Computer System Servicing NC II – COC3

Information Sheet #1
INTRODUCTION TO SERVER

After reading this information sheet, students must be able to:

• Discuss clients, servers, and Windows network models
• Differentiate among the editions of Windows Server 2008
• Identify Windows Server 2008 hardware requirements
 Install Windows Server 2008 R2
 Configure Windows Server 2008 R2 Initial Configuration Tasks

Clients, Servers, and Windows Network Models

You are probably familiar with client computers running operating systems (OSs)
such as Windows Vista or Windows 7. A client operating system is designed as
a user interface, usually graphical, for users to perform tasks such as word
processing, researching information on the Internet, and exchanging e-mail.
Clients generally initiate requests for services from a local or network resource.
For example, users in an office use client computer on their desktops to log onto
the network and perform their work. The purpose of a network is to allow users
to access resources using one or more computers. These resources can be
printers, applications, documents, or even the Internet. Servers are the
computers that provide these services and resources to network users and that
have an operating system such as Windows Server 2008. Running in the
background, Windows Server 2008 servers wait for requests from clients. When
it receives a request; the server performs its tasks and then returns the
information to the client. Rarely does a user interact directly with a server
without a client intermediary. This type of interaction is known as client-server
computing and is the basis for all types of Microsoft network models. This
module examines the following Windows network models:
• Workgroup model
• Domain model with Active Directory

Workgroup model
A workgroup is a network of computers that allow each other access to their files,
printers, Internet connection, or other resources. Although Microsoft defines a
workgroup as a peer-to-peer computing network, workgroups do share some of
the characteristics of a client-server computing network. Even with peers, which
are other computers in the workgroup, one computer often acts as a client and
another as a server, such as when two colleagues share a folder of documents
located on a single computer. Within small environments, usually up to 10
computers, workgroups have several benefits.

In a workgroup, computers can easily share resources. Also, a workgroup does

not require a server or other network resources to function. Because servers can
be quite expensive, the workgroup model may be a cost-effective solution for
small businesses or home environments.

However, workgroups have a few drawbacks, especially for larger networks.

Because of the decentralized nature of workgroups, administering and managing
computers and resources can be a challenge. Each member of a workgroup is

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responsible for controlling access to its own resources. For example, if you are
managing a company workgroup with five computers and five users, you have to
create 25 user accounts in the network. If a user leaves your company, you need
to remove the user’s account from each computer. Because of these drawbacks,
Microsoft recommends limiting your workgroup environments to a maximum of
10 computers.

By default, all Windows Server 2008 computers are placed in a workgroup

named WORKGROUP. Each computer accessing a network is defined by name,
Internet Protocol (IP) address, and membership status, which is either a single
workgroup or a domain. Membership in a workgroup allows users to easily find
shared resources, such as files and printers hosted by peers. In addition, a
computer can access resources located on computers outside the workgroup. A
network can have more than one workgroup.

Domain Model with Active Directory

In the client-server computing model, a domain is a group of users and

computers that are managed by the same security database. In Windows Server
2008, Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) is the technology that runs
the domain security database. Servers that host this database are called domain
controllers (DCs). Domains provide a centralized authentication and
administration for users, groups, and computers, which are generally referred to
as objects in such an Active Directory (AD) environment.

In the domain network model, users and computers can access shared resources
only if they have the appropriate permissions to do so. In addition, access
permissions can be defined only for users and computers that are members of
the domain and contained in the central domain security database.

Active Directory domains also use the Domain Name System (DNS) for name
resolution. DNS is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/IP-based standard for
resolving computer names with IP addresses. For example, when you enter
www.microsoft.com in your Web browser, your computer can connect to the Web
site by requesting the IP address for www.microsoft.com from a server running
DNS.

