Evaluation Use Only. CompTIA Server+ Certification (Exam SK0-004) Study Guide. Study Notes. G602eng v066

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1 CompTIA Server+ Certification (Exam SK0-004) Study Guide Study Notes G602eng v066

2 Acknowledgements Course Developers... James Pengelly, Paul Taylor, and Andrew Warren This courseware is owned, published, and distributed by gtslearning, the world's only specialist supplier of CompTIA learning solutions (0) (0) Unit 127, Hill House, 210 Upper Richmond Road, London SW15 6NP, UK COPYRIGHT This courseware is copyrighted. Product images are the copyright of the vendor or manufacturer named in the caption and used by permission. No part of this courseware or any training material supplied by the publisher to accompany the courseware may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, or re-used in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Violation of these laws will lead to prosecution. All trademarks, service marks, products, or services are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are acknowledged by the publisher. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY Every effort has been made to ensure complete and accurate information concerning the material presented in this course. Neither the publisher nor its agents can be held legally responsible for any mistakes in printing or for faulty instructions contained within this course. The publisher appreciates receiving notice of any errors or misprints. Information in this course is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted. Where the course and all materials supplied for training are designed to familiarize the user with the operation of software programs and computer devices, the publisher urges the user to review the manuals provided by the product vendor regarding specific questions as to operation. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, made with respect to the materials or any information provided herein. Neither the author nor publisher shall be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use or the inability to use the contents of this course. WARNING All gtslearning products are supplied on the basis of a single copy of a course per student. Additional resources that may be made available from gtslearning may only be used in conjunction with courses sold by gtslearning. No material changes to these resources are permitted without express written permission from gtslearning. These resources may not be used in conjunction with content from any other supplier. If you suspect that this course has been copied or distributed illegally, please telephone or gtslearning.

3 Table of Contents Table of Contents Course Introduction i Table of Contents... iii Getting Started... ix About This Course... x About CompTIA Certifications... xv Module 1 / Server Setup 1 Module 1 / Unit 1 Servers and Racks 3 Server Hardware and Software... 3 Server Form Factors... 7 Rack Systems Rack Installation and Safety Module 1 / Unit 2 Storage Devices 15 Mass Storage Drives The SCSI Interface Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) The Serial ATA Interface Solid State Drives (SSD) Module 1 / Unit 3 RAID 27 Drive Arrays (RAID) RAID Mirroring and Parity Nested RAID Hardware and Software RAID Enterprise RAID Configurations Module 1 / Unit 4 System Setup 40 BIOS and UEFI Configuration Upgrading Firmware MBR and GPT Partitions File System Choices Module 1 / Unit 5 Server Operating Systems 53 Server Pre-installation Planning Network Operating Systems Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) Installation and Deployment Methods Driver Installation Page iii

4 Table of Contents Virtual Memory Module 1 / Unit 6 Troubleshooting Procedures 70 Troubleshooting Procedures Identifying the Problem Establishing a Probable Cause Establishing a Plan of Action Module 1 / Summary Server Setup 79 Module 2 / Server Networking 81 Module 2 / Unit 1 Ethernet 83 Twisted Pair Cabling and Connectors Installing Network Cables Patch Cable Types Fiber Optic Cabling and Connectors Ethernet Standards Network Adapter Cards Troubleshooting Cabling Module 2 / Unit 2 Internet Protocol 100 The TCP/IP Suite Internet Protocol and IP Addressing Subnet Masks Configuring IP Classless Addressing Planning an IPv4 Addressing Scheme Troubleshooting IP IP Version Module 2 / Unit 3 Routers and Firewalls 120 IP Routing Basics Troubleshooting Routing Issues TCP and UDP Ports netstat Zones and Access Control Lists (ACL) Basic Firewalls Host-based Firewalls VLAN Configuration Module 2 / Unit 4 Network Services 139 Page iv Network Services Servers Host Names and FQDNs Domain Name System (DNS) Configuring DNS Servers nslookup and nbtstat

