Chapter 8: Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a High-Availability Strategy


Understanding Performance Bottlenecks

1.

You have been tasked with the implementation of enhancing the security of your network and have been allocated a modest budget to accomplish the task. You decide to implement IP Security (IPSec) between your three Windows Server 2003 servers and your Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP Professional workstations. As the implementation proceeds, you begin hearing reports that the network does not seem as responsive. You confirm that performance has decreased. What can you do to return performance to the previous level and still accomplish your objectives?

  1. Remove IPSec from the workstations, leaving the servers configured with IPSec.

  2. Remove IPSec from the servers, leaving the workstations configured with IPSec.

  3. Add NICs to your servers and configure the cards for load balancing.

  4. Purchase new NICs that support IPSec on the NIC.

 d . ipsec is computer-intensive, and nics that remove this load from the system s main cpu can significantly boost communication performance. a , b , c . neither answer a nor answer b addresses the real issue. removing ipsec from either the servers or the workstations may actually stop communications altogether or allow your network to run unsecured. answer c may actually decrease performance because now multiple network interfaces will require ipsec calculations to be performed by the system cpu.

2.

You have inherited the responsibility of supporting a server from a previous administrator. The system has dual 1 GHz CPUs, 2048MB of RAM, and a dual-channel caching hardware RAID controller with sixteen 18GB hard drives configured as a RAID 5 array. The system has been running an important SQL database for some time, but over the last few weeks, responsiveness has decreased as more people have been accessing the SQL databases. Your part-time SQL administrator has told you that recent database growth is not the case. The databases have been consistently using between 40 and 45 percent of the available disk space. You have been asked to resolve this problem. What can you do to increase the responsiveness of the SQL database?

  1. Install more RAM in the server.

  2. Change the RAID array to a RAID 0+1 configuration.

  3. Change the RAID array to a RAID 0 configuration.

  4. Increase the cache size on the array controller.

 b . the sql databases are on a raid 5 array, which incurs heavy performance hits on disk writes. since less than half of the disk space is in use, you can reconfigure the array into a raid 0+1 configuration, which will boost performance and keep the data protected from drive failures. a , c , d . answer a is wrong because, while adding ram to a server is a frequent fix of performance issues, there is likely enough ram already to adequately run the sql server. implementing answer c would solve the performance issues but would make the system susceptible to a drive failure. answer d may provide some performance boost, but the underlying problem of the raid array structure would remain, making this answer a stopgap measure at best.

3.

You have recently purchased a new single-CPU, Intel Xeon-based server. This hardware will be used to run a multithreaded CPU-intensive application. How can you ensure that the application performs at its best on the hardware provided?

  1. Turn on hyperthreading.

  2. Add a second CPU.

  3. Boost the processing priority of the applications threads.

  4. Disable hyperthreading.

 a . a recently purchased xeon server will support hyperthreading. turning on hyperthreading should yield a performance increase for the multithreaded application. b , c , d . answer b is incorrect because you would need to purchase additional hardware. answer c is incorrect because, although performance may improve, hyperthreading will yield a higher performance boost. answer d is incorrect because disabling hyperthreading will actually have a negative impact on performance.

4.

Your server seems slow to respond to file requests from drive D: at times. You have examined the system with Performance Monitor, and the counter LogicalDisk:Current Disk Queue Length for the D: instance consistently varies between 8 and 20 during these periods of slow response. Drive D: resides on an external, 14-slot disk array with 4 slots populated with hard drives. How should you resolve this problem?

  1. Defragment drive D:.

  2. Add more memory to the system to increase file-caching efficiency.

  3. Add more physical drives to the external array; either expand drive D: across the new drives or create another drive and move some heavily accessed files from drive D: to the new logical drive.

  4. Add processors or turn on hyperthreading.

 c . the problem is that the disk array is not responding to disk requests quick enough and requests are being queued. adding drives and expanding drive d: to encompass the new drives will add more spindles to service disk requests. creating a new logical drive on top of the new physical drives and relocating files to the new logical drive can produce the same effect. a , b , d . answer a is incorrect because the current disk queue length counter is consistently over two. file system fragmentation does not produce this effect. answer b is incorrect because adding more memory to increase the cache will likely not increase disk responsiveness. answer d is incorrect because adding more processors may actually produce more disk requests and increase the queue length even more.

