1. Chapter 3 Configuring the Windows Server 2008 Environment
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Server Administration (Exam #70-646)
Chapter 3
Configuring the Windows Server 2008 Environment

2. Learning Objectives
Use Server Manager and ServerManagerCmd.exe to manage a server
Install and remove server roles
Configure server hardware
Configure the operating system
Understand and configure the Registry
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

3. Learning Objectives (cont’d.)
Use the Security Configuration Wizard to harden a server
Install and use Windows PowerShell
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

4. Using Server Manager Server Manager Roles Summary feature Two panels
Consolidates or merge administrative functions
Roles Summary feature
Displays log information
Two panels
Left panel – Roles, Features, Diagnostics, Configuration, torage
Right panel – Server Summary, Roles Summary, Features Summary, Resources and Support
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

5. Figure 3-1 Server Manager window
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

6. Using Server Manager (cont’d.)
Actions panel
Shown when drilling-down into functions
Activity 3-1: Getting to Know Server Manager
Objective: Learn how to start and use Server Manager
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

7. Figure 3-2 Starting Server Manager
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

8. Installing and Removing Server Roles
Common roles
File server
Print server
Roles change over time
Activity 3-2: Installing and Removing Two Server Roles
Objective: Install and then remove the File Services and Print Services roles in Windows Server 2008
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

9. Using ServerManagerCmd.exe
Command-line tool for managing server roles
Manage features to be added/removed
Run parameters in XML answer file
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

10. Using ServerManagerCmd.exe (cont’d.)
Activities supported by ServerManagerCmd.exe:
Install and remove roles or features
Determine installed roles and features
Use whatif option
Restart computer
Specify features to install with role
Use XML-based answer file to install or remove roles
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

11. Using ServerManagerCmd.exe (cont’d.)
Executed from command line
Access Command Prompt window from Administrator account
Roles and features identified by IDs
Activity 3-3: Running ServerManagerCmd.exe
Objective: Use the ServerManagerCmd.exe command to install and query server roles
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

12. Using ServerManagerCmd.exe (cont’d.)
Table 3-1 ServerManagerCmd.exe options
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

13. Using ServerManagerCmd.exe (cont’d.)
Table 3-2 Major IDs for server roles
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

14. Configuring Server Hardware Devices
Both Plug and Play and Add Hardware Wizard used
Hardware includes:
Disk drives
Disk controllers
Network adapters
CD/DVD drives
Keyboard
Pointing devices
Monitor
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

15. Plug and Play
Ability to automatically detect and configure newly installed hardware devices
PnP must be
Built into device
Enabled in BIOS
Built into operating system kernel
Almost universally supported
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

16. Using Control Panel and the Add Hardware Wizard
Use Add Hardware Wizard
Manually launch PnP
Manually install without PnP
Troubleshoot problems with existing hardware
Start from Control Panel
Control Panel Home vs. Classic View
In Classic View:
Double-click Add Hardware applet
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

17. Figure 3-4 Selecting the Add Hardware applet to start the Add Hardware Wizard
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

18. Using Control Panel and the Add Hardware Wizard (cont’d.)
Device Manager
Resources include interrupt request (IRQ) line, I/O address, and reserved memory range
Resource conflicts can occur
Use Device Manager to check for conflicts and examine properties
*interrupt request (IRQ) line A hardware line that a computer component, such as a disk drive or serial port, uses to communicate to the processor that it is ready to send or receive information. Intel-based computers have 16 IRQ lines, with 15 available for computer components to use.
*I/O address The address in memory through which data is transferred between a computer component and the processor.
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

19. Using Control Panel and the Add Hardware Wizard (cont’d.)
Other uses:
Verify if installed hardware is working properly
Update device drivers
Disable a device
Uninstall a device
Configure the settings for a device
Activity 3-4: Resolving a Resource Conflict
Objective: Use Device Manager to resolve a resource conflict
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

20. Using Control Panel and the Add Hardware Wizard (cont’d.)
Figure 3-5 Device Manager
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

21. Using Control Panel and the Add Hardware Wizard (cont’d.)
Driver Signing
Digital signature used to verify a driver
Warning when driver device not signed
Unsigned device drivers cannot be loaded in x64 versions
Using the System File Checker
Scan system files for integrity
Activity 3-5: Manually Running the System File Checker
Objective: Use the System File Checker to verify system files
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