5 Configuring DHCP NTP Server Table of Contents Module 2 / Unit 5 Virtualization Services 155 Virtualization Basics Hypervisors Resource Requirements Virtual Networks Purposes of Virtual Machines Virtualization Best Practices and Risks Module 2 / Summary Server Networking 169 Module 3 / Server Applications 171 Module 3 / Unit 1 Configuring Server Roles 173 Installing Roles and Applications Database and Application Servers Web Servers File Transfer Services (FTP) (SMTP / POP / IMAP) Messaging Servers Troubleshooting Services Module 3 / Unit 2 Storage Services 189 DAS, NAS, and SAN Fibre Channel Tape Drives Other Storage Media Storage Capacity Planning Module 3 / Unit 3 Volume Management 203 Disk Management Tool Adding Arrays (Dynamic Storage) Drive Status and Disk Tools Managing Disks in Linux Troubleshooting Storage Troubleshooting RAID Troubleshooting Disk Performance Module 3 / Unit 4 Directory Services 220 Configuring Directory Services Active Directory Managing Users Managing Group Accounts Account Policy Enforcement Page v

6 Table of Contents Module 3 / Unit 5 File and Print Services 237 Configuring File Shares NTFS File and Folder Permissions Securing a Linux File System Print Servers Module 3 / Unit 6 Troubleshooting Software 254 Server Monitoring Measuring Performance in Windows Measuring Performance in Linux System Logs Troubleshooting Software Problems Module 3 / Summary Server Applications 277 Module 4 / Server Maintenance 279 Module 4 / Unit 1 Server Hardware 281 Motherboard Components CPU Features CPU Packaging and Sockets CPU Upgrades System Memory Dual-channel Motherboards Other Memory Features Expansion Cards Module 4 / Unit 2 Environment and Maintenance 304 Developing a Server Management Plan Server Chassis Features Performing Shut Down Server Cooling Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) Module 4 / Unit 3 Power Distribution 319 Power Power Supply Unit Connector Types and Voltages Power Problems and UPS UPS Sizing UPS in the Data Center PDUs and Power Circuits Page vi

7 Module 4 / Unit 4 Server Hardware Troubleshooting 337 Table of Contents Adding and Removing Components Troubleshooting Power and POST Problems Troubleshooting Processor, Memory, and I/O Failure Performing a Memory Upgrade Module 4 / Unit 5 Server Management 349 Server Management Methods Local Hardware Administration OS Administration Tools Network Hardware Administration Tools Module 4 / Unit 6 Configuration Management 359 Change and Configuration Management Documentation Procedures and Standards Module 4 / Summary Server Maintenance 373 Module 5 / Server Security 375 Module 5 / Unit 1 Site Security 377 Authentication Designing a Secure Site Site Security Controls Hardware Security Data Encryption Data Wiping and Disposal Fire Prevention and Suppression Module 5 / Unit 2 Remote Access Services 396 Digital Security Remote Access Server Module 5 / Unit 3 Server Hardening 406 Hardening Techniques Firmware Security Patch Management Windows Update Linux Patch Management Application Patch Management Page vii

8 Table of Contents Module 5 / Unit 4 Security Software 416 Anti-malware Software Preventive Measures Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) IDS Analysis Engine Endpoint Security Vulnerability Assessments Module 5 / Unit 5 Disaster Recovery 429 Business Continuity Concepts Disaster Recovery Planning IT Contingency Planning Clusters and Sites Module 5 / Unit 6 Backup 442 Backup Plans and Policies Database and System Backups Backup Execution and Frequency Restoring Data and Verifying Backups Module 5 / Summary Server Security 453 Taking the Exams 455 Glossary 467 Index 485 Page viii

