain controllers each contain a "replica" which is a copy of the domain directory. The "directory update type" indicates how the data is replicated. The two types are:

* Origination update - A change made by an administrator at the local domain controller.

* Replicated update - A change made to the replica because of a replication from a replication partner.

Replication Sequence

Terms:

* Latency - The required time for all updates to be completed throughout all comain controllers on the network domain or forest.

* Convergence - The state at which all domain controllers have the same replica contents of the Active directory database.

* Loose consistency - The state at which all changes to the database are not yet replicated throughout all controllers in the database (not converged).

1. A change is made to the Active Directory database on a domain controller. The attribute of the object and the new USN is written to the database. The entire object is NOT replicated. This is called an atomic operation becuase both changes are done, or neither change is done. This is an origination update. There are four types:

* Add - An object is added to the database.

* Delete - An object is deleted from the database.

* Modify - An object in the database has its attributes modified.

* Modify DN - An object is renamed or moved to another domain.

2. The controller the change was made on (after five minutes of stablilty), notifies its replication partners that a change was made. It sends a change notification to these partners, but only notifies one partner every 30 seconds so it is not overwhelmed with update requests. Each controller, in turn, when it is updated, sends a change notice to its respective replication partners.

3. The replication partners each send an update request with a USN to the domain controller that the change was made on. The USN identifies the current state of the domain controller making the change. Each change has a unique USN. This way the domain controller that has the change knows the state of the domain controller requesting the changes and only the changes are required to be sent. The time on each controller, therefore, does not need to be synchronized exactly although timestamps are used to break ties regarding changes.

4. Changes are made through replication partners until all partners are replicated. At some point, replication partners will attempt to replicate partners that are already updated. This is where propagation dampening is used.

If no changes have been performed in six hours, replication procedures are performed to be sure no information has been missed.

Information sent during an update includes:

* Updated object

* The GUID and USN of the domain server with the originating update.

* A local USN of the update on the updated object.

Replication Path

The replication path that domain controller Active Directory replicated data travels through an enterprise is called the replication topology. Connection objects are used to define the replication paths between domain controllers. Active Directory, by default, sets up a two way ring replication path. The data can travel in both directions around the ring which provides redundancy and reliability. Two types of replication occur in the path:

* Direct replication - When replication is done from a primary source of data.

* Transitive replication - When replication is done from a secondhand or replicated source of data.

The Knowledge Consistency Checker (KCC) (running on all domain controllers) generates the replication topology by specifying what domain controllers will replicate to which other domain controllers in the site. The KCC maintains a list of connections, called a replication topology, to other domain controllers in the site. The KCC ensures that changes to any object are replicated to all site domain controllers and updates go through no more than three connections. Also an administrator can configure connection objects.

The KCC uses information provided by the administrator about sites and subnets to automatically build the Active Directory replication topology.

Propagation Dampening

Terms:

* Propagation dampening is used to prevent unnecessary replication by preventing updates from being sent to servers that are already updated. Each domain controller keeps a list of other known domain controllers and the last USN received from each controller. Two up-to-date vector numbers support this:

o Replica GUID

o Update Sequence Number (USN) - Mentioned earlier it is incremented anytime an origination or replicated update is received. The USN stored is from the originating server. It is stored as metadata with:

+ An attribute indicating "added" or "changed" for the object being updated.

+ The GUID (above).

+ A local USN for the object attribute changed.

+ The changed data.

The up-to-date vector numbers are incremented when replication occurs with the originating server. Each domain controller has its own different USN (They may not start at the same number). The highest USN from each domain controller that is stored in other domain controllers is called the high watermark for that domain controller.

* Propagation delay describes the amount of time required for a change to be replicated to domain controllers throughout the domain.

* Ring Topology - The Active Directory replication process uses a ring topology where the replication partners form a ring. This adds reliability to the process and also helps decrease propagation delay.

The information sent in an update request includes the high water mark entry for the originating server for the last change received. If the highwater mark received from the server that sent the update request is the same as the highwatermark for the originating server on the server receiving the request, the receiving server will not send the replicated information.

