Self-Paced MCSE Training Kit

Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

MCSE Study Guide for Exam 70210

IT Professional (WHITE Book Cover)

 


Chapter 2:  Installing Widnows 2000 Professional

 

Client Access License (CAL): allows client computers to connect to Windows 2000 Server.

Per Server licensing CAL: assigned to a particular server. (1 CAL = 1 connection to Server).

 

Distribution Server Folder:  network share contains i386 folder and $OEM$ Subfolder.

$OEM$ subfolder: holds applications and drivers you want Setup to copy to the target computer.

OEMFILESPATH key: Answer file allows you to create the $OEM$ subfolder outside of the distribution folder.
If Setup finds $OEM$ folder in root of distribution folder, it copies all of the files found in this directory to the temporary directory created during the text portion of Setup.

Performing an Installation over the Network
The Windows 2000 Setup program copies the installation files to the target computer. After copying the installation files, Setup restarts the target computer. From this point on, you install Windows 2000 in the same way that you install from a CD-ROM.

The following steps describe the process for installing Windows 2000 over the network (see Figure 2.8):

1.        On target computer, boot from network client.

2.        Connect to distribution server

3.        Run Winnt.exe or Winnt32.exe to start the Setup program.
Winnet.exe for an installation on Windows 3.x
Winnet32.exe for an installation on Windows 95, 98, NT 4 (or NT 3.5), or 2000

1.        Creates the $Win_nt$.~ls temporary folder on the target computer.

2.        Copies the Windows 2000 installation files from the shared folder on the distribution server to the $Win_nt$.~ls folder on the target computer.

Table 2.2 Available Switches for Winnt.exe

Switch

Description

/a

Enables accessibility options.

/e[:command]

Specifies a command to be executed at the end of Setup's GUI mode.

/r[:folder]

Specifies an optional folder to be installed; retained after installation.

/rx[:folder]

Specifies an optional folder to be copied; deleted after installation.

/s[:sourcepath]

Specifies the source location of Windows 2000 files. The location must be a full path of the form x:\ [path] or \\server\share\ [path]; default is the current folder.

/t[:tempdrive]

Specifies a drive to contain temporary setup files. If not specified, Setup attempts to locate a drive for you.

/u[:answer file]

Performs an unattended setup using an answer file.

/udf:id[,UDF_file]

Establishes an identifier (ID) that Setup uses to specify how a Uniqueness Database File (UDF) modifies an answer file. This switch overrides answer-file values, and the identifier determines the values in the UDB file that are used. If you don't specify a UDB file, Setup prompts for the disk containing the $Unique$.udb file.

Table 2.3 Available Switches for Winnt32.exe

Switch

Description

/checkupgradeonly

Checks upgrade compatibility with Windows 2000; generates a report.

/copydir:folder_name

Creates an additional folder within the systemroot folder; if your source folder contains a folder called My_drivers, type /copydir:My_drivers to copy the My_drivers folder to your system folder.

/copysource:folder_name

Creates an additional folder within the systemroot folder. Setup deletes files created with /copysource after installation completes.

/cmd: command_line

Executes a command before the final phase of Setup.

/cmdcons

Adds a Recovery Console option to the operating system selection screen.

/debug[level] [:file_name]

Creates a debug log at the specified level. By default, it creates C:\Winnt32.log at level 2 (the warning level).

/m:folder_name

Forces Setup to copy replacement files from another location and to look in that location first. If files are present, this switch tells Setup to use those files instead of files from the default location.

/makelocalsource

Forces Setup to copy all installation files to the local HD. Use this switch when installing Windows 2000 from a CD-ROM if you want to access installation files when the CD-ROM drive isn't available later in the installation.

/noreboot

Forces Setup to not restart the computer following the file copy phase, which enables a command to be entered by the user prior to completing setup.

/s:source_path

Specifies the source location of Windows 2000 installation files. To simultaneously copy files from multiple paths, use a separate /s switch for each source path.

/syspart:drive_letter

Copies Setup startup files to a hard disk and marks the drive as active. You can then install the drive on another computer. When you start that computer, Setup starts at the next phase. Use of /syspart requires use of the /tempdrive switch.

/tempdrive:drive_letter

Places temporary files on the specified drive and installs Windows 2000 on that drive.

/unattend [number][:answer_file]

Performs an unattended installation. The answer file provides your custom specifications to Setup. If you don't specify an answer file, all user settings are taken from the previous installation.

You can specify the number of seconds between the time that Setup finishes copying the files and when it restarts. You can specify the number of seconds only on a computer running Windows 2000 that is upgrading to a later version of Windows 2000.

/udf:id[,udf_file]

Indicates an identifier (ID) that Setup uses to specify how a Uniqueness Database File (UDF) modifies an answer file. The .UDF file overrides values in the answer file, and the identifier determines which values in the .UDF file are used. For example, /udf:RAS_user, Our_company.udf overrides settings that are specified for the RAS_user identifier in the Our_company.udf file. If you don't specify a .UDF file, Setup prompts the user to insert a disk that contains the $Unique$.udf file.