5.

You have recently purchased and installed two new name-brand servers. The servers are identical in all respects, except that one server has a single CPU and the other has two. The single-CPU system will be used for basic file and print services, and the dual-CPU system will be used for running Microsoft Exchange Server. Both systems respond adequately. While developing a performance baseline, you notice that the dual-CPU system seems to be experiencing more interrupts per second than the other server. What should you do to resolve this increased level of interrupts?

  1. Do nothing. This is a peculiarity of Microsoft Exchange Server.

  2. Increase the communication buffers on the multiple-CPU server’s NIC.

  3. Remove the second CPU from the dual-CPU system.

  4. Do nothing. This is normal for a multi-CPU system.

 d . an increased level of interrupts on a multi-cpu system is normal. a , b , c . answer a is incorrect because any multiprocessor-capable application will generate interrupt activity, not just microsoft exchange server. answer b is incorrect because, although this may reduce the number of interrupts, the majority of the interrupts are a result of having multiple cpus. answer c is incorrect because, even though the high number of interrupts will cease, performance will be greatly reduced.

Answers

1.

D. IPSec is computer-intensive, and NICs that remove this load from the system’s main CPU can significantly boost communication performance.

A, B, C. Neither Answer A nor Answer B addresses the real issue. Removing IPSec from either the servers or the workstations may actually stop communications altogether or allow your network to run unsecured. Answer C may actually decrease performance because now multiple network interfaces will require IPSec calculations to be performed by the system CPU.

2.

B. The SQL databases are on a RAID 5 array, which incurs heavy performance hits on disk writes. Since less than half of the disk space is in use, you can reconfigure the array into a RAID 0+1 configuration, which will boost performance and keep the data protected from drive failures.

A, C, D. Answer A is wrong because, while adding RAM to a server is a frequent fix of performance issues, there is likely enough RAM already to adequately run the SQL server. Implementing Answer C would solve the performance issues but would make the system susceptible to a drive failure. Answer D may provide some performance boost, but the underlying problem of the RAID array structure would remain, making this answer a stopgap measure at best.

3.

A. A recently purchased Xeon server will support hyperthreading. Turning on hyperthreading should yield a performance increase for the multithreaded application.

B, C, D. Answer B is incorrect because you would need to purchase additional hardware. Answer C is incorrect because, although performance may improve, hyperthreading will yield a higher performance boost. Answer D is incorrect because disabling hyperthreading will actually have a negative impact on performance.

4.

C. The problem is that the disk array is not responding to disk requests quick enough and requests are being queued. Adding drives and expanding drive D: to encompass the new drives will add more “spindles” to service disk requests. Creating a new logical drive on top of the new physical drives and relocating files to the new logical drive can produce the same effect.

A, B, D. Answer A is incorrect because the Current Disk Queue Length counter is consistently over two. File system fragmentation does not produce this effect. Answer B is incorrect because adding more memory to increase the cache will likely not increase disk responsiveness. Answer D is incorrect because adding more processors may actually produce more disk requests and increase the queue length even more.

5.

D. An increased level of interrupts on a multi-CPU system is normal.

A, B, C. Answer A is incorrect because any multiprocessor-capable application will generate interrupt activity, not just Microsoft Exchange Server. Answer B is incorrect because, although this may reduce the number of interrupts, the majority of the interrupts are a result of having multiple CPUs. Answer C is incorrect because, even though the high number of interrupts will cease, performance will be greatly reduced.

Planning a Backup and Recovery Strategy

6.

You have been asked to develop a backup strategy for your company’s three Windows Server 2003 servers. You have been told that the primary objective is to have the systems up and running again as quickly as possible should a disaster occur. To accomplish this goal, initial funds have been allocated and, if necessary, ongoing funds will be made available. What backup strategy should you adopt?

  1. Full backups nightly to a tape drive installed in each server

  2. Full backups nightly to a single, centralized tape drive

  3. Full backups weekly, with daily differential backups to a tape drive installed in each server

  4. Full ASR backups nightly

 a . answer a is correct because only a single tape set will be needed to restore a server and, with a tape drive in each server, a restore can be performed on each server simultaneously and quickly. b , c , d . answer b is incorrect because, although only a single tape set would be needed to do a restore, multiple restores could not occur simultaneously. answer c is incorrect because multiple tape sets would be required to perform a restore, increasing restore time. answer d is incorrect because an asr backup does not back up data on partitions and volumes that do not contain windows components.

