Windows NT Server 4 in the Enterprise (70-68) STUDY GUIDE 1

( FROM CRAMSESSION )

Windows NT Setup

WINNT32.EXE is used to upgrade only from a previous version of Windows NT.

WINNT.EXE is used for the regular Windows NT setup, or an installation through DOS or Windows 95.

Upgrading from Windows 3.1x or a previous version of NT will keep all user, network and program settings.

There are no conversion options from Windows 95 to Windows NT that will allow you to maintain user settings. To dual boot between the two, install NT in a separate directory and reinstall all your applications.

Command modifiers for installation:

/B	Put boot files on hard drive instead of using boot floppies (takes an extra 4-5MB of hard disk space).
/S	Specify source file location(s) - multiple locations will speed up installation.
/U	Specify answer file location for use with unattended installation - MUST be used with /s to specify source file location(s).
/T	Specifies location of temp directory created for install (/t:<path>).
/OX	Create the setup disks from CD-ROM or shared network folder. Used to replace damaged boot disks.
/F	Don't verify files. Can speed up installation.
/C	Don't check for free space when creating boot disks.
/I	Specify setup information (.inf) file. This file tells setup how to run. The default name is DOSNET.INF.

Setup disks can be created by running WINNT.EXE /OX or running WINNT.EXE from the cdrom.

·  Answer file - Used when performing unattended installs.  Provides information that would normally be answered by the user during setup.  Default name is UNATTEND.TXT.

·  UDF (Uniqueness Database File) - Used in conjunction with the answer file when performing unattended installs. Provides information for settings that are user or group specific.  Default name is $UNIQUE$.UDF.

To uninstall NT on a FAT partition, you will need to boot to DOS, run SYS.COM, and remove the WINNT directory and files.

In the server properties menu, there are options to optimize server memory for certain situations.

Minimize Memory Used	Allows memory to be allocated for up to 10 network connections.
Balance	Provides memory for up to approximately 64 connections.
Maximize Throughput for File Sharing	Optimizes server memory for file sharing operations (default).
Maximize Throughput for Network Applications	Optimizes server memory for server-based network applications. Key word is SQL.

Virtual memory

Virtual memory can be controlled in the Control Panel -> System properties under the Performance tab.

The paging file size can be in/decreased here, and even distributed across multiple drives to speed up access.

The most efficient paging file is distributed on several physical drives but not on the boot or system drive.

The recommended initial paging file size equals the amount of RAM in the system plus 12MB.

Paging file size can increase during operation, but will not shrink. Page file size will be reset when the computer is restarted.

Multiple Disk Sets

 

System and boot partitions cannot be part of a stripe or volume set, but can be a part of disk mirroring and duplexing partitions.

·  Speed factors

·        Disk striping will provide the fastest read/write performance as it can read multiple disks at a time.

·        Disk striping with parity is slower, as it has to write the parity information, but is still faster than disk mirroring and volume set.

·        Disk mirroring is slow due to the redundancy factor of writing the same information to two drives at once.

·        Volume set can only read/write one drive at a time.

To recover from drive failure with disk mirroring, you must install the new drive, boot the system into NT, run Disk Administrator, break the mirror from the Fault Tolerance menu, and then reestablish the mirror. This will not be done automatically.

To recover from drive failure with disk striping with parity, you must install the new drive, boot the system into NT, run Disk Administrator, and choose the Regenerate option.

To recover from multiple drive failure with disk striping with parity, you must install the new drives, boot the system into NT, and restore the system backup from tape.

File systems

NTFS has file level security, and is faster over 400M, but has a larger overhead (cannot format a floppy disk with NTFS) and cannot be read by DOS, WIN 3.1, WIN 3.1.1 or WIN95.

FAT16 is compatible with MS-DOS & WIN95. (Note: Win95 FAT32 is not NT compatible), but has no file-level security.

For upgrading NT3.51 HPFS you must convert that partition(s) to NTFS before upgrading the OS.

NTFS vs. FAT

FAT

·  Files and directories on a FAT partition only contain the standard attributes of Volume, Read-Only, System and Hidden.

·  Cannot set local security access on a FAT volume.