Along with the use of DNS and multimaster DCs, Active Directory introduced
Group Policy. Group Policy is a way to set up specific configurations for users
and computers within an Active Directory domain. Group Policy settings are
contained in Group Policy objects (GPOs), which are linked to the following Active
Directory service containers: sites, domains, and organizational units. The
settings within GPOs are then evaluated by the affected targets using the
hierarchical nature of Active Directory. Consequently, because it allows you to
manage user and computer objects, Group Policy is one of the top reasons to
deploy Active Directory.

A single network can have many domains. However, each domain must maintain
an Active Directory database for managing its member objects. As with
workgroups, if you are a user on a domain network, you can access resources
outside your domain, but you will be asked for credentials—a user ID and

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password—to access outside systems. If the domain you are accessing is in the
same forest, your credentials are required only once and follow you as long as
you are logged on. A forest is a network of domains related to each other by
relationships known as trusts. Some domains have a parent-child relationship
where they share a contiguous namespace, such as us.microsoft.com and
microsoft.com. These domains are part of the same tree within a forest. Other
domains do not share a contiguous namespace but establish trust relationships
so they can access resources from each other. An example of this is the related
companies BenderTechnology.com and BenderResources.com. Each has its own
namespace, but trusts allow them to share resources and information. Trusts
between Active Directory domains in a tree are created automatically when you
create domains in Windows Server 2008. These are called transitive trusts.

Windows Server 2008 Editions

From the small business with a few employees to the Fortune 100 multinational
company, an edition of Windows Server 2008 serves every business need. Each
edition provides shared and unique sets of services for administrators.

 Windows Server 2008, Standard Edition

Designed for smaller environments and single-purpose installations,
Windows Server 2008 Standard edition (SE) is the entry-level server
edition that provides everything you most likely need to run your network.
It works as a single domain server for a small business or a single
file/application server in larger environments. This edition includes most
of the features and support of the other editions, including the file and
print services, Internet Information Services (IIS) 7, Active Directory, the
distributed and encrypting file systems, and various management tools. A
notable addition is Network Load Balancing, which was previously
available only in Enterprise and Datacenter editions.
 Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Edition
Server 2008 Enterprise edition (EE) provides the following features not
available with SE:
o Significant increase in maximum allowable memory
o Active Directory Federation Services (discussed later in this chapter)
o Failover clustering
o Installation of up to four virtual machines on each physical host
o Hot-add memory

The decision to use the Enterprise edition instead of the Standard edition
depends on two factors: expense and functionality. Small and medium-
sized businesses do not often need the additional features of the Enterprise
edition, so Standard is a good choice for them. Also, large businesses not
requiring these features can take advantage of a significant monetary
savings. However, if an organization plans to use failover clustering,
Enterprise is the best choice.

 Windows Server 2008, Datacenter Edition

Datacenter edition (DE) includes all the features offered in the Enterprise
edition with a few additions, including the following:
o The ability to run up to 32 processors

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o The ability to hot-add and replace processors

o Installation of unlimited virtual machines on each physical host

For most instances where plans include hosting more than four virtual
machine guests on a server, Datacenter is often the most economical
choice. Datacenter is also licensed per processor, so each processor
installed in a system needs a Datacenter license, which involves additional
expense.

 Windows Web Server 2008

Windows Web Server 2008 continues the Microsoft tradition of providing
an OS edition designed specifically as a single-purpose Web server.
Because the purpose of this server is hosting Web sites and applications,
the functionality of the system is reduced to accommodate these services.
Many server roles, including Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP),
DNS, and file server, are not available. Web Server 2008 includes the
reengineered IIS 7.0, ASP.NET, and the .NET Framework as part of the
installation. Web Server differs from other editions in that it does not
require client access licenses (CAL) for users. You can also install the
database of your choice without limitations on user access to the Web site
and its related data.
The Web Server 2008 edition is available only as a 32-bit and a 64-bit OS
in the Full version only. Server Core does not currently support the .NET
Framework and ASP.NET.