9 Module 1 / Unit 2 Storage Devices Storage Devices Objectives On completion of this unit, you will be able to: Describe the features and performance characteristics of server-class hard disks and solid state drives. Describe features of the SCSI interface and know how to configure devices correctly. Describe features of the SATA and SAS interfaces and know how to configure devices correctly. Mass Storage Drives Like a desktop PC, a server will be configured with one or more mass storage devices to store the operating system and applications software. Disk space may also be provided on a file server as a shared resource for network users. Unlike most desktop PCs however, server disks will typically be faster for higher performance and add resilience features such as RAID - the ability for multiple hard disks to work together to increase access speed to files or provide redundancy in case one of the drives fails. All new servers use disk interfaces based on either Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA). Some older servers may be configured with parallel SCSI interfaces. Drives are available in several sizes. Most hard drives are 3.5" or 2.5" width (the width refers to the size of the drive bay rather than the disk unit). 2.5" now dominates the market, with 3.5" drives gradually being phased out. Internal optical and tape drive units often use the larger 5.25" form factor. There is also a distinction between half height and low profile units. Hard Disk Drives (HDD) Most hard disks are of the mechanical type (HDD). Data is stored on a number of metal or glass platters coated with a magnetic substance. The top and bottom of each platter is accessed by its own read/write head, moved by an actuator mechanism. Page 15

10 Module 1 / Unit 2 Stack of platters on spindle The heads do not actually touch the surface of the platters. The platters are mounted on a spindle and spun at high speed and the heads "float" above them at a distance of less than a millionth of an inch. The disk unit is kept sealed to maintain a constant air pressure (important for keeping the drive heads at the correct distance from the platters) and to prevent the entry of dust. Each side of each platter is divided into circular tracks and each track contains a number of sectors, each with a capacity of 512 bytes. The collection of tracks in the same place on each platter is called a cylinder. This low-level formatting is also referred to as the drive geometry. As hard drive sizes have increased, some disk models now use Advanced Format, with 4 kilobyte (4K) sector sizes. If supported by the OS and PC firmware, these can be used in native mode; if not, the drive controller will usually present the disk in 512 emulated (512e) mode. The performance of a hard disk is a measure of how fast it can read and write data. There are a number of factors that determine overall hard disk performance. One factor is the speed at which the disks can spin (measured in Revolutions Per Minute [rpm]). The higher the rpm, the faster the drive is. High performance drives are rated at 15,000 or 10,000 rpm; average performance is 7200 or 5400 rpm. RPM is one factor determining access time (measured in milliseconds), which is the delay that occurs as the read/write head locates a particular track position (seek time) and sector location (rotational latency) on the drive. A high performance drive will have an access time below 3 ms; a typical drive might have an access time of around 6 ms. The internal transfer rate (or data or disk transfer rate) of a drive is a measure of how fast read/write operations are performed on the disk platters. A 15K drive should support an internal transfer rate of up to about 180 MBps while 7.2K drives will be around 110 MBps. The external transfer rate (often simply described as the transfer rate) measures how fast data can be transferred to the CPU across the bus. Cache memory can help to sustain better transfer rates. A high performance disk may feature an 8 MB or better cache. The last, but by no means least, characteristic of a hard drive is its capacity. Advances in hard disk technology have enabled disks of up to 8 terabytes (8000 GB) to be produced but often smaller capacities are used because they offer better reliability and redundancy (as part of an array). Page 16

11 Enclosures and Backplanes Storage Devices A drive is housed in an enclosure or caddy. The drive may then be connected to the host bus adapter via a cable but on enterprise-class servers it is more usual for the enclosures to be connected via a backplane. Rather than using cabled connectors, the drives plug (or "mate") into a combined data and power port on the enclosure. This means that drives can be easily added and removed from the front of the case without having to open the chassis. Enclosure and backplane on an HP server - 1) The drive mates with the port on the backplane card; 2) Data and power cables on the other side of the backplane card connect to the drive port and PSU The drives are secured and released from the server using a latch. Many server drives are hot-swappable, meaning that they can be added or removed without powering down the server. Page 17

12 Module 1 / Unit 2 The SCSI Interface The Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) has been in use as an expansion bus interface since the 1980s. There have been many revisions to the standard. Originally a parallel interface, SCSI is now used for serial connections for disk drives (Serial Attached SCSI) and peripheral devices (Firewire or IEEE 1394). More information about SCSI can be located on the T10 Committee website ( and from the SCSI Trade Association ( Parallel SCSI Standards The original iterations of the SCSI standards defined a parallel bus, originally 8 bits wide but later updated to 16 bits (wide SCSI). As a parallel interface, SCSI is more-or-less obsolete but the main iterations are listed below: Interface Devices (Excluding Host Adapter) Rate Max Cable Length (m) SE LVD HVD SCSI MBps pin Fast SCSI 7 10 MBps pin Fast-Wide SCSI Ultra SCSI Wide Ultra SCSI Ultra2 SCSI Wide Ultra2 SCSI Ultra3 SCSI (Ultra160 SCSI) Ultra320 SCSI Ultra640 SCSI MBps pin 7 20 MBps pin MBps pin 7 40 MBps pin Connector MBps pin / 80- pin MBps pin / 80- pin MBps pin / 80- pin MBps pin / 80- pin The number of devices listed in the table excludes the host adapter. So for example, narrow SCSI supports 8 devices including the host adapter and wide SCSI supports 16. Page 18

