Windows Server 2003 interview and certification

questions
1. How do you double-boot a Win 2003 server box? The Boot.ini file is set as
read-only, system, and hidden to prevent unwanted editing. To change the
Boot.ini timeout and default settings, use the System option in Control Panel
from the Advanced tab and select Startup.
2. What do you do if earlier application doesn’t run on Windows Server
2003? When an application that ran on an earlier legacy version of Windows
cannot be loaded during the setup function or if it later malfunctions, you must
run the compatibility mode function. This is accomplished by right-clicking
the application or setup program and selecting Properties –> Compatibility –>
selecting the previously supported operating system.
3. If you uninstall Windows Server 2003, which operating systems can you
revert to? Win ME, Win 98, 2000, XP. Note, however, that you cannot
upgrade from ME and 98 to Windows Server 2003.
4. How do you get to Internet Firewall settings? Start –> Control Panel –>
Network and Internet Connections –> Network Connections.
5. 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.
6. What is Active Directory? Active Directory is a network-based object store
and service that locates and manages resources, and makes these resources
available to authorized users and groups. An underlying principle of the
Active Directory is that everything is considered an object—people, servers,
workstations, printers, documents, and devices. Each object has certain
attributes and its own security access control list (ACL).
7. 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.
8. 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).
9. What’s new in Windows Server 2003 regarding the DNS management?
When DC promotion occurs with an existing forest, the Active Directory
Installation Wizard contacts an existing DC to update the directory and
replicate from the DC the required portions of the directory. If the wizard fails
to locate a DC, it performs debugging and reports what caused the failure and
 how to fix the problem. In order to be located on a network, every DC must
register in DNS DC locator DNS records. The Active Directory Installation
Wizard verifies a proper configuration of the DNS infrastructure. All DNS
configuration debugging and reporting activity is done with the Active
Directory Installation Wizard.
10. 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.
11. How can you authenticate between forests? Four types of authentication are
used across forests: (1) Kerberos and NTLM network logon for remote access
to a server in another forest; (2) Kerberos and NTLM interactive logon for
physical logon outside the user’s home forest; (3) Kerberos delegation to N-
tier application in another forest; and (4) user principal name (UPN)
credentials.
12. What snap-in administrative tools are available for Active Directory?
Active Directory Domains and Trusts Manager, Active Directory Sites and
Services Manager, Active Directory Users and Group Manager, Active
Directory Replication (optional, available from the Resource Kit), Active
Directory Schema Manager (optional, available from adminpak)
13. What types of classes exist in Windows Server 2003 Active Directory?
o Structural class. The structural class is important to the system
administrator in that it is the only type from which new Active
Directory objects are created. Structural classes are developed from
either the modification of an existing structural type or the use of one
or more abstract classes.
o Abstract class. Abstract classes are so named because they take the
form of templates that actually create other templates (abstracts) and
structural and auxiliary classes. Think of abstract classes as
frameworks for the defining objects.
o Auxiliary class. The auxiliary class is a list of attributes. Rather than
apply numerous attributes when creating a structural class, it provides
a streamlined alternative by applying a combination of attributes with a
single include action.
o 88 class. The 88 class includes object classes defined prior to 1993,
when the 1988 X.500 specification was adopted. This type does not
use the structural, abstract, and auxiliary definitions, nor is it in
common use for the development of objects in Windows Server 2003
environments.
14. How do you delete a lingering object? Windows Server 2003 provides a
command called Repadmin that provides the ability to delete lingering objects
in the Active Directory.
15. 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.
16. How is user account security established in Windows Server 2003? When
an account is created, it is given a unique access number known as a security
identifier (SID). Every group to which the user belongs has an associated SID.
The user and related group SIDs together form the user account’s security
token, which determines access levels to objects throughout the system and
network. SIDs from the security token are mapped to the access control list
(ACL) of any object the user attempts to access.
17. If I delete a user and then create a new account with the same username
and password, would the SID and permissions stay the same? No. If you
delete a user account and attempt to recreate it with the same user name and
password, the SID will be different.
18. What do you do with secure sign-ons in an organization with many
roaming users? Credential Management feature of Windows Server 2003
provides a consistent single sign-on experience for users. This can be useful
for roaming users who move between computer systems. The Credential
Management feature provides a secure store of user credentials that includes
passwords and X.509 certificates.
19. Anything special you should do when adding a user that has a Mac? "Save
password as encrypted clear text" must be selected on User Properties Account
Tab Options, since the Macs only store their passwords that way.
20. What remote access options does Windows Server 2003 support? Dial-in,
VPN, dial-in with callback.
21. Where are the documents and settings for the roaming profile stored? All
the documents and environmental settings for the roaming user are stored
locally on the system, and, when the user logs off, all changes to the locally
stored profile are copied to the shared server folder. Therefore, the first time a
roaming user logs on to a new system the logon process may take some time,
depending on how large his profile folder is.
22. Where are the settings for all the users stored on a given machine?
\Document and Settings\All Users
23. What languages can you use for log-on scripts? JavaScipt, VBScript, DOS
batch files (.com, .bat, or even .exe)
Windows sysadmin interview questions
1. What are the required components of Windows Server 2003 for installing
Exchange 2003? - ASP.NET, SMTP, NNTP, W3SVC
2. What must be done to an AD forest before Exchange can be deployed? -
Setup /forestprep
3. What Exchange process is responsible for communication with AD? -
DSACCESS
4. What 3 types of domain controller does Exchange access? - Normal
Domain Controller, Global Catalog, Configuration Domain Controller
5. What connector type would you use to connect to the Internet, and what
are the two methods of sending mail over that connector? - SMTP
Connector: Forward to smart host or use DNS to route to each address
6. How would you optimise Exchange 2003 memory usage on a Windows
Server 2003 server with more than 1Gb of memory? - Add /3Gb switch to
boot.ini
7. What would a rise in remote queue length generally indicate? - This
means mail is not being sent to other servers. This can be explained by outages
or performance issues with the network or remote servers.
8. What would a rise in the Local Delivery queue generally mean? - This
indicates a performance issue or outage on the local server. Reasons could be
slowness in consulting AD, slowness in handing messages off to local delivery
or SMTP delivery. It could also be databases being dismounted or a lack of
disk space.
9. What are the standard port numbers for SMTP, POP3, IMAP4, RPC,
LDAP and Global Catalog? - SMTP – 25, POP3 – 110, IMAP4 – 143, RPC
– 135, LDAP – 389, Global Catalog - 3268
10. Name the process names for the following: System Attendant? –
MAD.EXE, Information Store – STORE.EXE, SMTP/POP/IMAP/OWA –
INETINFO.EXE
11. What is the maximum amount of databases that can be hosted on
Exchange 2003 Enterprise? - 20 databases. 4 SGs x 5 DBs.
12. What are the disadvantages of circular logging? - In the event of a corrupt
database, data can only be restored to the last backup.
Windows sysadmin interview questions