Windows Server 2008 Hardware Requirements

Microsoft provides minimum and recommended hardware requirements for

installing its operating systems. The minimum requirements let you install and
run a system using minimal resources and services. Table 1-2 lists the Windows
Server 2008 hardware requirements, including the minimum, recommended,
and maximum requirements.

Note the significant differences between memory capabilities in 32-bit processor

versions and 64-bit processor versions.

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Windows Server 2008 R2 Installation

These steps will guide you through how to install Microsoft Windows 2008 R2
Server. Please note that Windows 2008 R2 is only available in 64-bit.

1. Insert the Windows 2008 R2 DVD into your DVD drive and let the
computer boot from DVD. Or Insert a bootable USB drive that contains
the Windows Server R2 installer.

2. Select your Language, Time and Currency and Keyboard or input method
and click Next.

3. Click Install now

4. Select the version of Windows 2008 R2 that you wish to install and click
Next. (Recommended select Enterprise Full Installation)

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5. Accept the license terms and click Next.

6. This is a fresh install; therefore, the Upgrade option does not apply to us.
Click Custom (advanced).

7. Select the hard disk that you wish to install Windows 2008 R2 Server
onto

8. Click Next to begin the installation.

9. When Windows boots up for the first time it will ask you to change the
user’s password.

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10. Windows log’s you in and the Initial Configuration Tasks window appear
automatically.

Initial Configuration Tasks

One of the features of Windows Server 2008 R2 is the Initial Configuration Tasks
tool. Windows Server 2008 R2 streamlines the typical installation steps, enabling
an administrator to quickly set up a new server without having to answer an
endless stream of questions.

After the server operating system has been installed, it will boot up into a secure
state and be ready for the initial configuration tasks. The initial configuration
tasks are broken into three general categories, as follows:

 Provide Computer Information - This section is where computer-specific

information such as the administrator password, time zone, network
configuration, and computer name are set.
 Update This Server - This section of tasks is where the automatic update
options are set, and the updates are manually installed.
 Customize This Server - This section is where the roles and features for
the computer are added, as well as configuring the remote desktop and
the firewall.

The initial configuration settings are stripped down and basic (as shown in Table
1), with little or no security. For example, the latest security updates have not
been applied and the system is not configured to download them automatically.
Thus, the Windows Firewall is enabled by default to protect the server from
network access until the initial configuration is completed and the Remote
Desktop feature is turned off.

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Each of the settings can be configured via wizards that launch from the Initial
Configuration Tasks, making it easy to configure the server. Once the initial
configuration is completed, there is a check box in the Initial Configuration Tasks
console that will prevent it from launching automatically.

Server Manager
By default, Server Manager starts up automatically after you have completed the Initial
Configuration Tasks screen that is displayed upon installing Windows Server 2008.
Server Manager is made up of several components—mostly wizards that allow you to
add or remove roles and features in your Windows Server 2008 installation.

Server Manager Screen Shot

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Performance Task 3.1

Title: Install Windows Server 2008 R2

Performance Objective/s: You should be able to Install Windows Server 2008 R2.

Equipment: PC, Windows Server 2008 R2 Installer

Prerequisite:
-Read Information Sheet #1 INTRODUCTION TO SERVER
-Create a Bootable Media

Steps/Procedures: Follow the steps provided in the Information Sheet #1

For actual demonstration on how to install Windows Server R2

check the following link:
• How to install Windows Server R2 using bootable device
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU7L9GHqim4
• How to install in Windows Server R2 in VirtualBox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmKXsWC8Dco

Performance Task 3.2

Title: Initial Configuration Tasks

Performance Objective/s: You should be able to setup the Initial Configuration Tasks.

Prerequisite: Windows Server 2008 R2 newly installed

Steps/Procedures:

 Change the computer name to <ServerPC>

 Configure Windows update change to Never Check for Updates (apply
only for practice/assessment)
 Set Time Zone
 Assigned static IP address for your server

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