13 Parallel SCSI Configuration Issues Storage Devices Given the number of different versions of the standard, SCSI configuration is relatively complex. Host adapter - the SCSI host adapter must be installed and recognized by the system for devices to be attached and detected. A third-party driver might have to be installed for the host adapter to be recognized. Bus width - SCSI originally supported 8 devices (the host adapter counts as a device). Wide SCSI supports up to 16 devices. Signaling - SCSI specifies three signaling methods. Most buses and devices now use LVD (Low Voltage Differential). SE (Single Ended) devices can be added to a LVD bus, but it reduces the performance of the whole bus. H(igh)VD is incompatible with the other two and must not be mixed. Termination - a SCSI bus must be terminated at both ends, usually by enabling termination on the first and last devices in the chain. Termination may either be enabled internally on the device by setting a switch or by physically connecting a terminator pack to a device or the host adapter. There are passive and active terminators. Passive terminators are generally used with older devices (pre-ultra SCSI). When installing a terminator pack, the terminator must match the signaling type (SE, LVD, HVD, or SE/LVD). Termination is also made more complex if there is a mix of narrow (8-bit) and wide (16-bit) devices on the bus. Correct termination and device identification of a SCSI chain ID - each SCSI device must be allocated a unique ID, from 0 to 7 (or 15 for wide SCSI). IDs may be allocated automatically or by setting a jumper or click-wheel on the device itself. The order of SCSI ID priorities (from highest to lowest) is 7 through to 0 then 15 through to 8. The host adapter is usually set to 7 or 15. A bootable hard disk is usually allocated ID 0. Page 19

14 Module 1 / Unit 2 Logical Unit Number (LUN) - some parallel SCSI devices can perform more than one function (an auto-loading tape drive for instance). In this case, each function must be allocated a Logical Unit Number (LUN) from 0 to 7 or 0 to 15. This is normally assigned by the manufacturer. Longer (64-bit) LUNs are also used in Storage Area Networks (SAN) based on Fiber Channel or iscsi. See Unit 3.2 for more information about SANs. Parallel SCSI Connectors A SCSI port is denoted by the following symbol: SCSI connectors. The most common are:. There are numerous IDC50 - a 50-pin internal connector used with early SCSI devices (SCSI-1). CN50 - a 50-pin Centronics-style connector used for external connections in early SCSI devices. HD68-68-pin connectors used for internal and external ports. 68-pin adapters support Wide SCSI. Internal (left) and external male HD connectors Single Connector Attachment (SCA) - an 80-pin connector that incorporates both a power connector and configuration wires, allowing for hot swappable drives. Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) Serial Attached SCSI is the next generation of SCSI interface. It uses a serial interface with full-duplex communication over 2-pair wiring (much like PCI Express) but retains support for the SCSI command set. SAS components can be rated at 3 Gbps (SAS-1), 6 Gbps (SAS-2), or 12 Gbps (SAS-3). A significant feature of SAS is support for thousands of devices (up to 16,384), using an Ethernet switch-like device called an expander. Each device is identified by a unique, manufacturer-coded ID, so there is no manual configuration to be performed. Also, SAS does not require termination, removing another complex configuration issue. Page 20