7.

You have been asked to develop a backup strategy for your company’s three Windows Server 2003 servers. You have been told that the primary objective is to minimize the ongoing cost of performing backups. To accomplish this goal, you have been given a modest budget. What backup strategy should you adopt?

  1. Full backups monthly, differential backups on the weekends, and incremental backups daily to a tape drive installed in each server

  2. Full backups monthly, differential backups on the weekends, and incremental backups daily to a single, centralized tape drive

  3. Incremental backups daily to a single, centralized tape drive

  4. Periodic full backups and daily incremental backups to a single, centralized tape drive

 d . answer d provides for the lowest number of tapes to be used for backups, while still maintaining good restore capability and lowest cost for purchase of hardware. a , b , c . answer a is incorrect because this scenario would require more tapes. this is a good scenario for balancing the cost of tapes and backup/restore performance. answer b is incorrect because, although this would reduce the cost of equipment (fewer tape drives), more tapes would be required. this is a good scenario for reducing the impact of tape media failures and lowering the cost of hardware. answer c is incorrect because, although this is the lowest cost option, it does not provide a point from which restores can be started.

8.

You have been asked to develop a backup strategy for your company’s three Windows Server 2003 servers. You have been told that the primary objective is to minimize the time required for performing backups on regular business days. You do not have the use of any advanced storage technology, and an older application on the server requires you to shut down the application and disable Volume Shadow Copy to get a successful backup. To accomplish this goal, you have been given a sufficient budget. What backup strategy should you adopt?

  1. Full backups on the weekends and incremental backups daily to a tape drive installed in each server

  2. Full backups monthly and differential backups daily to a single, centralized tape drive

  3. Incremental backups daily to a single, centralized tape drive

  4. Periodic full backups and daily incremental backups to a single, centralized tape drive

 a . answer a is correct because an incremental backup to an internal, dedicated tape drive minimizes the time required to perform the backup. b , c , d . answer b is incorrect because the downtime required for the backups during the working week would likely increase on a daily basis. answer c is incorrect because it could take longer than answer a to back up to a central location. it also has the error of not providing a starting point for restores. answer d is incorrect because the centralized tape drive could again be a performance bottleneck.

9.

Your company uses a well-known and respected third-party backup utility for all of its servers. You are adopting Windows Server 2003 early after its release and have upgraded a number of servers to the operating system. You have high hopes about improving backup performance on some of your higher volume file servers (including the ability to back up open files) and have installed the third-party client agent software on your servers. After a few days, you notice that the speed of backups has not increased. What is the most likely reason that backup performance has not increased?

  1. Volume Shadow Copy has not been turned on for the appropriate volumes.

  2. The third-party backup software does not use the new features present in Windows Server 2003.

  3. An ASR backup needs to be performed before the third-party utility will show increased performance.

  4. The drives hosting the files need to be defragmented for performance to improve.

 b . as with any new operating system, it takes a while for the rest of the market to catch up. it is likely that the third-party backup software does not recognize the new features of windows server 2003 and therefore is backing it up as it would an older operating system client. the solution would be to obtain the updated windows server 2003 compatible agent and use it on your servers. a , c , d . answer a is incorrect because, even if volume shadow copy were turned on, it is unlikely that the third-party backup utility will be able to use it. answer c is incorrect because performing an asr backup, while always a good idea, cannot affect ongoing backup performance. answer d is incorrect because, although defragmenting the drives may yield a performance improvement, it will not solve the problem of the third-party software limitations.

Answers

6.

A. Answer A is correct because only a single tape set will be needed to restore a server and, with a tape drive in each server, a restore can be performed on each server simultaneously and quickly.

B, C, D. Answer B is incorrect because, although only a single tape set would be needed to do a restore, multiple restores could not occur simultaneously. Answer C is incorrect because multiple tape sets would be required to perform a restore, increasing restore time. Answer D is incorrect because an ASR backup does not back up data on partitions and volumes that do not contain Windows components.