22. Using Control Panel and the Add Hardware Wizard (cont’d.)
Figure 3-6 Running System File Checker
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

23. Using Control Panel and the Add Hardware Wizard (cont’d.)
Using Sigverif to Verify System and Critical Files
Only scans files
Does not overwrite inappropriate files
Activity 3-6: Verifying Critical Files for a Signature
Objective: Use Sigverif to find unsigned files
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

24. Using Control Panel and the Add Hardware Wizard (cont’d.)
Figure 3-7 Scanning with Sigverif
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

25. Configuring the Operating System
Configure to:
Optimize performance
Meet specific requirements
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

26. Configuring Performance Options
Basic areas:
Processor scheduling and memory usage
Virtual memory
Memory for network performance
Configuring Processor Scheduling and Data Execution Prevention
Background services
Programs
Data Execution Prevention (DEP)
DEP- A security feature that monitors how programs use memory and stops programs that attempt to use memory allocated for system programs and processes. This is intended to foil viruses, Trojan horses, and worms that attempt to invade system memory.

27. Configuring Performance Options
Activity 3-7: Configuring Processor Scheduling and DEP
Figure 3-9 Configuring Data Execution Prevention
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

28. Configuring Performance Options (cont’d.)
Configuring Virtual Memory
Virtual memory
Paging
Paging file
Location
Activity 3-8: Configuring the Paging File
Objective: Learn where to configure the initial and maximum size of the paging file
Disk storage allocated to link with physical RAM to temporarily hold data when there is not enough free RAM.
Moving blocks of information, called pages, from RAM to virtual memory (the paging file) on disk.
Disk space, in the form of a file, for use when memory requirements exceed the available RAM.
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

29. Configuring Performance Options (cont’d.)
Figure 3-10 Configuring virtual memory
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

30. Configuring Performance Options (cont’d.)
Configuring Direct Memory Access for Hard Disks
Transfer modes: Program Input/Output (PIO) and Direct Memory Access (DMA)
Activity 3-9: Configuring the DMA Transfer Mode
Objective: Determine the transfer mode used by a hard drive and set it to DMA, if necessary
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

31. Configuring Environment Variables
Tell operating system where to find programs, allocate memory, and control programs
Categories;
System environment variables
User environment variables
Activity 3-10: Configuring System and Environment Variables
Objective: Learn where to configure system and user environment variables
Variables defined by the operating system and that apply to any user logged onto the computer.
Environment variables that are defined on a per-user basis.
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

32. Configuring Startup and Recovery
System startup options:
Default operating system
Display list of operating systems
Display list of recovery options
System failure options:
Writing to system log (cannot be disabled)
Start automatically after failure
How and where to write debugging information
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

33. Configuring Startup and Recovery (cont’d.)
Activity 3-11: Configuring Startup and Recovery
Objective: Configure startup and recovery options
Figure 3-12 Configuring a system startup option
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

34. Configuring Power Options
Select power plan
Require wakeup password
Choose power button function
Shut down, do nothing, or hibernate
Create power plan
When to turn off display
Activity 3-12: Configuring Power Options
Objective: Configure the balanced power plan
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

35. Configuring Power Options (cont’d.)
Figure 3-13 Power Options dialog box
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

36. Installing a Protocol Microsoft Virtual Network Switch Protocol
Used when Hyper-V role installed
Reliable Multicast Protocol
Used for multimedia transmissions
Activity 3-13: Installing a Protocol
Objective: Learn to install a protocol
*Microsoft Virtual Network Switch Protocol Used with the Hyper-V role at the server’s network interface card(s) (NICs) to bind or associate the virtual network services to the NIC and enable the use of a virtual switch between the parent partition containing the main operating system, Windows Server 2008, and child partitions containing other operating systems.
*Reliable Multicast Protocol Used on Windows-based networks to facilitate multicast transmissions for multimedia communications

37. Installing a Protocol (cont’d.)
Figure 3-14 Selecting to install a protocol
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

