Net essentials6e ch9

Guide to Networking Essentials,
6th
Edition
Chapter 9: Server Management and
Administration

Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 2
Objectives
2
• Create and work with user and group accounts
• Create and manage permissions on storage
volumes
• Work with shared files and printers
• Monitor a system’s performance and reliability
• Describe fault tolerant and backup solutions

Managing User and Group Accounts
• User accounts have two main functions:
– Provide a method for users to authenticate themselves
to the network
– Provide detailed information about a user
• Group accounts are used to organize users so that
assignment of resource permissions and rights can
be managed more easily than working with dozens
or hundreds of individual user accounts
– Example: Group users by department within a company. When
a shared folder containing documents used by a certain
department is created, the admin just needs to assign
permissions to the whole group.

• In a large network with many servers and hundreds
or thousands of users, a scheme for naming user
and group accounts as well as network devices is
crucial. Consider the following:
– Is there a minimum and maximum number of characters user
account names should have?
– Should the username be based on the user’s real name or if
security is important, should names be more cryptic?
– Some OSs distinguish between uppercase and lowercase
letters. Should usernames contain both as well as special
characters?

• Considerations for password naming conventions:
– Minimum length
– Complexity requirements: use of uppercase and lowercase
along with special characters
– User or administrator created
– Password change frequency
• Group account names should reflect the group
membership or the resource to which the group is
assigned permissions
• Once naming conventions have been established,
stick to them

Working with Accounts in Windows
• When Windows is first installed, two users are created
– Administrator and Guest (usually disabled)
• The Administrator account has full access to a
computer
• Windows domain users are created in Active
Directory Users and Computers
• You can create folders for organizing users and
groups (called organization units or OUs)

Active Directory Users and Computers

To create a new user:
Open the folder where you want
to create the user. Right-click the
folder, point to New, and click
User. The New Object – User
Dialog box opens
**Everything you create in Active
Directory is considered an object.

Setting the password and additional account options
Note – After a user account is created, you can double click it to
open its properties

Creating Group Accounts
in Windows Domains
• Group scope has three options:
− Domain local: Can be used to assign permissions to resources only in
the domain in which the group is created
− Global: The default option; contains users from the domain in which
they are created but can be assigned permissions to resources in
other domains
− Universal: Used in multidomain networks; users from any domain can
be members and be assigned permission to resources in any domain
• Group type has two options:
• Security (default)
• Distribution: Used only for tasks such as sending all group members
an e-mail when you run an Active Directory-integrated e-mail program,
such as Microsoft Exchange

Creating Group Accounts
in Windows Domains
Creating a new group in Active Directory

Windows Default Groups
• Windows defines a number of default groups that have
pre-assigned rights that apply to all group members
• The following table lists those groups:

Special Identity Groups
• Special identity groups don’t appear as objects in Active
Directory Users and Computers, but they can be
assigned permissions and rights
• Membership is controlled by Windows

User Profiles
• User profile – collection of user’s personal files and
settings that define his or her working environment
– Created when a user logs on for the first time and is stored in
a folder that usually has the same name as the user’s logon
name
• A user profile stored on the same system where the
user logs on is called a local profile
– When users log off, their profile settings are saved in their local
profiles so that the next time they log on, all their settings are
preserved
• If administrators want to make a user’s profile available
on any computer they log on to, they can set up
roaming profiles

User Profiles
• A roaming profile follows the user no matter which
computer he or she logs on to
– Stored on a network share
– Any changes the user makes to the profile are replicated
from the locally “cached copy” to the profile on the network
share when the user logs off
– Roaming profiles are rarely used in workgroup networks but
are frequently used by Active Directory administrators
• Mandatory profiles discard a user’s profile
changes at log off so the profile is always the
same

Working with Accounts in Linux
• User and group accounts in Linux are used for the
same purpose as Windows:
– User authentication and authorization
• Linux also has a default user who has full control
over the system – named root
• Most Linux administration takes place at the
command line
– Adduser newuser (replace newuser with the logon name for the
user account you’re creating)
– You will then be prompted to create a new password and enter
the user’s full name and other information

Working with Accounts in Linux
• All users must belong to at least one group in
Linux
– When a new user is created, a new group with the same
name is also created and the user is made a member
• Use the addgroup command to create groups
• To add users to a group:
– Adduser username groupname
• Many administrators prefer the command-line
method for creating users because they can
import user information from a text file