·  Can convert the partition to NTFS by running CONVERT.EXE

·  A FAT partition can be defragmented by booting with a DOS diskette and running DEFRAG.EXE

·  File moved from a FAT partition to an NTFS partition retain their attributes and long-filename.

NTFS

·  NTFS partitions contain the standard attributes, as well as security descriptors basing file access from file-level security.

·  Can set local security access on an NTFS volume.

·  Partition cannot be converted to FAT. The partition must be deleted and recreated as a FAT partition.

·  NTFS partitions cannot be defragmented. To defragment an NTFS partition, it must be formatted and restored from backup.

·  Files moved from an NTFS partition to a FAT partition do not retain their attributes or security descriptors, but will retain their long filenames.

Domains

Workgroup	Recommended for networks containing under 10 computers. Users in this type of network administer all shares and methods of access on their personal computers.
Single Domain	No trust relationships are involved in this domain model. User and resource management is all controlled from a central location. Can contain up to 40,000 user accounts, but is usually recommended for 20-500 users.
Single Master Domain	A master domain is trusted by one or several domains. The master domain should contain all user accounts while all the trusting domains should contain resources. The master domain provides central administration of user accounts while resources can all be managed locally in each domain. Can contain up to 40,000 user accounts, and is usually recommended for 500-10,000 users.
Muliple Master Domain	Several master domains are setup with complete trusts between each other, and all resource domains are setup to trust the master domains. Is usually recommended for more than 10,000 users and can potentially scale to any size.
Complete Trust Domain	All domains in this model have complete trusts setup with each other.

Domain A trusts Domain B. Domain A is trusting Domain B to access Domain A's resources. Domain A is the trusting domain and Domain B is the trusted domain.

The arrow points from the trusting domain to the trusted domain.

A two way trust is simply two one-way trusts between two domains. In this arrangement, each domain trusts the other domain's users to access its resources.

Security

Share-Level Security - Governs user access to a resource through the network. Can be implemented on NTFS or FAT partitions. Applied through the Sharing tab of the resource's properties.

File-Level Security - Governs local user file and folder security on NTFS partitions only. Applied through the Security tab of the resource's properties.

Share Security Levels

Full Control	·  Is assigned to the Everyone group by default. ·  Allows user to take ownership of files and folders. ·  Users can change file access rights. ·  Grants user all permissions assigned by the Change and Read levels.
Change	·  User can add and create files. ·  Grants ability to modify files. ·  User can change the attributes of the file. ·  User can delete files. ·  Grants user all permissions assigned by the Read level.
Read	·  User can display and open files. ·  User can display the attributes of the file. ·  User can execute program files.
No Access	·  User cannot display, access, or modify files.

 

Permissions are cumulative, except for No Access, which overrides anything.

When a resource has both File-Level and Share-Level Securities enabled, the most restrictive security is given to the user.

File permissions override the permissions of its parent folder.

Anytime a new file is created, the file will inherit permissions from the target folder.

The priority of attributes to a file is:
      1) File
      2) Directory
      3) Share

File attributes override directory attributes, which override share attributes.

Copying/ Moving FIles

Copying within a partition	Creates a new file resembling the old file. Inherits the target folders permissions.
Moving within a partition	Does not create a new file. Simply updates directory pointers. File keeps its original permissions.
Moving across partitions	Creates a new file resembling the old file, and deletes the old file. Inherits the target folders permissions.

 

Auditing can be enabled in the User Manager. The Event Viewer is used to view audited events.

When using Event Viewer, only local administrators can see the security log, but anyone (by default) can view other logs.

Only Administrators and Server Operators have the rights to share folders on an NT Server.

Groups and Account Managment

Creating new accounts requires only two pieces of information: username and password.

Duplicating an account requires three pieces of information: username, password and full name.

Disabling an account is typically used when someone else will take the user's place, or when the user might return.

Delete an account only when absolutely necessary for space or organization purposes.

When copying a user account, the new user will stay in the same groups that the old user was a member of. The user will keep all group rights that were granted through groups, but lose all individual rights that were granted specifically for that user.