7.

D. Answer D provides for the lowest number of tapes to be used for backups, while still maintaining good restore capability and lowest cost for purchase of hardware.

A, B, C. Answer A is incorrect because this scenario would require more tapes. This is a good scenario for balancing the cost of tapes and backup/restore performance. Answer B is incorrect because, although this would reduce the cost of equipment (fewer tape drives), more tapes would be required. This is a good scenario for reducing the impact of tape media failures and lowering the cost of hardware. Answer C is incorrect because, although this is the lowest cost option, it does not provide a point from which restores can be started.

8.

A. Answer A is correct because an incremental backup to an internal, dedicated tape drive minimizes the time required to perform the backup.

B, C, D. Answer B is incorrect because the downtime required for the backups during the working week would likely increase on a daily basis. Answer C is incorrect because it could take longer than Answer A to back up to a central location. It also has the error of not providing a starting point for restores. Answer D is incorrect because the centralized tape drive could again be a performance bottleneck.

9.

B. As with any new operating system, it takes a while for the rest of the market to catch up. It is likely that the third-party backup software does not recognize the new features of Windows Server 2003 and therefore is backing it up as it would an older operating system client. The solution would be to obtain the updated Windows Server 2003 compatible agent and use it on your servers.

A, C, D. Answer A is incorrect because, even if Volume Shadow Copy were turned on, it is unlikely that the third-party backup utility will be able to use it. Answer C is incorrect because performing an ASR backup, while always a good idea, cannot affect ongoing backup performance. Answer D is incorrect because, although defragmenting the drives may yield a performance improvement, it will not solve the problem of the third-party software limitations.

Planning System Recovery with ASR

10.

You have inherited the responsibility for supporting an important server recently upgraded from Windows NT 4 to Windows Server 2003. When the server was upgraded, it met the hardware requirements, but not by much. Increasing demand on the system has led to lower than desirable performance. Company management has authorized the purchase of new server hardware and would like you to upgrade the server as quickly as possible with the least amount of risk and additional expense. What is the best way to accomplish the upgrade in the fastest possible time, with the lowest risk, and no additional cost?

  1. Use a third-party product to duplicate the server onto the new hardware.

  2. Create an ASR backup of the existing server. Use the ASR backup on the new hardware. Back up the existing server. Restore the backup to the new hardware.

  3. Install Windows Server 2003 onto the new hardware. Back up the existing server. Restore the backup to the new hardware.

  4. Shut down the existing server and move the existing hard drives to the new server. Boot the new server with the old hard drives.

 b . this method accomplishes the upgrade with the least risk (the existing server is preserved), least expense (all the tools needed are present in windows server 2003), and as quickly as possible (as fast as the backup and restore can be done). a , c , d . answer a is incorrect because you would need to purchase the third-party utility, incurring additional expense. answer c is incorrect because it would take longer to get the new operating system installed and configured to operate in the same way as the original system. answer d is incorrect because the risk factor is too high. moving hard drives might be technically possible, but the drives (containing the only copy of the original server) could be dropped or corrupted in the process.

11.

A few weeks ago, you installed a new server. You have been performing regular full and incremental backups for all files on the system. You did not perform an initial ASR backup. When you arrived this morning, you discovered that the hard drive failed sometime last night after the backup completed, and the server will no longer boot. You replaced the failed hard drive with an identical one you had on hand. What is the quickest way to get the server back to its previous operational state?

  1. Start an ASR restore. Since the hard drive is new and identical to the failed drive, ASR will automatically re-create the previous configuration.

  2. You cannot restore the server. It is permanently lost.

  3. Reinstall Windows Server 2003 in a minimal configuration, restore the most recent full backup, and then restore all of the incremental backups in sequence.

  4. Reinstall Windows Server 2003 in a minimal configuration, perform an ASR backup, perform an ASR restore, restore the most recent full backup, and then restore all of the incremental backups in sequence.

 c . answer c is correct because you cannot directly re-create the operational state without an asr backup. assuming the system state was backed up with the regular backups, you can re-create the previous operational state from the backups after you have reinstalled the operating system. a , b , d . answer a is incorrect because you must have the asr media set in order to perform an asr restore. asr does not automatically re-create a previous configuration. answer b is incorrect because you can re-create the server from the backups; it will simply take longer and be more difficult than if you had an asr backup available. answer d is incorrect because you do not have an asr set.