The usnChanged parameter is the highest USN number for any object.

Replication Partitions

Types of Active Directory data storage categories which are called partitions:

* 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 - 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 - 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.

o Partial domain directory partition - Has a list of all objects in the directory with a partial list of attributes for each object.

These partitions are all replicated between domain controllers by Active directory. Different partitions may be replicated between different replication partners.

Replication Conflict

Replication conflict occurs when changes are made to the same object and attribute before the changes can be replicated throughout all domain controller's copies of the database. Additional data (metadata) stored for each object attribute includes (not related to USN):

* Time stamp of the last change.

* Attribute version number - For each object's attributes, this value is the same on all domain controllers.

When an Active Directory database update is received on a domain controller, one of the following happens:

* If the update attribute version number is higher than the current version number on the controller, the new value of the attribute is stored and the version number is updated.

* If the update attribute version number and stored attribute version number are the same, timestamps are used to resolve the conflict.

* If the both version numbers and both timestamps are the same, the update from the controller with the highest GUID is used.

File Replication Service

In Windows 2000, the SYSVOL share is used to to authenticate users. The SYSVOL share includes group policy information which is replicated to all local domain controllers. File replication service (FRS) is used to replicate the SYSVOL share. The "Active Directory Users and Computers" tool is used to change the file replication service schedule.

Intrasite Replication

Replication that happens between controllers inside one site. All of the subnets inside the site should be connected by high speed network wires. Replication between two sites may need to be sent over a slower WAN link or leased line. Intrasite replication data is sent uncompressed.

Site replication is done using Remote Procedure Call (RPC). If a change is made, replication occurs within five minutes, and replication is done every six hours if no changes were made. Domain controllers that receive updates replicate that information to other domain controllers on their route list. All changes are therefore completed within a site within 15 minutes since there can only be three hops.

The topology used here is the ring topology talked about earlier and this replication is automatically set up by Active Directory, but may be modified by an administrator.

DNS Replication

The DNS IP address and computer name is stored in Active Directory for Active Directory integrated DNS zones and replicated to all local domain controllers. DNS information is not replicated to domain controllers outside the domain.

Intersite Replication

Intrasite replication is replication between sites and must be set up by an administrator.

Replication Management

The administrative tool, "Active Directory Sites and Services", is used to manage Active Directory replication. Replication data is compressed before being sent to minimze bandwidth use. There are two protocols used to replicate AD:

* Normally Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is used to replicate data and is always used for intrasite replication since it is required to support the FRS. RPC depends on IP (internet protocol) for transport.

* Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) may be used for replication between sites.

SMTP can't replicate the domain partition, however. Therefore the remote site would need to be in another domain to be able to effectively use SMTP for carrying replication data.

Bridgehead server - A domain controller that is used to send replication information to one or more other sites.

Flexible Single Master Operations (FSMO) (discussed in an earlier section) can be transferred manually to various domain controllers. Roles and tools used to transfer are:

* Schema Master - Use "Active Directory Domains and Trusts". Makes changes to the database schema. Applications may remotely connect to the schema master.

* Domain Naming Master - Use the MMC "Active Directory Schema Snap-in". Adds or removes domains to or from the forest.

* Primary Domain Controller (PDC) Emulator - Use the "Active Directory Users and Computers" administrative tool. When Active Directory is in mixed mode, the computer Active Directory is on acts as a Windows NT PDC. Mixed mode occurs when Active Directory interfaces with NT 4.0 BDCs or ones without Windows 2000 Directory Service client software. In mixed mode, computers without Windows 2000 client software must contact the PDC emulator to change user account information.

* Relative ID Master (RID Master) - Use the "Active Directory Users and Computers" administrative tool. All objects have a Security Identifier (SID) and a domain SID. The RID assigns relative IDs to each domain controller.

* Infrastructure Master - Use the "Active Directory Users and Computers" administrative tool. Updates group membership information when users from other domains are moved or renamed.

