Summary of Exam Objectives

Windows Server 2003 often performs reasonably well in its default configuration, but insufficient memory, CPU, disk, or network resources can reduce performance to an unacceptable level. Proper tuning and allocation of these resources will ensure adequate performance. Proper configuration of the server’s page files can improve performance. Regular use of the Disk Defragmenter utility will ensure that your file systems do not become a bottleneck for read and write operations. Use efficient and intelligent network adapters to handle some of the processing load and reduce the overall impact communications have on the system.

The System Monitor utility can be used to monitor various counters present in the system. These counters display real performance information about what is occurring in the system. Some counters can display statistics as percentages, others as cumulative counts of events, and others as immediate absolute values. System Monitor can be used to view current activity in the system or to view data from log files.

A properly developed baseline can help in planning for increased growth and in identifying resources that are being overutilized. A baseline provides a mechanism for identifying what normal operating conditions are for a server. The baseline acts as a reference for troubleshooting performance issues.

The operating system and some applications record events in numerous event log files. The events in these files are always in the same format and can be viewed, searched, and monitored to determine if a system is functioning properly. Entries in the event logs indicate the severity or nature of the events. Security auditing can be enabled and security-related events captured in the event logs. The logs themselves can be archived to create a historical record of a server’s activities.

Backing up data is a must to ensure system availability. Only user accounts with elevated user rights can perform backups or restores. Different methods (normal, differential, and incremental) for performing backups are available to accomplish different objectives. Backups can be performed to tape drives, network shares, or local disks, but not writable or read-writable CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs.

Some services like DHCP, WINS, and DNS may have special considerations or configuration issues that need to be addressed before backups are performed. Clustered server disks also require special consideration for backups, and the new Volume Shadow Copy feature assists in creating backups of open files.

The Windows Backup Utility can be run either as a Wizard or in Advanced Mode. The Wizard works in most situations and steps you through the process of creating or restoring a backup. The Advanced Mode gives you access to the more powerful options of the utility and lets you fine-tune your backups. The Backup Utility also lets you schedule backup sessions, so that you can create a relatively simple and regular backup process.

The new ASR feature of Windows Server 2003 simplifies the process of re-creating a failed server installation. The ASR process replaces the older ERD process used in previous versions of Windows. Proper planning and preparation must be completed before ASR can be used to restore a system, and performing an ASR restore should be the last resort. An ASR restore requires a floppy diskette drive to be present in the server, but one is not required to create an ASR backup.

The proper use of fault tolerance will mean that services will continue to be provided even when something breaks down. Redundancy in hardware, software, and communications ensures a reliable environment. The use of redundant network interfaces and proxy servers will ensure reliable communications. Using disk RAID arrays for the storage of applications and data will help prevent downtime due to a hard drive failure and may also be used as a performance enhancer. Using redundant components to help cool your server and provide power when the utility power fails will ensure your server operates in adverse conditions.