12.

You are working on an existing server. The NIC manufacturer has notified you of an updated driver for your card that will greatly improve performance. You download and install the new driver. Before you reboot the system, you perform an ASR backup. When you reboot the system, it reaches the graphical portion of the boot process and presents a STOP message. What is the proper process for recovering from this problem?

  1. Perform an ASR restore from the ASR backup set you created before the reboot.

  2. Reboot the system, press F8 when prompted during the boot process, select Last Known Good Configuration, and press Enter.

  3. Reinstall the operating system and do a restore of the system from tape backup.

  4. Reboot the system, press F8 when prompted during the boot process, select Safe Mode, and press Enter.

 b . the last known good configuration option will load the drivers that were used during the boot process prior to the last successful logon, provided that they are not missing or corrupt. the new driver that you installed during your last logon session will not be loaded, and the previous one assigned to the nic will be loaded. a , c , d . answer a is incorrect because the asr backup set you created before the reboot would contain the newer driver, and it would be configured for use on next boot. answer c is incorrect because this would destroy your existing operating system and take much longer to fix. answer d is incorrect because, although safe mode may (or may not) allow you to boot successfully, the new driver is still present.

Answers

10.

B. This method accomplishes the upgrade with the least risk (the existing server is preserved), least expense (all the tools needed are present in Windows Server 2003), and as quickly as possible (as fast as the backup and restore can be done).

A, C, D. Answer A is incorrect because you would need to purchase the third-party utility, incurring additional expense. Answer C is incorrect because it would take longer to get the new operating system installed and configured to operate in the same way as the original system. Answer D is incorrect because the risk factor is too high. Moving hard drives might be technically possible, but the drives (containing the only copy of the original server) could be dropped or corrupted in the process.

11.

C. Answer C is correct because you cannot directly re-create the operational state without an ASR backup. Assuming the system state was backed up with the regular backups, you can re-create the previous operational state from the backups after you have reinstalled the operating system.

A, B, D. Answer A is incorrect because you must have the ASR media set in order to perform an ASR restore. ASR does not automatically re-create a previous configuration. Answer B is incorrect because you can re-create the server from the backups; it will simply take longer and be more difficult than if you had an ASR backup available. Answer D is incorrect because you do not have an ASR set.

12.

B. The Last Known Good Configuration option will load the drivers that were used during the boot process prior to the last successful logon, provided that they are not missing or corrupt. The new driver that you installed during your last logon session will not be loaded, and the previous one assigned to the NIC will be loaded.

A, C, D. Answer A is incorrect because the ASR backup set you created before the reboot would contain the newer driver, and it would be configured for use on next boot. Answer C is incorrect because this would destroy your existing operating system and take much longer to fix. Answer D is incorrect because, although Safe Mode may (or may not) allow you to boot successfully, the new driver is still present.

Planning for Fault Tolerance

13.

You are responsible for administering a Windows Server 2003 system. The system has a Pentium III 800 MHz CPU, 1024MB of RAM, and four hard drives configured in a RAID 5 array that reside in an external seven-slot chassis. The array is controlled by a modern, high-performance hardware RAID controller and presents the array to the operating system as a single drive. You arrive on a Monday morning to find your server has crashed. On investigation, you find that two of the hard drives failed. The server has a built-in display that tells you that one drive failed late Friday night and the second drive failed Sunday afternoon. What should you have done to prevent the second drive failure from causing the server to crash?

  1. Ensure that backups complete during business hours.

  2. Use Volume Shadow Copy to automatically create a backup on the remaining good drive.

  3. Install a second hardware RAID controller and distribute the drives evenly on the controllers.

  4. Purchase another hard drive and configure it as a hot spare drive.

 d . a hot spare drive would most likely have prevented the outage, and there is an available slot for the spare drive. when the first drive failed, the controller would have brought the spare drive online and re-created the missing data on it. when the second drive failed, the array would be in a nonredundant state but would have continued to function. a , b , c . answer a is incorrect because the time that the backups would complete would not have affected the failure or operation of the drives. answer b is incorrect because the operating system saw the array as a single drive and would not be able to have performed any operation on a specific disk. answer c is incorrect because this would have protected against controller or cable failure but not a drive failure.