15 SAS also goes some way to uniting the SATA and SCSI standards. It provides both hardware support (the same connectors and cable) and software support (through the SATA Tunneling Protocol) for SATA drives. This offers the opportunity to mix low-cost SATA drives with high-cost, high-performance SAS drives in an integrated storage solution. Storage Devices Serial Attached SCSI Installation SAS devices feature a combined 7-pin data port and 15-pin power port (though some drives may also have a legacy 4-pin Molex power port too). In fact, on most SAS devices there are two data connectors (for redundancy). This is referred to as "dual-port". Obviously the backplane or cable must also support a redundant connection for this to work. SAS connections are typically either single-lane (a simple adapter to device connection) or multi-lane (a single port on the adapter is connected to four devices). Ports can either be "straight-through" or flush / surface mounted with rightangle connectors. Flush-mounted fittings are used in blade servers and other systems with restricted space. SAS backplane connectors are designed to "blind-mate", which means that a connection is made reliably when a drive caddy is inserted into a backplane. The design of the pins also reduces the chance of damage through ESD or a power spike (the full power pins connect after the other pins). Hot-pluggable drives are not screwed into the chassis but slot into a drive cage. The cables for the devices connect to the drive cage (backplane) rather than the drive units. Hot-pluggable drives on HP Proliant server When removing a drive, you will probably need to use a utility or the OS to stop the device. This completes any cached write operations and prevents the NOS from trying to write data to the device while it is being removed. You also need to power down the device, either using software or a switch on the drive bay. Indicators on the drive bay should show when a drive is safe to remove. The drives are physically released and inserted using a lever or latch mechanism. Unused drive slots should be filled with blanks to maintain the correct airflow and cooling within the chassis. Page 21

16 Module 1 / Unit 2 Serial Attached SCSI Connectors A number of connectors are associated with the use of SAS host adapters and drives: SFF internal mini connector for both adapter card ("host") and drive or backplane ports ("target"). SFF external mini connector for both adapter card and drive enclosures. SFF 8484 ("Multilane") - legacy 32-pin internal or external HD connector (host) supporting four 7-pin lanes (target). The remaining pins are used for "sideband" signals (LEDs and status monitoring). SFF 8470 ("Infiniband") - legacy jackscrew connector for both internal and external use. SFF internal connector compatible with both SAS and SATA drives. This type of connector would be used principally to attach SATA devices (such as DVD drives) to an SAS bus. The Serial ATA Interface Serial ATA (SATA) was developed to address the limitations of the now obsolete parallel ATA or IDE interface. SATA would be used on low-end server hardware as a cheaper option than SAS. 4 SATA motherboard ports in front of an IDE port on an Intel motherboard As the name suggests, SATA transfers data in serial format. This allows for thinner, longer, more flexible cables (up to 1m [39"]) with smaller, 7-pin data connectors. Each port supports a single device. SATA cable for HP workstations Page 22 The first commercially available SATA standard supports speeds of up to 1.5 Gbps. This standard was quickly augmented by SATA revision 2 (3 Gbps) and then SATA revision 3 (6 Gbps). Another key advantage of SATA over PATA is that SATA is a hot swappable interface. This means that a compatible drive can be connected or disconnected while the system is running.

17 Other additions in SATA revision 2 include the use of port multipliers, which allow up to 15 drives to be connected to a single SATA adapter, and Native Command Queuing (NCQ), which enables the drive to analyze read/write operations and perform them in the most efficient manner, depending on the location of data on the disk Storage Devices SATA revision 3 adds some extensions to NCQ to support isochronous data transfer (prioritizing real time data such as video to ensure smooth playback). SATA revisions 3.1 and 3.2 add better support for Solid State Drives (SSD). More information on SATA standards can be obtained from Hot Swapping One of the major advantages of SATA over PATA is the support for hot swapping and consequently better compatibility with RAID configurations. Serial ATA 15-pin power connectors have been redesigned to provide support for both hot plugging and a 3.3V power supply in addition to the usual 5V and 12V. Many drives retain a 4-pin Molex port for compatibility with legacy power supplies). Molex-SATA conversion adapters are also available. SATA power connector SATA and SAS As mentioned earlier, SAS includes hardware and software support for SATA devices. The reverse is not true however; SAS devices cannot be plugged into a SATA bus. Solid State Drives (SSD) Recently, flash memory based drives (Solid State Drives [SSD]) have been introduced to the market. There are broadly two types of SSD: Single Layer Cell (SLC) and Multi Layer Cell (MLC). SLC stores 1 bit per cell while MLC stores 4 or more bits per cell, yielding higher capacities at lower cost. MLC can be slower however as it requires substantial error correction processing. It is also perceived as not reliable enough for enterprise server applications as it supports fewer write cycles, though improvements in the technology (enterprise-grade emlc technology for instance) may change that perception over time. Page 23