Storage and File System Management
• Network administrators need to:
– Make sure enough storage space is available to store files
needed
– Manage who has access to file storage
– Prevent users from storing inappropriate types of data on
company servers
• Locally attached storage – a device, such as a hard
disk, that is connected to a storage controller on
the server

Volumes and Partitions
• A volume is part or all of the space on one or more
disks that contains (or is ready to contain) a file system
– In Windows, volumes are usually assigned a drive letter
– In Linux, volumes are mounted in the file system and accessed as
though they were a folder
• The term partition is sometimes used interchangeably
with volume but they don’t always describe the same
thing
– In Windows, a basic disk can be divided into one to four partitions
– A primary partition can be formatted with a file system and assigned
a drive letter (considered a volume)
– An extended partition can’t be formatted with a file system or
assigned a drive letter. It is divided into one or more logical drives that
can be formatted and assigned a drive letter (considered a volume)

Volumes and Partitions
• Only a primary partition can be the active
partition (partition that can hold boot files)
• The active primary partition storing the
Windows boot loader is referred to as the
system partition
• The partition or logical drive holding the
Windows OS files is called the boot partition
• A dynamic disk can be divided into one or
more volumes; the term partition is not used
in this context

The FAT File System
• The File Allocation Table (FAT) file system has two
variations:
– FAT16 is usually referred to as FAT and has been around since
the mid-1980s and is supported by most OSs
– FAT32 arrived with the release of Windows 95 OSR2 in 1996
• FAT16 is limited to 2 GB partitions in most cases
• FAT32 allows partitions up to 2 TB but in Windows
2000 and later, Microsoft limits them to 32 GB
because the file system becomes noticeably slower
with larger partition sizes

The NTFS File System
• NTFS is a full-featured file system that Microsoft
introduced in 1993 with Windows NT
• Features available in NTFS that aren’t in FAT:
– Disk quotas: Limit amount of data users’ files can occupy
– Volume mount points: No need for a drive letter to access the
volume
– Shadow copies: Allow users to restore older file versions or
files that were accidentally deleted
– File compression: Files can be stored in a compressed format
– Encrypting File System: Makes encrypted files inaccessible to
everyone except the user who encrypted the file, including
users who have been granted permission to the file

NTFS Permissions
• Two modes for accessing files on a networked
computer:
– Network (sometimes called remote)
– Interactive (sometimes called local)
• Share permissions are applied when a user
attempts network access to shared files
• NTFS permissions always apply, whether file
access is attempted interactively or remotely
through a share
• Permissions can be viewed as a gatekeeper to
control who has access to folder and files

NTFS Permissions
• The general security rule for assigning permissions
is to give users the least access necessary for their
job
• NTFS permissions can be configured on folders
and files
• By default, when permissions are configured on a
folder, subfolders and files in that folder inherit the
permissions but can be changed by the admin
• To view or edit permissions on an NTFS folder,
access the Security tab of the Properties dialog box

NTFS Permissions
• NTFS standard permissions for folders and files:
– Read: Users can view file contents, copy files, open folders and
subfolders, and view file attributes and permissions.
– Read & execute: Grants the same permissions as Read and
includes the ability to run applications or scripts.
– List folder contents: This permission applies only to folders and
because it doesn’t apply to files, Read & execute must also be
set on the folder to allow users to open files in the folder.

NTFS Permissions (cont’d)
– Write: Users can create and modify files and read file attributes
and permissions. However, this permission doesn’t allow users
to read or delete files. In most cases, the Read or Read &
execute permission should be given with the Write permission.
– Modify: Users can read, modify, delete, and create files. Users
can’t change permissions or take ownership. Selecting this
permission automatically selects Read & execute, List folder
contents, Read, and Write.
– Full control: Users can perform all actions given by the Modify
permission with the addition of changing permissions and
taking ownership.

NTFS Permissions

The Linux File System
• Linux supports many files systems
– Ext3, Ext4, ReiserFS, and XFS
– Ext3 and Ext4 are the default file system for most Linux
distributions
• There are only three permissions – read, write, and
execute
• There are only three user types that can be
assigned one or more permissions:
– Owner: Owner of the file or folder
– Group: The primary group to which the owner belongs
– Other: All other users

The Linux File System
Permissions for a file named “newfile” in Linux

Working with Shared Files and Printers
• The dominant file-sharing protocol is Server
Message Block (SMB)
– This is the native Windows file-sharing protocol, but is
supported by Linux and MAC OS
– Network File System (NFS) is the native Linux file-sharing
protocol and Windows can support NFS with the right software
installed
• Printer sharing also uses SMB
– The native Linux printer-sharing protocol is line printer
daemon/line printer remote (LPD/LPR)