NT Default Accounts

Backup Operators	Group designated for members to backup and restore computers from tape. Backup Operators can only backup and restore from tape when logged in locally to the computer. This group is found on all NT Servers.
Account Operators	Group designated for members to manage user and group accounts. This group is found only on Domain Controllers.
Server Operators	Group designated for members to manage resources, but cannot manage user accounts. Can backup and restore from tape. This group is found only on Domain Controllers.
Replicator	Group designated for NT computers to perform directory replication. This group is found on all NT Servers.

·  Global groups - Groups which contain users with similar rights and requirements. Can only be created on Domain Controllers, and can only contain users in that specific domain.

·  Local groups - Groups used to allow members to access resources in the local computer/domain. Can be created on any NT system. Can contain users from the local computer's database, users from the computer's domain, or global groups from the computer's domain or a trusted domain.

To allow a user from one domain to access to a resource in another domain: Joe, a member of domain A, needs to access the \\NTSERVER\VIP share in domain B. 1) Create a trust relationship where domain B trusts domain A. 2) Create a local group on the computer NTSERVER in domain B. Grant proper access rights to the VIP directory. 3) Create a global group in domain A, and add Joe as a member. 4) Add the global group from domain A as a member to the local group on NTSERVER in domain B.

·  Computer accounts take .5 k of hard disk space.

·  User accounts take 1k of hard disk space.

·  Global group accounts take .5 k + 12 bytes/user of hard disk space.

·  Local group accounts take .5 k + 36 bytes/account of hard disk space.

The database size for a single domain should not exceed 40MB. If you have a combination of computer, user and group accounts that exceed 40MB, you must use either the multiple master or complete trust model.

RAS (Remote Access Services)

RAS is capable of using the following connection protocols:

·        SLIP - Has less overhead than PPP, but cannot automatically assign an IP address, and only uses TCP/IP.

·        PPP - Can automatically assign IP addresses, supports encryption and other protocols besides TCP/IP.

·        RAS - Used by Windows 3.x and Windows NT 3.x clients.

RAS supports call back security to either the calling number or to a specified, non-changing number.

RAS for NT 4.0 supports multilink (the use of more than one modem to achieve higher transmission speeds). Multilink cannot be used with callback security unless there are two (or more) ISDN modems configured on the same phone number.

RAS uses NetBEUI as the default network protocol, but can also use TCP/IP and IPX/SPX. TCP/IP will need to be used if you are using programs that utilize the Windows Sockets (Winsock) interface over the RAS services.

RAS will default to the first network protocol on each side of the connection. Thus, if NetBEUI is the first protocol that is in common, Winsock applications (such as a web browser) will not be available to the client.

To speed up NetBIOS resolution on RAS clients, put an LMHOSTS file on each client locally.

RAS encryption settings

Allow any authentication including clear text	This will allow RAS to use a number of password authentication protocols including the Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) which uses a plain-text password authentication. This option is useful if you have a number of different types of RAS clients, or to support third-party RAS clients.
Require encrypted authentication	This option will support any authentication used by RAS except PAP.
Require Microsoft encrypted authentication	This option will only make use of Microsoft's CHAP (Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol). All Microsoft operating systems use MS-CHAP by default.
Require data encryption	This option will enable the encryption of all data sent to and from the RAS server.

 

RAS will write to a log file which can be used for troubleshooting RAS services. In order to enable RAS to write to the log, you have to enable it in the Registry.

Netware

NWLink (MS's version of the IPX/SPX protocol) is the protocol used by NT to allow Netware systems to access its resources.

NWLink is all you need to run in order to allow an NT system to run applications off of a NetWare server.

To allow file and print sharing between NT and a NetWare server, CSNW (Client Services for NetWare) must be installed on the NT system.

Both NWLink and CSNW are automatically installed when Gateway Services for Netware is installed.

Gateway Services for Netware can be implemented on your NT Server to provide a MS client system to access your Netware server by using the NT Server as a gateway. You must have a group account setup on the Netware server called NTGATEWAY. In this Netware group you must add a user account with the same name and password as the user account set up on the NT server. This account on the NetWare server must have the necessary permissions for the resources to be accessed.

NWLink is automatically installed when Gateway Services for Netware is installed.