38. Quick Quiz 1
1. What are the sections that make up the right panel of Server Manager?
Answer: Server Summary, Roles Summary, Features Summary, Resources, and Support
2. Use the ____ option of ServerMangagerCmd.exe to determine which features and services will be installed by a specific role, before actually installing that role.
Answer: whatif
3. The name of the channel for communications between a hardware device and the CPU is the ____ line.
Answer: interrupt request
4. Virtual memory works through a technique called ____, whereby blocks of information, called pages, are moved from RAM into virtual memory on disk.
Answer: paging

39. Understanding the Windows Server 2008 Registry
Database containing information for operating system
Examples of data in Registry
Registry Editor
Lunched from Start button Run option
Type regedit32 or regedit
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

40. Understanding the Windows Server 2008 Registry (cont’d.)
Figure 3-15 Registry Editor
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

41. Understanding the Windows Server 2008 Registry (cont’d.)
Precautions when editing Registry
Establish group of administrators who can access and modify
Remove this permission from other users
Edit Registry as last resort
Back up Registry regularly
Never copy Registry from one computer to another
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

42. Registry Contents Hierarchical structure Root keys (subtrees): Keys
Subkeys
Entries
Root keys (subtrees):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
HKEY_USERS
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
Registry entry A data parameter in the Registry stored as a value in hexadecimal, binary, or text format.
Registry key A category of information contained in the Windows Registry, such as hardware or software.
Registry subkey A key within a Registry key, similar to a subfolder under a folder.
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

43. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Information on every hardware component in the server
Subkeys:
BCD , COMPONENTS, HARDWARE, SAM, SECURITY, SOFTWARE, and SYSTEM
Hives
Set of subkeys with related information
*hive A set of related Registry keys and subkeys stored as a file.
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

44. HKEY_CURRENT_USER Contains information about desktop setup
For account presently logged on to server console
Example changes:
Environment parameter governing where application temporary files are stored
Delay in the response of the keyboard
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

45. HKEY_USERS
Contains profile information for each user who has logged onto the computer
Each profile listed under root key
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

46. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
Holds data to associate file extensions with programs
Used as defaults for all users who log on to Windows Server 2008
Can modify for particular user under HKEY_USERS
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

47. HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG Information about the current hardware profile
Only one default hardware profile on most servers
Activity 3-14: Using the Registry Editor
Objective: Practice using the Registry Editor to view the Registry contents
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

48. Using the Security Configuration Wizard
Analyze and configure security settings
Adjusts security settings to match roles
Establish security policy using:
GUI interactive wizard
Database
Command-line tool scwcmd
Activity 3-15: Using SCW to Configure a Security Policy
Objective: Create a new security policy
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

49. Using the Security Configuration Wizard (cont’d.)
Figure 3-18 Creating a new security policy
Courtesy Course Technology/Cengage Learning
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

50. Using the Security Configuration Wizard (cont’d.)
Activity 3-16: Using scwcmd
Objective: View security policy settings using the scwcmd command-line command
Table 3-3 scwcmd command-line options
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

51. Windows PowerShell Script cmdlets PowerShell tasks
File of commands
cmdlets
Specialized commands for completing common tasks in PowerShell
PowerShell tasks
Installing PowerShell
Activity 3-17: Using Windows PowerShell
Objective: Use traditional Command Prompt commands and cmdlets in Windows PowerShell
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

52. Answer: HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
Quick Quiz 2
1. A Registry ____ is a category or division of information within the Registry.
Answer: key
2. How many root keys make up the Windows Server 2008 Registry?
Answer: five
3. Which root key contains information about the current hardware profile?
Answer: HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
4. (True/False) When the SCW command-line tool is used to analyze security, you can view the results in an HTML presentation.
Answer: True

53. Summary Server Manager
Tool used to install and remove roles, features, and other administrative functions
Command line-version of Server Manager
ServerManagerCmd.exe
Tune performance by configuring processor scheduling, memory use, and virtual memory
Configure power options
Control Panel used to install and uninstall protocols
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)

54. Summary (cont’d.) Registry database
Holds information for Windows system
Organized by keys, subkeys, and entries
Security Configuration Wizard analyzes security options for installed roles
Windows PowerShell
Used to manage server with commands, cmdlets, and scripts
MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008,
Server Administration (Exam #70-646)