Sharing Files and Printers in Windows
• In Windows, users are subject to both share and NTFS
permissions when accessing files over the network
• Share permissions are somewhat simpler than NTFS
permissions. There are only 3:
– Read: Users can view contents of files, copy files, run
applications and script files, open folders and subfolders, and
view file attributes
– Change: All permissions granted by Read, plus create files and
folders, change contents and attributes of files and folders, and
delete files and folders
– Full Control: All permissions granted by Change, plus change
file and folder permissions as well as take ownership of files
and folders

Share Permissions

• Sharing files isn’t difficult in a Windows
environment. There are two methods:
– File Sharing Wizard: To start this wizard, right-click a folder and
click Share (or “Share with” in Windows 7). The File Sharing
Wizard (see next slide) simplifies sharing for novices by using
easier terms for permissions and by setting NTFS permissions
to accommodate the selected share permissions.
– Advanced Sharing dialog box: To open this dialog box, click
Advanced Sharing in the Sharing tab of a folder’s Properties
dialog box. There are quite a few options in this dialog box.

The File Sharing Wizard

The Advanced Sharing dialog box

Sharing Printers in Windows
• Components of a shared printer:
– Print device—Two basic types of print device:
• Local print device: Connected to an I/O port on a computer
• Network print device: A printer attached to and shared by another
computer
– Printer: The icon in the Printers folder that represents print
devices
– Print server: A Windows computer that’s sharing a printer
– Print queue: A storage location for print jobs awaiting printing

• Benefits of using a shared printer:
– Access control: Control who can print to a printer and who can
manage print jobs
– Printer pooling: A single printer represents two or more print
devices (server sends the job to the least busy printer)
– Printer priority: Two or more printers can represent a single
print device (printers can be assigned different priorities so that
a job sent to a higher priority will print first)
– Print job management: Administrators can pause, cancel,
restart, reorder, and change preferences on print jobs waiting in
the queue
– Availability control: Administrators can configure print servers
so that print jobs are accepted only during certain hours of the
day

The Sharing tab for a print server

Sharing Files and Printers in Linux
• Linux supports Windows file sharing by using SMB
in a software package called Samba
• Printer sharing in Linux is straightforward after
Samba has been installed
• When you create a new printer in Linux, it is shared
automatically

Monitoring System Reliability and
Performance
• Windows Server 2008 provides tools to manage
and monitor server operation:
– Task Manager
– Event Viewer
– Performance Monitor
– Windows System Resource Manager
• We have already covered Task Manager so this
section focuses on the other three

Event Viewer
• Allows administrators to view event log entries.
Events are categorized by these levels:
– Information: These events indicate normal operations, such as
service stops and starts
– Warning: Provide information about events that should be
brought to the administrator’s attention
– Error: Error events are often generated when a process or
service is unable to perform a task or stops unexpectedly
• You can examine several log files in Event Viewer,
including Application, Security, Setup, and System
logs

Event Viewer

Performance Monitor
• Consists of a collection of tools for pinpointing which
resources are being overloaded and how they’re being
overloaded
• Contains the following folders:
– Monitoring Tools: Contains the Performance Monitor tool
– Data Collector Sets: Contains user- and system-defined
templates with sets of data points called data collectors
– Reports: Contains system- and user-defined performance and
diagnostic reports
• Performance Monitor uses counters to track the
performance of a variety of objects
– A counter is a value representing some aspect of an object’s
performance

Performance Monitor
• In order to track an object’s performance you need
to create a baseline
– Performance baseline is a record of performance data
gathered when a system is performing well under normal
operating conditions
– Generally, baseline data is collected shortly after a system is
put into service and then again each time changes are made
• To create a baseline of performance data, you
create a data collector set that specifies the
performance counters you want to collect, how
often to collect them, and the time period

Performance Monitor

Windows System Resource Manager
• WSRM is a Windows Server 2008 feature installed
in Server Manager that helps you manage
processor and memory resources
• WSRM includes the following features:
– Preconfigured and custom policies that allocate resources on a
per-process or per-user basis
– Policies based on calendar rules to allow fine-tuning system
resource use according to time of day
– Automatic policy application based on server events or
changes in memory or CPU resources
– Resource monitoring data stored in a Windows internal
database or SQL database