Frame types for the NWLink protocol must match the computer that the NT system is trying to connect with. Unmatching frame types will cause connectivity problems between the two systems. If multiple frame types are in use, you should manually specify each frame type. If NT is set to auto sense the frame type it will only detect one frame type and in the following order: 802.2, 802.3, Ethernet_II and 802.5 (token ring).

Netware 3 servers uses Bindery (Preferred Server in CSNW).
Netware 4 servers use NDS (Default Tree and Context.)

There are two ways to change a password on a netware server - SETPASS.EXE and the Change Password option (from the CTRL-ALT-DEL dialog box). The Change Password option is only available to Netware 4.x servers using NDS.

Netware Migration

To convert a Netware server to an NT Server, you will first need to implement the NWLink and Gateway Services for Netware on the NT Server. Once the conversion has completed, you will need to make sure all Netware workstations have had the Microsoft (SMB) redirector installed on their systems to access the NT Server. Alternatively, you can install File and Print Services for Netware on the NT Server.

By default, if a user account on the Netware server you are converting has the same name as an existing user account on the NT server, the account will not not be transferred. Use a mapping file to specify a new user name or indicate that you want the NT user account to be overwritten.

Use a mapping file when you are converting several Netware servers and they contain multiple user accounts with the same name. Also use a mapping file to preserve passwords for the Netware user accounts. Otherwise, the passwords will be blank upon conversion to NT.

Networking

Computer Name Resolution:

·        DNS (Domain Name Services) - Used to resolve DNS host name to an IP address.

·        WINS (Windows Internet Naming Service) - Used to resolve NetBIOS computer name to an IP address.

·        HOSTS - File which contains mappings between DNS host names and their IP addresses. Must be maintained manually.

·        LMHOSTS - File which contains mappings between NetBIOS computer names and their IP addresses. Must be maintained manually.

TCP/IP is an internet protocol currently used for most networking situations. Each computer using TCP/IP will contain a unique address in a x.x.x.x format (where each x equals a number between 0 and 255) and a subnet mask.

Subnet mask - A value that is used to distinguish the network ID portion of the IP address from the host ID.

Default gateway - A TCP/IP address for the host which you would send packets to, to be sent elsewhere on the network (typically a bridge or a router).

Common TCP/IP problems are caused by incorrect subnet masks and default gateways.

Install a WINS server in addition to a DNS server to alleviate traffic due to b node broacasts.

If bandwidth is hogged by a particular group of users on a TCP/IP network, create a separate physical subnet by installing a 2nd NIC on the server, installing a new hub, and putting the problem users on this hub.

UNIX computers use the TCP/IP protocol.

NetBEUI is a non-routable protocol that is used solely by Microsoft O/S's.

Universal Naming Convention (UNC) - Universal network pathname which is integrated into Microsoft systems. Named as \\computername\sharename, where computername = the NetBIOS name of the computer, and sharename = the share name of the folder.

Trap messages are sent using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

Profiles

Profiles are the user settings which are loaded when a user logs in. They can contain desktop and start menu preferences. These files can be located either locally or on a server which has been mapped in the User Manager.

NTUser.dat and *.dat files are the typical, user-configurable profiles used.

NTUser.man and *.man files are read-only. If the user attempts to configure their desktop, the *.man file will not be updated. When the user logs in again, it will restore the original profile.

You may copy profiles using the User Profiles menu located under CONTROL PANEL | SYSTEM PROPERTIES.

Policies

Policies take precedence over profiles.

Individual policies take precendence over group policies.

Machine policies take precedence over all policies.

If there are multiple group policies, the will be applied in the order as specfied Policy Editor (POLEDIT.EXE).

To create a domain wide policy, use POLEDIT.EXE and save the policy as NTconfig.pol in the NetLogon shared folder on the PDC. When a user logs on, The NetLogon checks here to see if a policy exists.

If you've made some polices and want to apply them to an existing domain wide policy, select them in Policy Editor and select Copy. Next, open NTconfig.pol in NetLogon and select Paste.

Printing

Microsoft uses the terminology "Print Device" to refer to the physical piece of hardware, whereas a "Printer" is a conceptual idea describing the icon in the Control Panel.