18 Module 1 / Unit 2 HP SSD with SATA interface (Image 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company) The advantages of flash memory-based SSDs are that the lack of moving parts makes them quieter, more power efficient, and less prone to catastrophic failure or damage due to shock (dropping or moving a device rapidly for instance). Read times are better because seek time and consequently the effect of file fragmentation is eliminated. They are also less susceptible to data loss in the event of power failure. Most drives still feature DRAM-based write cache to improve performance. In the event of a power failure, unwritten cache would be lost. However, the DRAM cache may be backed up by a battery to cover this eventuality. The main disadvantage is the high cost; a 64 GB SSD costs a bit more than a 2 TB HDD (a 1 TB SSD can cost the same as a top-end server). SSD Interfaces An SSD might be installed as the server's only internal drive. The SSD would normally be used to install the OS and software applications while a disk array or other shared storage would be used for data files. An SSD might be installed to an SAS or SATA port as with a mechanical HDD. SSDs are now often provided as PCIe adapter Add In Cards (AIC) though, taking advantage of the higher bandwidths available from a native PCIe interface. Where SAS uses SCSI and SATA uses the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) to communicate with the bus, PCIe-based SSDs use the Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface Specification (NVMHCI) or NVM Express (NVMe) for short. One of the big advantages of NVMe over SCSI and AHCI is support for much longer command queues (64,000 versus 64 in SCSI). Page 24

19 Storage Devices An SSD can also be packaged as a 2.5" drive and connect to an NVMe controller via a SFF 8639 / U.2 port. SSD Performance SSDs normally outperform HDDs but there are situations where they can perform worse than HDDs, when serving large (GB) files for example. When making a detailed comparison between different types of storage technology, you need to compare performance against different types of data transfer. For example, read and write performance are not equivalent. There are also differences between sequential access (reading data from the same "block" as might happen when transferring a large file) and random access (reading data from different locations on the drive or transferring lots of small files for instance). Along with the data throughput (measured in Mbps) and latency / access time, you may need to consider the number of Input / Output Operations per Second (IOPS) that can be achieved by a device for different kinds of data transfer operation. Flash chips are also susceptible to their own type of degradation over the course of many write operations, so the drive firmware and operating system must use wear leveling routines to prevent any single storage location from being overused and optimize the life of the device. Page 25

20 Module 1 / Unit 2 Review Questions / Module 1 / Unit 2 / Storage Devices Answer these questions to test what you have learned in this unit. You can submit your answers and review the model answers on the course website. 1) True or false? LFF and SFF represent two different fixed drive technologies? 2) What two mechanical factors affect hard disk access times? 3) How would you expect hot-pluggable drives to be attached to a server? 4) What type of SCSI hard disk subsystem would you expect to be provisioned on a new server - SAS or Ultra320? 5) What are the main issues to consider when configuring a parallel SCSI bus? 6) True or false? SATA and SAS use compatible connectors. 7) What is the principal factor reducing the operational life of SSDs and what process is used to mitigate it? 8) You need to configure servers to cache files for a content delivery network. What type of storage technology is best suited to this task? Page 26