1. What is Active Directory schema?

2. What are the domain functional level in Windows Server 2003?
3. What are the forest functional level in Windows Server 2003?
4. What is global catalog server?
5. How we can raise domain functional & forest functional level in Windows
Server 2003?
6. Which is the deafult protocol used in directory services?
7. What is IPv6?
8. What is the default domain functional level in Windows Server 2003?
9. What are the physical & logical components of ADS
10. In which domain functional level, we can rename domain name?
11. What is multimaster replication?
12. What is a site?
13. Which is the command used to remove active directory from a domain
controler?
14. How we can create console, which contain schema?
15. What is trust?
16. What is the file that’s responsible for keep all Active Directory database?
 Windows 2000 administration questions
1. Explain hidden shares. 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.
2. How do the permissions work in Windows 2000? What permissions
does folder inherit from the parent? When you combine NTFS permissions
based on users and their group memberships, the least restrictive permissions take
precedence. However, explicit Deny entries always override Allow entries.
3. Why can’t I encrypt a compressed file on Windows 2000? You can
either compress it or encrypt it, but not both.
4. If I rename an account, what must I do to make sure the renamed
account has the same permissions as the original one? Nothing, it’s all
maintained automatically.
5. What’s the most powerful group on a Windows system?
Administrators.
6. What are the accessibility features in Windows 2000? StickyKeys,
FilterKeys Narrator, Magnifier, and On-Screen Keyboard.
7. Why can’t I get to the Fax Service Management console? You can only
see it if a fax had been installed.
8. What do I need to ensure before deploying an application via a Group
Policy? Make sure it’s either an MSI file, or contains a ZAP file for Group Policy.
9. How do you configure mandatory profiles? Rename ntuser.dat to
ntuser.man
10. I can’t get multiple displays to work in Windows 2000. Multiple
displays have to use peripheral connection interface (PCI) or Accelerated
Graphics Port (AGP) port devices to work properly with Windows 2000.
11. What’s a maximum number of processors Win2k supports? 2
12. I had some NTFS volumes under my Windows NT installation. What
happened to NTFS after Win 2k installation? It got upgraded to NTFS 5.
13. How do you convert a drive from FAT/FAT32 to NTFS from the
command line? convert c: /fs:ntfs
14. Explain APIPA. Auto Private IP Addressing (APIPA) takes effect on
Windows 2000 Professional computers if no DHCP server can be contacted.
APIPA assigns the computer an IP address within the range of 169.254.0.0
through 169.254.255.254 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0.
15. How does Internet Connection Sharing work on Windows 2000?
Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) uses the DHCP Allocator service to assign
dynamic IP addresses to clients on the LAN within the range of 192.168.0.2
through 192.168.0.254. In addition, the DNS Proxy service becomes enabled
when you implement ICS.
1. Describe how the DHCP lease is obtained. It’s a four-step process consisting
of (a) IP request, (b) IP offer, © IP selection and (d) acknowledgement.
2. I can’t seem to access the Internet, don’t 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).
3. We’ve 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.
4. How can you force the client to give up the dhcp lease if you have access
to the client PC? ipconfig /release
5. What authentication options do Windows 2000 Servers have for remote
clients? PAP, SPAP, CHAP, MS-CHAP and EAP.
6. What are the networking protocol options for the Windows clients if for
some reason you do not want to use TCP/IP? NWLink (Novell), NetBEUI,
AppleTalk (Apple).
7. What is data link layer in the OSI reference model responsible for? Data
link layer is located above the physical layer, but below the network layer.
Taking raw data bits and packaging them into frames. The network layer will
be responsible for addressing the frames, while the physical layer is reponsible
for retrieving and sending raw data bits.
8. What is binding order? The order by which the network protocols are used
for client-server communications. The most frequently used protocols should
be at the top.
9. How do cryptography-based keys ensure the validity of data transferred
across the network? Each IP packet is assigned a checksum, so if the
checksums do not match on both receiving and transmitting ends, the data was
modified or corrupted.
10. Should we deploy IPSEC-based security or certificate-based security?
They are really two different technologies. IPSec secures the TCP/IP
communication and protects the integrity of the packets. Certificate-based
security ensures the validity of authenticated clients and servers.
11. What is LMHOSTS file? It’s a file stored on a host machine that is used to
resolve NetBIOS to specific IP addresses.
12. What’s the difference between forward lookup and reverse lookup in
DNS? Forward lookup is name-to-address, the reverse lookup is address-to-
name.
13. How can you recover a file encrypted using EFS? Use the domain recovery
agent.