Backup and Fault Tolerance
• Regular backups provide a safety net to restore a
system to working order in the event of a disk
failure or file corruption
• A popular type of backup is an image backup, in
which a copy of an entire disk is created that can
be restored without reinstalling the OS
– Can’t restore separate files so image backups are usually done
along with traditional file backup
• Fault tolerance provides methods for a system to
continue running after a system failure has
occurred

Windows Backup
• Windows Server Backup comes with Windows
Server 2008 and has the following features:
– Backups can be run manually or scheduled to run automatically
– You can create a system recovery backup that automatically
includes all volumes containing critical system data
– Manual backups can be stored on network drives, fixed and
removable basic disk volumes and CD or DVD
– Backups can be stored on a hard disk dedicated for backups, a
non-dedicated volume, or a shared network folder
– You can use a Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) backup,
which means even open files can be backed up
– By default, Windows Server Backup is configured to back up
the local computer, but you can also back up files remotely

Windows Backup
• Windows Server Backup is a satisfactory tool but it
has limitations
– An enterprise-class backup program, such as Symantec
NetBackup and CommVault Galaxy Backup and Recovery,
offers advanced disaster recovery solutions
• Windows 7 backup is called Backup and Restore
and has straightforward features
– You can use it to create a system image, create a system
repair disc, or back up all files or separate files and folders

Protecting Data with Fault Tolerance
• Recall that fault tolerance provides methods for a
system to continue running after a system failure
has occurred
• Three forms of fault tolerance that are common on
networks and servers:
– Redundant power supply and uninterruptible power supply
– Redundant disk systems
– Server clustering

Redundant Power
• A computer requires a constant, clean source of power
or else it may reboot causing lost work or damage to
the file system
• A redundant power supply is a second power supply
unit in the computer case, so if one power supply fails,
the other unit takes on the full load
• An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device with
a built-in battery, power conditioning, and surge
protection
– If power fails, the UPS battery provides enough power to keep
your computer running until power is restored or you can shut
down the computer safely

Redundant Power
• UPSs come in two main categories: online and standby
• A standby UPS supplies power to plugged-in devices by
passing power from the wall outlet directly to the device
– In a power outage, the UPS detects the power failure and
switches to battery power
– If switchover doesn’t happen fast enough, the plugged-in
devices might lose power long enough to reboot
• An online UPS supplies power continuously to plugged-
in devices through the UPS battery, which is recharged
continually by the wall outlet power

Redundant Disk Systems
• Redundant disk systems are based on the redundant
array of independent disks (RAID) technology
• RAID 1: Disk Mirroring – requires two disks
– When data is written to one disk, it’s also written to the second disk
– If either disk fails, the system can continue operating because both
disks have the same data
• RAID 5: Disk Striping with Parity – requires a minimum
of three disks but is more space efficient than RAID 1
– Works by spreading data across multiple disks and using one disk in
each write operation to store parity information
– Parity info is generated by a calculation on data being written, so if one
of the disks fails, it can be used to re-create lost data from the failed
disk

Server Clustering
• A server cluster is made up of two or more servers
that are interconnected and appear as a single unit
• Two common types of clustering are failover and
load-balancing
– A failover cluster involves two or more servers sharing a
high-speed link used to synchronize data. One server is the
primary and others are standby. In the event the primary fails, a
standby server takes its place.
– A load-balancing cluster consists of two or more servers that
appear as a single unit to users. All servers in the cluster
operate and share the load.

Chapter Summary
• User accounts are the link between real people and
network resources
• User accounts and passwords should have conventions
for their creation
• Group accounts are used to organize users so that
assignment of resource permissions and rights can be
managed more easily than working with dozens or
hundreds of individual user accounts
• A user profile is a collection of a user’s personal files
and settings that define his or her working environment

Chapter Summary
• Locally attached storage is a device, such as a hard disk,
connected to a storage controller on the server. Storage is
divided into volumes or partitions
• The Linux file systems include Ext3, Ext4, ResierFS, and
XFS
• SMB is the Windows default file-sharing protocol while NFS
is the native Linux file-sharing protocol
• Windows Server 2008 provides tools to manage and monitor
server operation and resources, including the following: Task
Manager, Event Viewer, Performance Monitor, Windows
System Resource Manager

Chapter Summary
• Regular backups provide a safety net to restore a
system to working order in the event of a disk
failure or file corruption. Fault tolerance provides
methods for a system to continue running after a
system failure has occurred

Net essentials6e ch9

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