Any master role can be transferred by using the command line program, ntdsutil.exe. When a server performing a master role fails and goes offline, you can perform "seizing master operations" to have another server perform that role. Only the ntdsutil.exe program can perform this function. Commands include:

* connections - A connections prompt appears:

o connect to server "FQDN of server to connect to"

o quit

* sieze "name of role to transfer". Role names are:

o PDC

o RID master

o schema master

o domain naming master

o infastructure master

Example: "sieze RID master"

Replication Associated Performance Monitor Counters

* DRA Inbound Bytes Not Compressed - Replicated uncompressed bytes that are probably from a Directory Services Agent (another controller sending data) in the same site.

* DRA Inbound Bytes Compressed (Before Compression) - Replicated bytes received (as though in uncompressed form).

* DRA Inbound Bytes Not Compressed (After Compression) - Replicated bytes received (as in compressed form).

* DRA Inbound Bytes Total The sum of the DRA Inbound Bytes Not Compressed plus the DRA Inbound Bytes Not Compressed (After Compression).

* DRA Outbound Bytes Not Compressed - Replicated uncompressed bytes that are being sent to another domain controller in the same site.

Schema Cache

A schema cache which is a copy of the schema in memory can be used to speed up schema queries but should be used sparingly due to the high memory requirements. If the schemaUpdateNow attribute is added to the RootDSE a schema cache update is done immediately. Normally the schema cache is stored in memory when the system boots and updated every five minutes.

How many partitions can be active at any given point in time?

Ultimately, it can be limitless, but most hard drives will restrict you to 10. (being 0-9)

There are alternate methods used to create many more, but the more partitions you have, the more long term damage it can do to your hard drive. I wouldn't recommend doing more than 5 on a 500GB.

HOW to look at the Schema in AD how can you do that?

Trying to look at the Schema, how can I do that Different database servers use different commands to look at a schema. Additionally, the client software that you use has features that make it easier to manipulate database objects.

MS SQL Server

sp_help

lists all tables in a schema

sp_help [tablename]

displays information for table [tablename]

Oracle

select table_name from sys.user_tables

list all tables for the current schema

select t.* from sys.user_tab_columns t

list all tables, columns, and data types for the current schema

There are entire websites dedicated to database programming. Windows Active Directory I believe this question is referring to the Active Directory schema, in which case, adsiedit.exe is a good place to start. Please follow this link for more info: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc757747.aspx#w2k3tr_schem_tools_dzid option to view the schema 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

How do you find a dns server address?

AnswerIf you are using a PC, click the start button. Select the run command. Type CMD into the box and press enter. When the black box pops up type the following line in

ipconfig /all

Look through the data to see what your DNS address is.

If you are using a Mac. Go to the System Preferences. Click on the Network Icon Double Click on the Ethernet icon if you have an ethernet cable plugged in (Looks like a wide phone jack) Double Click on the Airport card if you are using wireless internet. The DNS servers will be listed under the TCP/IP Tab.

Can you copy GPOs from one domain to another domain?

In fact, the answer is YES!!! With the GPMC, you can most definately accomplish this, and the steps required are, for the most part, relatively straight forward. Microsoft has released a white paper that discusses this very topic which you can download

What is knowledge consistency checker?

The Knowledge Consistency Checker (KCC) is a Windows component that automatically generates and maintains the intra-site and inter-site replication topology. You can disable the KCC's automatic generation of intra-site or inter-site topology management, or both. You can use the script included in this article to automate disabling or the re-enabling of automatic inter-site topology maintenance that the KCC performs.

For additional information go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/245610

What is the absolute minimum RAM requirement for windows server 2003 standard edition?

Minimum ram

standard edition

128 mb

enterprise edition

128 mb

datacentre edition

512 mb

web edition

128 mb

What are gpo in Active Directory?

Group Policy Objects (GPOs) are collections of settings for Windows operating systems.

In general terms, they are created for two reasons: to control the look and feel of the operating system and its functionality (the "user experience") or to govern the way the system works such as its security and operation.