Figure 2.7 A network installation's basic environment

  • Locate a distribution server.
  • Create a FAT partition on the target computer; on which to copy the installation files, create a 650-MB (1-GB or larger recommended) FAT partition.
  • Install a network client: network client software on target is necessary to connect to DS

Action log: description of the actions that Setup performs

Error log: description of any errors that occur during setup; an indication of the severity of each error.
Additional logs:

  • windir\comsetup.log: for Optional Component Manager and Com+ components.
  • windir\mmdet.log: detection log for multimedia devices, details port ranges for each device.
  • windir\setupapi.log. Logs an entry each time a line from an .INF file is implemented.
  • windir\debug\NetSetup.log. Logs activity for joining a domain or workgroup.

Chapter 3:  Using Microsoft Management Console and Task Scheduler

 

Snap-ins: applications designed to work in the MMC

Stand-alone snap-ins (snap-ins): Used to perform Windows 2000 administrative tasks.
Extension snap-ins (extensions): provide additional administrative functionality to another snap-in.

  • designed to work w/ stand-alone snap-ins, based on fn’ of the stand-alone snap-in.
  • When you add an extension, Win 2k displays only extensions compatible with the stand-alone snap-in. Win 2k places the extensions in the appropriate location within the stand-alone snap-in.
  • When you add a snap-in to a console, MMC adds all available extensions by default.
  • You can add an extension to multiple snap-ins.

Author mode: you enable full access to all MMC functionality, which includes modifying the console.

  • Add or remove snap-ins
  • Create new windows
  • View all portions of the console tree
  • Save consoles

Table 3.1 Console User Modes

Use

When

Full Access

Users have all MMC functionality; ability to add or remove snap-ins, to create new windows, to create task pad views and tasks, and to gain access to all portions of the console tree.

Delegated Access, Multiple Windows

Users cannot open new windows or gain access to a portion of the console tree. You do want to allow users to view multiple windows in the console.

Delegated Access, Single Window

Users cannot open new windows or gain access to a portion of the console tree. You do want to allow users to view only one window in the console.

 


Chapter 4:  Windows Control panel [79]

 

Hardware Profile:  Stores config settings for a set of devices and services.  Win 2k can store diff HW profiles to meet the user’s diff needs.  (I.e. A laptop can use diff HW config depending on whether it is docked or not)        Control panel à System icon à HW Tab à System Properties

 

Video Adapter Advanced Options:

Adapter Tab à Adapter Type:  Lists manufacturer and model # of the installed adapter.

Adapter Tab à Adapter Information:  Add info like video chip type, DAC type, memory size, and BIOS.

 

Multiple Displays:

·          Extends the desktop across a max of 10 monitors

·          Must use Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) devices

·          HW req for primary and secondary displays differ

·          The coordinates of the upper-left corner of the primary display always remain 0,0.

 

If one of the displays is built into the mobo:

·          The mobo adapter always becomes the secondary adapter and must be multi-display compatible

·          Win 2k must be installed 1st; some mobos disable the onboard adapter upon detecting an additional card (ie. some docking stations).  If you cannot change this is the system BIOS, your adapter isn’t multi-display compatible.

 

Operating System Settings:  Performance options, Registry size, Environment variables, Startup and recovery settings

 

Performance options:

Application response:

·          Selecting Applications:  More resources are assigned to foreground apps (active apps responding)

·          Selecting Background Services:  An equal amount of resources are assigned to all programs.

 

Virtual Memory:  The win 2k memory model is based on a flat, linear, 32-bit address space.
Virtual Memory Management (VMM): provides several advantages:

·          Ability to run more apps concurrently

·          Protection of memory resources. VMM helps prevent situations where one process interferes with the memory space for another process.

Boot delay

 

Physical Memory:  Refers to the RAM HW chips inside the computer.

Virtual Memory: Refers to the way that an OS makes this physical memory available to an application.

 

Win 2k represents each memory byte, both physical and vital, with a unique address.  The amt of physical RAM installed limits the number of physical addresses that are available.  The number of virtual addresses is limited only by the number of bits in the virtual address.  Win 2k uses 32-bit address scheme, and therefore has 4 GB of virtual addresses available for use.

 

VMM:

·          Maintains a memory-mapping table; tracks the list of virtual addresses that belong to each process and where the actual data referenced by these virtual addresses resides.  When a thread requests access to memory, it requests a virtual address space.  VMM uses the virtual address requested by the thread to locate the physical address; then transfers the data requested by the thread.

·          Moves memory contents to and from the hd when required.  This process is referred to as paging.

 

Virtual Address:  The address space that an app uses to reference memory.  When a process is launched in Win 2k, VMM presents the process with 4 GB of virtual address space.

·          2 GB reserved for kernel-mode threads

·          2 GB reserved for user-mode and kernel-mode threads

 

Paging:  The process of moving data in and out of physical memory.  When physical memory becomes full and a thread needs access to code or data not currently in physical memory, VMM moves some pages from physical memory to a storage area n the disk called a pagefile.  The virtual address space assigned to a process is divided up into either valid or invalid pages.