21 CompTIA Server+ Certification (Exam SK0-004) Study Guide Labs G602eng v066

22 Acknowledgements Course Developers... James Pengelly and Andrew Warren This courseware is owned, published, and distributed by gtslearning, the world's only specialist supplier of CompTIA learning solutions (0) (0) Unit 127, Hill House, 210 Upper Richmond Road, London SW15 6NP, UK COPYRIGHT This courseware is copyrighted. Product images are the copyright of the vendor or manufacturer named in the caption and used by permission. No part of this courseware or any training material supplied by the publisher to accompany the courseware may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, or re-used in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Violation of these laws will lead to prosecution. All trademarks, service marks, products, or services are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are acknowledged by the publisher. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY Every effort has been made to ensure complete and accurate information concerning the material presented in this course. Neither the publisher nor its agents can be held legally responsible for any mistakes in printing or for faulty instructions contained within this course. The publisher appreciates receiving notice of any errors or misprints. Information in this course is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted. Where the course and all materials supplied for training are designed to familiarize the user with the operation of software programs and computer devices, the publisher urges the user to review the manuals provided by the product vendor regarding specific questions as to operation. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, made with respect to the materials or any information provided herein. Neither the author nor publisher shall be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use or the inability to use the contents of this course. WARNING All gtslearning products are supplied on the basis of a single copy of a course per student. Additional resources that may be made available from gtslearning may only be used in conjunction with courses sold by gtslearning. No material changes to these resources are permitted without express written permission from gtslearning. These resources may not be used in conjunction with content from any other supplier. If you suspect that this course has been copied or distributed illegally, please telephone or gtslearning.

23 Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction... 1 Lab 1 / Preparing the Server... 2 Lab 2 / Installing an NOS Lab 3 / Configuring an NOS Lab 4 / Configuring Network Settings Lab 5 / Installing a Linux VM Lab 6 / Configuring a DHCP Server Lab 7 / Configuring Directory Services Lab 8 / Configuring File Shares Lab 9 / Monitoring Performance Lab 10 / Deploying Windows Lab 11 / Upgrading Hardware Lab 12 / Maintenance Tasks Lab 13 / Troubleshooting Scenarios Lab 14 / Managing a Server Lab 15 / Disk Encryption Lab 16 / Backup Page iii

24 Table of Contents This page left blank intentionally. Page iv

25 Introduction Introduction The following conventions have been used in the instruction steps for these practical lab exercises. Number lists and bullets - steps for you to follow in the course of completing the exercise. Using the mouse - when instructed to click or select, use the main mouse button; when instructed to right-click, use the secondary button (that is, the button on the right-hand side of the mouse, assuming right-handed use). File and command selection - files, applets, dialog tabs, and buttons or menus that you need to select as part of a step are shown in sans serif bold. For example: Click OK, Select Control Panel, and so on. Sequences of commands - a sequence of steps to follow to open a file or activate a command are shown in bold with arrows. For example, if you need to access the system properties in Windows, this would be shown in the text by: Start > Control Panel > System. Using the key combos - key combos where you must press both multiple keys simultaneously are shown in Courier New Bold. For example: Press Ctrl+C to copy the file. Sometimes you need to use both the keyboard and the mouse. For example: Ctrl+click means hold down the Ctrl key and click the main mouse button. Commands and typing - information that you must enter using the keyboard is also shown in Courier New Bold. For example: Type webadmin@somewhere.com. Courier New Bold-Italic represents some sort of variable, such as your student number. For example, if your student number is "5", you would follow the instruction ping x by entering ping Page 1

26 Lab 1 / Preparing the Server Lab 1 / Preparing the Server In this lab, you will set up and investigate the server computer and use the configuration utility to create a virtual disk on a RAID array. Exercise 1 - Investigating the Storage Components In this exercise you will investigate how the drives are attached to the motherboard. The steps assume you are working on a tower form factor server with a hot-pluggable backplane. Your instructor will advise you if there are any special steps to take with the servers available in your training room. 1) Remove the panels covering the chassis - most servers allow tool free access but you may need to use a key to unlock the chassis or a screwdriver to remove the panels. 2) Observe the drive caddies and the mechanism for releasing them. Eject one of the drives and observe the ports at the back and on the backplane. What type of drive is it? 3) Fit the drive back into the same slot, making sure its locking lever is properly in place. 4) Make a note of the number of drive and free bays and consequently the RAID configurations you could deploy with the current devices and if all the bays were filled: 5) Look at the connections behind the backplane - you should be able to observe a power connector to the PSU and a drive connector to the RAID controller card or motherboard RAID controller. 6) Re-fit the panels to the server chassis. Exercise 2 - Setting Up the Server In this exercise, you will connect peripheral devices to the server. 1) Connect the keyboard and mouse to USB or PS/2 ports as appropriate. 2) Use an appropriate display cable to connect the display port to the monitor. Make sure the monitor is connected to the mains and switched on. 3) Use an RJ-45 patch cable to connect the network adapter to the classroom network. If there are multiple ports, use port 1. Page 2