NT 4.0 has the option to maintain drivers for different operating systems on the server. Each operating system uses different drivers. For example, NT 4.0, NT 3.51 and Win95 systems cannot use the same print drivers. By installing the drivers for each of these types of system on the print server, each of these tpyes of clients can automatically download the driver they need without manual installation.

NT clients (3.51 and 4.0) automatically download updated drivers from the server. Win95 machines will initially download print drivers but will not automatically update to a newer version of the driver. Win 3.1x and DOS clients must have the drivers installed on each client manually.

·  Print Pooling - Consists of two or more identical print devices associated with one printer.

·  Availability - This option allows you to specify which hours the printer can be printed to.

·  Priority - This option specifies which virtual printer should print first if other virtual printers are trying to print to the same physical printer at the same time. Priorities range from 1 - 99 with 1 being the lowest and 99 the highest.

You can select Restart in the Document Menu of the printer to reprint a document from the beginning. This is useful when a document is printing and the printer jams. Resume can be selected to start printing where you left off.

You can change the directory containing the print spooler in the advanced server properties for the printer.

To remedy a stalled spooler, you will need to stop and restart the spooler services in the Server Manager.

Printing to a TCP/IP printer requires you to know the IP address and printer name.

The DLC protocol needs to be installed in order to connect to a HP print server.

The AppleTalk protocol needs to be installed to communicate with Apple printers.

Use the PCL.SEP separator to switch from PostScript to PCL.

Use PSCRIPT.SEP separator to switch from PCL to PostScript.

Troubleshooting

To create a boot disk, format the diskette from the NT system you want a boot disk for (Win 95 and DOS will not work), and copy over the following files: NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM, BOOT.INI and NTBOOTDD.SYS (SCSI only).

To create an Emergency Repair diskette, you can choose to do so either during the installation of NT, or you can run RDISK.EXE. When RDISK.EXE is run with the /S option, the utility backs up user accounts and file security.

To use the Emergency Repair diskette, you will need to boot the server with the NT installation boot diskettes, and choose to repair NT with the Emergency Repair disk that was created.

The Emergency Repair Process can a) inspect the registry files and return them to the state on the repair disk, b) inspect the startup environment, c) verify the system files and d) inspect the boot sector.

To troubleshoot bootup problems, you can edit the Boot.Ini file and add the /SOS switch to the end of the Windows NT entries in the [Operating Systems] section of the Boot.Ini file to display driver names while they are being loaded. The VGA startup option has /SOS added by default.

Use the Last Known Good option on bootup to restore the system to a bootable state if problems arise from switching video drivers or changing registry settings.

Common error codes:

·        No system or boot disk message when trying to dual-boot = BOOTSECT.DOS is corrupt

·        Copy single file non-critical error - could not copy file = Occurs when you install Windows NT from an unsupported CD-ROM or network drive

·  Server stop errors - In the System Properties -> Startup/Shutdown tab, there are options to configure where you would like the Server stop errors to be written. The errors are written to a .DMP file which is readable by the program DUMPEXAM.EXE. You must have free space in a swapfile on your boot drive equal to or larger than the amount of physical RAM in your system in order to generate a dumpfile.

PDCs and BDCs

To upgrade from a member server to a BDC or PDC, NT Server must be reinstalled.

To downgrade from a PDC or BDC to a member server, NT Server must be reinstalled.

To change a PDC to a BDC, or a BDC to a PDC, you must promote a BDC to a PDC in the Server Manager. There is no "Demote" option, only Promote a BDC. NT will disconnect the current PDC if online and handle everything automatically.

A BDC cannot automatically promote itself when the PDC becomes disconnected from the network. A BDC will continue to service login requests during the time that the PDC is unavailable.

Joining Domains

To configure a member server or NT Workstation PC to participate in a domain while not being physically connected to the domain, install NT and configure the PC to be a member of a workgroup with the same name. Once it is connected to the domain, configure it to join the domain by making the appropriate changes in Control Panel->Network.

You cannot configure a PC to be a BDC of a domain without being connected to the domain. This is because it will not have the same Domain SID as the domain you want to join.

Domain Optimization

Regardless of domain model, if your network is separated physically across slow WAN links, putting at least one BDC in each remote location will speed up the logon process for users at that site.