Valid pages:  Located in physical memory and are available to the process.

Invalid pages:  Those pages that don’t exist in physical memory.

Page fault:  When a thread requests access to an invalid page, the microprocessor issues this.

 

VMM Paging process:

·          Determines which pages to remove from physical memory when memory is full.  VMM keeps track of the pages currently in memory for each process.  This group of pages is referred to as a process’s working set.

·          Uses first-in, first-out replacement policy to decide which pages to move out of physical memory

·          Brings pages from disk into physical memory “fetching

·          Demand paging with clustering:  when a page fault is triggered, VMM loads the needed page into memory, plus some of the pages that surround it.

·          Determines where to place pages retrieved from disk.

 

Paging File:  virtual-memory paging file, pagefile.sys, on the partition where you installed Win 2k.  Min size = 2 MB, Recommended is 1.5 times the total physical RAM

When you run a large number of applications simultaneously, you might want to use a larger paging file or multiple paging files.

Increase performance by:

·          Put paging file multiple disks

·          Move paging file off the drive containing the Win 2k systemroot folder (boot partition)

·          Set the initial size to the value displayed in the VM dialog box’s Max Size box.  Eliminate the time required to enlarge the file from initial size to max.

Requirements for the Write Debugging Info option:

·          Must be at least 1 MB larger than the amt of physical RAM

·          Must be on boot partition

 

Environmental Variables:

Define the system and user environment info, and they contain info such as a drive, path, or filename.  Provide info Win 2k uses to control various apps.  The TEMP environment variable specifies where an app places its temp files.

Overrides:  Add the line SET TMP=C:\ in Autoexec.bat, and a TMP = X:\TEMP user variable is set, the user environment variable setting (X:\TEMP) overrides the prior setting C:\.

Prevent windows from searching Autoexec.bat:

Edit the registry and setting the value of the ParseAutoexec entry to 0.  The ParseAutoexec entry is located in the registry under the following subkey:

\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

 

System environment variables apply to the entire system.  Affect all system users.

User environment variables:  Differ for each user of the computer.  Include any user-defined settings, and any variables defined by apps (ie. path to the location of app files); Users can add, modify, or remove their user environment variables in the system properties dialog box.

 

Registry:  Stores HW and SW settings centrally in a hierarchical database.  Replaces many of the .INI, .SYS, and .COM configuration files used in earlier version of Windows.  Control the Win 2k OS by providing the appropriate initialization info to start apps, and load components, such as device drivers and network protocols.

Contains the following types of data:

·          HW installed, including CPU, bus type, pointing device or mouse, and keyboard

·          Device drivers

·          Applications

·          Network protocols

·          NIC settings - IRQ #, memory base address, I/O port base address, I/O channel ready,a nd transceiver type

 

Components/Data in the Registry:

·          Win NT Kernel (NToskrnl)

·          Device drivers

·          User profiles

·          Setup programs

·          HW profiles

·          NTdetect.com

 

Components that make up registry:

·          Subtree: (subtree key), analogous to the root folder. Win 2k has 2 subtrees:

o         HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

o         HKEY_USERS

Appear in editor as:

§          HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

§          HKEY_USERS

§          HKEY_CURRENT_USER
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

§          HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

·          Keys:  Analogous to folders and subfolders.  Keys correspond to hw or sw objects and groups of objects.  Subkeys are keys within higher-level keys.

·          Entries:  Keys contain one or more entries.  Three parts:

o         Name

o         Data type

o         value

·          Hive:  A discrete body of keys, subkeys, and entries.  Each hive has a corresponding registry file and .LOG file located in systemroot\System32\Config.  .lOG file is used to record changes and ensure the integrity of the registry.

·          Data types:

o         REG-DWORD: one value from 1-8 hexadecimal digits.

o         REG_SZ: one value; string

o         REG_EXPAND_SZ: similar to REG_SZ, except the text can contain a replaceable variable

o         REG_BINARY:  one value;  string of hexadecimal digits; each pari interpreted as a byte value

o         REG_MULTI_SZ:  multiple values; each string interpreted as a component of MULTI_SZ separte entries

o         REG_FULL_RESOURCE_DISCRIPTOR:  stores a resource list for hw components or drivers.  You can’t add or modify an entry with this data type.

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Subtree:

·          HARDWARE: type/state of devices attached; (volatile) info gathered during startup; apps query this subkey to determine ethe type and state of physical devices attached to the computer.

·          SAM:  Directory database; SAM hive maps the SAM and Sam.log files in the systemroot\Syestem32\Config foler.  Apps that query SAM must user the appropriate APIs.

·          SECURITY:  this hive maps to the Security and Security.log files; apps can’t modify the keys contained in this subkey;  instead, apps must query security info by using the security APIs.

·          SOFTWARE:  independent of per-user config info;  maps to the Software, Software.log, and Software.sav files;  also contains file assocaitons and OLE info.

·          SYSTEM:  system devices and services info;maps to the System, System.log, and