27 Lab 1 / Preparing the Server If there is a management port, make sure you do not use that! 4) Connect the power cable and switch on the server. 5) Watch the boot messages and press the key combination to enter system setup (F2 for example). Selecting the system setup program at boot Exercise 3 Configuring System Settings In this exercise you will use the firmware setup program to configure system component settings and boot modes. 1) Take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the layout of the system setup program. A newer server might have firmware supporting mouse operation but for most setup programs you will navigate using the arrow keys, with Enter to select a menu and Esc to return. 2) Verify that the program is showing the correct date and time. If these are incorrect, it can be a sign that the Real Time Clock (RTC) / CMOS battery needs replacing. 3) Locate the option for processor or CPU settings and open it. Page 3

28 Lab 1 / Preparing the Server Verifying that virtualization technology is enabled 4) Confirm that Virtualization Technology is enabled. View the other CPU settings then exit the menu. 5) Observe the settings and information about integrated devices and ports, including SATA ports - cancel out of the menus without changing settings, unless your instructor advises otherwise. Viewing enable / disable options for integrated devices such as onboard Ethernet NICs Page 4

29 Lab 1 / Preparing the Server Configuring the onboard SATA controller - note the option to change the mode and that this server only has a DVD drive connected (the hard drives are attached to a RAID controller expansion card) 6) Open the menu for Boot Settings. Configuring boot settings 7) Unless your instructor advises otherwise, select UEFI for the boot mode. 8) Exit system setup, choosing to save changes to the configuration. When the server reboots, choose the option to open the RAID controller configuration utility. If the server tries to boot from a device after exiting system setup, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot. If you miss the option to start the RAID controller utility, just press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot again. Page 5

30 Lab 1 / Preparing the Server Exercise 4 - Configuring a Virtual Disk In this exercise, you will explore the functions of the low-level firmware configuration utility and use it to create a virtual disk. Each setup utility is different so the instructions here are only a general guide as to what to do. Review the system documentation or ask your instructor for help if you cannot work out how to access a particular option. 1) Observe the POST messages and when prompted, press the key combo such as Ctrl+A or Ctrl+C to start the RAID configuration utility. Starting the RAID (SAS) controller configuration utility (Ctrl+C in this example) 2) Observe the properties for the main storage controller (there should only be one). Look for two key bits of information: Firmware revision level - this is useful to know in case you have a problem with the controller that could be fixed by a firmware update. Boot priority - the controller should be enabled and top priority (boot device 0). Page 6 Top-level menu of the controller utility showing the available adapters - pressing Enter here opens the configuration settings for the PERC adapter

31 3) Find the option to create a new volume: Lab 1 / Preparing the Server Configuration settings for the PERC adapter - selecting RAID Properties allows configuration of a new volume 4) Observe which RAID levels are supported by the controller. RAID types supported by the controller 5) You can create any type of fault tolerant RAID volume available to you. Select the type of volume you want to create then add the required number of disks to the volume. Page 7

32 Lab 1 / Preparing the Server Adding two disks to a new RAID 1 volume 6) Save changes then wait for the virtual disk to be configured. Viewing the newly created volume 7) Explore options for managing the volume, such as viewing status and performing a health check. In the following example, a hot spare is being added to the RAID 1 (mirrored) volume: Page 8

33 Lab 1 / Preparing the Server Options for managing the volume Configuring the third disk as a hot spare for the volume 8) Finally, verify that the volume is configured as a boot device. In this example, this is done via the SAS Topology menu. Configuring the volume as a boot device Page 9

34 Lab 1 / Preparing the Server 9) When you are done, exit the configuration utility and the server will reboot. 10) Observe the POST and firmware status messages to verify that the volume you created is detected. Controller firmware status message showing the virtual disk that was configured You should then see the server trying to locate a boot device, including trying to boot from the network adapter. No boot device will be found though. 11) Power down the server. No boot device found Page 10