Administrators have been able to apply policies to machines since Windows 9x/NT3 but with the advent of Active Directory in Windows 2000, GPOs have allowed a granular centralised control mechanism for domain members ranging across almost all aspects of the OS and many of the Microsoft products (primarily Internet Explorer and the Office suite, although customisation allows virtually any application to be controlled).

Group Policy settings can apply either to the machine itself (and consequently apply to all users of that machine) or to groups of users of the machine. They grant the ability to standardise an estate.

In large organisations, they are used to control password policies, logon rights, privileges, permissions, registry settings, the desktop and the underlying security of the infrastructure. They are vital in maintaining control and governance.

As examples of their capabilities, you can set all machines to have the same colour scheme, screensaver, minimum password length/complexity, or any of the thousands of options available. They can be used to roll out software, fire startup and logon scripts, and enable/disable services, etc.

What do you mean by forward lookup zone and reverse lookup zone?

There are 2 zones which are required by dns to resolve the query related with the FQDN and IP address.

Forward lookup zone is FQDN(fully qualified domain name) to IP address

Reverse lookup zone is IP address to FQDN(fully qualified domain name)

if you ping or do nslookup it check the dns for the information.

ping abc.microsoft.com

internally it will check the table and find out what is the Ip address for abc.microsoft.com then it will show on the cmd prompt

Pinging abc.microsoft.com [207.46.232.182] with 32 bytes of data:

"forward look-up zone" and "reverse look-up zone" usually refer to domains/zones, or correspondingly to cache or configuration files, in a Domain Name System (DNS).

For instance:

"Answers.Com" represents a "forward look-up zone" and contains Address (A) records, among others, such as:

WIKI.Answers.Com A 67.196.156.63

There is (or at least "should" be) a corresponding "reverse look-up zone", either:

67.in-addr.arpa,

196.67.in-addr.arpa, or

156.196.67.in-addr.arpa

containing (PTR) records, with something like:

63.156.196.67.in-addr.arpa PTR WIKI.Answers.Com

These are used "behind the scenes" by the DNS portion of the internet protocol to resolve Names into Internet Protocol Addresses, and to resolve Internet Protocol Addresses into Names.

What is correct On a server or in a server?

No. It isn't. Haven't you swum in the other pool yet? Answer: Although I don't like to disagree, and it's certainly true that in traditional written English we should say 'haven't you swum..', people do use 'you haven't swum..' with a rising intonation in spoken English to express surprise. The questioner may be asking about the declarative sentence 'You haven't swum in the other pool yet.' The question mark relates to the inquiry about grammar, and not necessarily to the function of the construct. As a declarative sentence, it is correct.

What are the five FSMO roles in Active Directory forest with one parent and two child domains?

There are five roles:

They are further classified in two

1. Forest Roles
  • Schema Master - As name suggests, the changes that are made while creation of any object in AD or changes in attributes will be made by single domain controller and then it will be replicated to another domain controllers that are present in your environment. There is no corruption of AD schema if all the domain controllers try to make changes. This is one of the very important roles in FSMO roles infrastructure.
  • Domain Naming Master - This role is not used very often, only when you add/remove any domain controllers. This role ensures that there is a unique name of domain controllers in environment.
2. Domain Roles
  • Infrastructure Master - This role checks domain for changes to any objects. If any changes are found then it will replicate to another domain controller.
  • RID Master - This role is responsible for making sure each security principle has a different identifier.
  • PDC emulator - This role is responsible for Account policies such as client password changes and time synchronization in the domain

What is a collection of computers that all utilize a central directory service for authentication and authorization and is usually associated with Active Directory?

It depends on your setup. If this all of the computers are networked in a workgroup environment, then you need to have a locally stored profile on each computer that redirects to the master fileserver. The SAM will be the database in this case

If you have a domain environment, then just join all of the computers into the domain and they should be able to log on to any computer on the network.The AD will take care of security nad NTDS.DIT will be database in this case