Windows admin interview questions

1) Describe how the DHCP lease is obtained.

It’s a four-step process consisting of (a) IP request, (b) IP offer, © IP selection and (d) acknowledgement.

2) We’ve installed a new Windows-based DHCP server, however, the users do not seem to be getting DHCP leases off of it.

 The server must be authorized first with the Active Directory.

3) What authentication options do Windows 2000 Servers have for remote clients?

PAP, SPAP, CHAP, MS-CHAP and EAP.

4) What’s the difference between forward lookup and reverse lookup in DNS?

Forward lookup is name-to-address, the reverse lookup is address-to-name.

5) If 512mb Ram is there what will be the minimum and maximum Virtual memory for the system?

To workout the total virtual memory (page file) required for windows XP you should take the amount of ram in the system and + 25% (512MB + 25% (128MB) = 640MB total virtual memory. by setting both the min and max to 640MB you can increase the performances of the operating system.

6) What is the SYSVOL folder?

The Sysvol folder on a Windows domain controller is used to replicate file-based data among domain controllers. Because junctions are used within the Sysvol folder structure, Windows NT file system (NTFS) version 5.0 is required on domain controllers throughout a Windows distributed file system (DFS) forest.

7) do we Backup Active Directory?

Backing up Active Directory is essential to maintain an Active Directory database. You can back up Active Directory by using the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and command-line tools that the Windows Server 2003 family provides.You frequently backup the system state data on domain controllers so that you can restore the most current data. By establishing a regular backup schedule, you have a better chance of recovering data when necessary.To ensure a good backup includes at least the system state data and contents of the system disk, you must be aware of the tombstone lifetime. By default, the tombstone is 60 days. Any backup older than 60 days is not a good backup. Plan to backup at least two domain controllers in each domain, one of at least one backup to enable an authoritative restore of the data when necessary.

8) How do we restore AD?

You can’t restore Active Directory (AD) to a domain controller (DC) while the Directory Service (DS) is running. To restore AD, perform the following steps.

Reboot the computer.

The computer will boot into a special safe mode and won’t start the DS. Be aware that during this time the machine won’t act as a DC and won’t perform functions such as authentication.

1. Start NT Backup.

2. Select the Restore tab.

3. Select the backup media, and select System State.

4. Click Start Restore.

5. Click OK in the confirmation dialog box.

After you restore the backup, reboot the computer and start in normal mode to use the restored information. The computer might hang after the restore completes; I’ve experienced a 30-minute wait on some machines.

9) What is the difference between a basic and dynamic drive in theWindowsServer2008environment?

A basic disk embraces the MS-DOS disk structure; a basic disk can be divided into partitions (simple volumes).
Dynamic disks consist of a single partition that can be divided into any number of volumes. Dynamic disks also support Windows Server 2008 RAID implementations.

10) Commonly Used DNS Records?

A-Records (Host address)

CNAME-Records (Canonical name for an alias)

MX-Records (Mail exchange)

NS-Records (Authoritative name server)

PTR-Records (domain name pointer)

SOA-Records (Start of authority)