14.

You are replacing a single-port NIC in your server with a new four-port NIC. Your switches support 100 Mbps full-duplex operation. Your switches also support either load-balancing or failover configurations. Which configuration choice is best for increased performance and availability?

  1. Configure the card for two-way load balancing with failover to the remaining two ports.

  2. Configure the card for four separate links to the switch. Windows Server 2003 automatically determines that the ports connect to the same switch and enables failover.

  3. Configure the card for four-way load balancing.

  4. Leave the old NIC in the server and add the new four-port card into an empty slot on the server. Configure the new card as a failover backup for the existing card.

 c . answer c is correct because a multiport load-balancing configuration automatically includes failover redundancy. a , b , d . answer a is incorrect because the two ports reserved for failover could be used for added communication bandwidth. answer b is incorrect because windows server 2003 does not support this sort of automatic configuration capability. answer d is incorrect because the new card would be idle instead of providing additional bandwidth.

15.

Your data center recently experienced a utility power failure that took down all of the computer systems. Some systems experienced major problems (hard drive and fan failures) when the power was restored. Because of the failures, company management decides to install an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for the data center to protect the systems from another power failure. A few months later, another power failure hits the data center and the systems run for a time, then go down when the UPS runs out of power. This time, hard drive failures occur and data is lost. What was missed during the implementation of the new UPS that would have prevented the second power failure from impacting the servers?

  1. Neither the proper procedures nor the automated software controls were implemented to enable a controlled shutdown.

  2. The UPS that was purchased did not have a high enough power runtime rating to handle the load of the equipment in the data center.

  3. Windows Server 2003 does not support the use of a UPS.

  4. Windows Server 2003 does not support the use of a nondedicated UPS. Each server must have a dedicated UPS.

 a . answer a is correct because the job of a ups is to survive short power interruptions and to allow a controlled shutdown in the event of longer power outages. unless a communication link is established between the ups and the servers, the servers do not know that a power failure has occurred. they will continue running until the ups runs out of power. alternatively, someone could have logged into the servers and manually shut them down. b , c , d . answer b is incorrect because the system did continue to operate for a period of time after the power failure, indicating it could handle the required power load. no ups will run indefinitely. answer c is incorrect because windows server 2003 does support the use of a ups. answer d is incorrect because windows server 2003 supports dedicated and nondedicated upss.

Answers

13.

D. A hot spare drive would most likely have prevented the outage, and there is an available slot for the spare drive. When the first drive failed, the controller would have brought the spare drive online and re-created the missing data on it. When the second drive failed, the array would be in a nonredundant state but would have continued to function.

A, B, C. Answer A is incorrect because the time that the backups would complete would not have affected the failure or operation of the drives. Answer B is incorrect because the operating system saw the array as a single drive and would not be able to have performed any operation on a specific disk. Answer C is incorrect because this would have protected against controller or cable failure but not a drive failure.

14.

C. Answer C is correct because a multiport load-balancing configuration automatically includes failover redundancy.

A, B, D. Answer A is incorrect because the two ports reserved for failover could be used for added communication bandwidth. Answer B is incorrect because Windows Server 2003 does not support this sort of automatic configuration capability. Answer D is incorrect because the new card would be idle instead of providing additional bandwidth.

15.

A. Answer A is correct because the job of a UPS is to survive short power interruptions and to allow a controlled shutdown in the event of longer power outages. Unless a communication link is established between the UPS and the servers, the servers do not know that a power failure has occurred. They will continue running until the UPS runs out of power. Alternatively, someone could have logged into the servers and manually shut them down.

B, C, D. Answer B is incorrect because the system did continue to operate for a period of time after the power failure, indicating it could handle the required power load. No UPS will run indefinitely. Answer C is incorrect because Windows Server 2003 does support the use of a UPS. Answer D is incorrect because Windows Server 2003 supports dedicated and nondedicated UPSs.




MCSE Planning and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure. Exam 70-293 Study Guide and DVD Training System
MCSE Planning and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure: Exam 70-293 Study Guide and DVD Training System
ISBN: 1931836930
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 173

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