Installing a DHCP relay agent at each remote site will enable you to centrally manage IP address assignment from one server but will increase WAN traffic.

Installing a WINS proxy server at each remote site will reduce local subnet traffic by intercepting b-node broadcast frames from non-WINS enabled clients. It will also reduce WAN traffic by using a local cache for resolution when possible.

To provide WINS redundancy, install a WINS server at each remote site and make them push-pull partners with the master WINS server. While this will provide WINS fault tolerance, it will increase WAN traffic.

If you have several NT Servers acting as routers between the subnets in your TCP/IP based network, installing RIP for IP on them will do away with manually maintaining static routing tables, but will increase traffic between the subnets.

Domain Synchronization

The registry contains settings which set the time between synchronizations of domain controllers. Synchronization can cause too much traffic and slow the network down to unacceptable levels. In order to reduce traffic, increase the value of the Domain Synchronization Pulse (default 5 minutes) setting in the registry of the PDC, and decrease the value of the PulseConcurrency (how many BDCs get synched at once, default 20) setting in the registry of the PDC.

The ReplicationGovernor key (default value 100) determines what percentage of bandwidth can be used for synchronization.

Browser Services

All NT systems have browser services available. The master browser will maintain a browse list which contains a list of all workstations, servers and domains on the network. There can be only one master browser per subnet.

PDC is always the DOMAIN master browser and in case of PDC failure, the Administrator MUST PROMOTE a BDC to a PDC for it to become the DOMAIN master browser. The BDC does not become DOMAIN master browser automatically..

You can disable the ability of a system to become a master browser by changing the value of MaintainServerList from AUTO to NO in the registry.

ARC Naming Convention

The Advanced Risc Computing (ARC) path is located in the BOOT.INI and is used by NTLDR to determine which disk contains the operating system.

multi(x)	Specifies SCSI controller with the BIOS enabled, or non-SCSI controller. x=ordinal number of controller.
scsi(x)	Defines SCSI controller with the BIOS disabled. x=ordinal number of controller.
disk(x)	Defines SCSI disk which the OS resides on. When multi is used, x=0. When scsi is used, x= the SCSI ID number of the disk with the OS.
rdisk(x)	Defines disk which the OS resides on. Used when OS does not reside on a SCSI disk. x=0-1 if on primary controller. x=2-3 if on multi-channel EIDE controller.
partition(x)	Specifies partition number which the OS resides on. x=cardinal number of partition, and the lowest possible value is 1.

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1). These are the lowest numbers that an ARC path can have.

Performance Monitor

·  Memory - add more RAM if you detect problems with the following:

·        Pages/sec - excessive disk paging. Should not be above 20.

·        Available bytes - virtual memory available. Should not be below 4MB.

·        Commited bytes - memory being used by applications. Should be less than RAM in computer.

·  CPU - upgrade the processor if you detect problems with the following.

·        %Processor time - amount of time the processor is in use. Upgrade if constantly over 80%.

·  System Object: Processor Queue Length - should not be over 2.

·  Disks - upgrade hard disk or controller, add another hdd controller to balance the load, or implement disk striping for multiple I/O channels if receiving inadequate disk performance.

·        %Disk Time Counter - amount of time the disk is in use. Should not be over 90%.

·        Current Disk Queue Length - files in disk queue. Should not be over 2.

Must run DISKPERF -Y to enable disk performance counters.

Alert view allows alerts to be made when the counters surpass the threshold you set.

Log view allows the tracked objects to be written to a log file. Used to create a baseline for future reference.

Report view gives the ability to present a concise report of current statistics.

Network Monitor

Use Network Monitor to capture packets going to and from an NT Server.

Use a capture filter to specify what kind of packets to catch.

Use a display filter to filter packets that have already been caught.

To capture packets that are coming to the NT Server from a particular workstation, use the following syntax in your capture filter. Assuming the workstation is named NTSYSTEM1:

·        INCLUDE ANY <-- NTSYSTEM1

To filter by a particular frame of a property of a protocol (e.g. certain command), type in the name of the protocol followed by a colon, then the property of the protocol followed by two equal signs and finally, the hex number of the frame type. Example:

·        SMB:Command==0x0(Make Directory)