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COMP3122 Network Management Richard Henson Worcester Business School February 2011 Week 3 – Installing a Network Server Objectives – Describe each of the three main network operating systems – Install a network operating system on a server machine – Install two network operating systems on a network client Two realistic choices… A breed of Windows? A breed of Unix… Both covered briefly through COMP2122 Historic Look at Microsoft Network Operating Systems Microsoft – Windows NT 4 Server (1996) – Windows 2000 Server series (1999) – Windows 2003 Server, Enterprise Server, Data Centre Server, etc…. (2003-7) – Windows 2008 Server, Enterprise Server, Data Centre Server, etc…. (2008-continues) Available UNIX Network Operating Systems Various breeds of Unix (e.g.) – SCO Unix – HP-UX – Sun Solaris Various implementations of Linux – – – – Ubuntu (“humanity towards others”) Red Hat (redhat.com) Mandrake (now Mandriva) SuSe/Novell (now Attachmate) Which is best? Nice quote from a blogger: “Windows people will do windows and Unix people will do Unix, and neither the twain shall ever meet (publicly) and no amount of discourse will eradicate one or the other.” Which to choose? Network should serve the needs of the organisation – management of resources could be best suited by a breed of Windows Server or Unix… Merits of breed of Unix/Linux : » excellent for security, stability and fault tolerance provided that it is set up properly » also good implementation of most network management functions Merits of Windows 2003/2008 Server: » very easy to administer » excellent online & telephone support » also good implementation of most network management functions Not just about the software… Also about understanding of the required functionality of a NOS – and how to configure & control the delivery of that functionality to users This course only has time to study one type Choosing Windows is quicker… – functionality and management easier to pick up – less fuss from a teaching/learning perspective.. – BUT principles should apply equally to Unix Why Windows 2003? Networks haven’t just appeared… – they have evolved! For now, still a good idea to focus on Windows 2003, and how it achieves network management goals – many organisational networks still using 2003, with R2 and the service packs Comparison later with new/improved features of Windows 2008 Which choice within a Windows 2003 set up? Several options presented, to cater for a range of network environments: – Windows 2003 Server – Windows 2003 Advanced Server – Windows 2003 Datacenter Server Important to establish which is most appropriate beforehand… – http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/e valuation/features/compareeditions.mspx Preparation for Installation: client matters Planning a network is not just about setting up the server end!! – smooth connectivity between client and server also essential… Which software to use on client machines… – which operating system? – which applications? May be that older client OS may not readily interface properly with more recent versions of the NOS – e.g. old Windows clients & active directory Preparation for Installation: server hardware NOS delivers functionality – Choice of server os should always be made first… – make sure that CPU, RAM, etc. will be adequate to run the NOS efficiently: » now » in two years time… As much information as possible needs to be gathered about hardware used in the server: – software tools MAY assist with this process Preparation for Installation: hardware compatibility Don’t assume anything (!) – you may be surprised – you could well be disappointed! Microsoft (or any other NOS supplier) should provide a hardware compatibility list (HCL) – all hardware/peripherals checked against the list Importance of the HCL If hardware is NOT on the HCL, the manufacturer of the hardware may have written software you can download… – check their website If the hardware is not on either list, it cannot be used – this DOES happen! – a few years ago, I came across this very problem: » bought a games-enhanced video accelerator card » found it was only suitable for legacy Windows 9x series Preparation for Installation: RAM & motherboard Depends on the server configuration chosen… – http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/eval uation/features/compareeditions.mspx As regards RAM: – domain controllers will require more… – ECC (72-bit) memory [Error Correcting Code] recd » detects & corrects memory errors Motherboard should have a BIOS with an option to… – support network booting (PXE – Preboot Execution Environment) Preparation for Installation: Secondary Storage As much as possible! – allow extra for fault tolerance Mirroring/duplexing/RAID 5? Whole network server set-up should also have a backup in another location – will mean that disasters that may damage local servers do not impede overall network performance for long Importance of “Plug-and-Play” If possible, only get plug-and-play hardware! Detection and software installation for hardware components automatic – not a good idea to install the wrong version… BIOS settings can be used for plug-andplay and interrupt reservations Preparation for Installation: media for software Setup files for NOS usually held on CD – server BIOS should boot direct from CD-ROM – otherwise, or if CD corrupted, can still use floppy disks to load essential components Drivers for hardware not on HCL likely to be found separately: – on CD-ROM – on manufacturers website All non-HCL drivers should be close at hand! Preparation for Installation: Hard Disk Partitioning The hard disks must be partitioned before any formatting is possible Normal to plan for several partitions: – one for booting – one for system files (could be the same as the boot partition) – one for user data – one for applications Partition data should be backed up… Preparation for Installation: Choice of File System Some NOSs gave you quite a choice Example (Windows 2000): – FAT (i.e. DOS, no file/folder security,<2Gb) – FAT32 (Windows 98/Me, as above, >2Gb) – NTFS (designed for NT – file/folder level security) Nowadays, NTFS is increasingly the norm – on a network, always a good idea to settle on a file system with security control at individual file level – otherwise, users can “run amok” Characteristics of Microsoft “domains” Not the same as DNS domains Really just another way of saying LAN or client-server network Server controlled – but server needs to be elevated to domain controller status – needs to install “DNS server” Domains and Active Directory Active Directory… – logically connects servers together – servers create domains… – can use connections between servers to model the DNS system on a Microsoft network But things can go wrong… – knowledge of DNS servers required Internet Domain Naming An attempt to give logical names to computers directly hooked up to the Internet First defined back in 1983, through three early RFCs… – 881: The Domain Names Plan and Schedule (revised, 897, 921) – 882: CONCEPTS and FACILITIES (revised, 1034) – 883: IMPLEMENTATION and SPECIFICATION (revised, 1035) The DNS System First defined in RFC 1101: First recognisable as x.y.z format through RFC 1183: “DNS Encoding of Network Names and Other Types” “New DNS RR Definitions” Explained including IANA (administration of first level domains) through RFC 1591 (1994) “Domain Name System Structure and Delegation” DNS and DNS Zones The DNS system is hierarchical A DNS Zone is defined as: “… a portion of the global Domain Name System (DNS) namespace for which administrative responsibility has been delegated” – it refers to the lower level domains logically connected to any one particular root domain (e.g. .us or .com) z y a x DNS entry x.y.z DNS Zone: z Computers within z zone: a, x and y Naming a Server within a DNS Zone Windows 2003 Servers promoted to domain controllers are assumed to be part of the DNS – named accordingly within a hierarchy of domain names – DNS Server needs to be installed at this point… » assists Active Directory with domain name record keeping » provides options for storing DNS/IP address pairs WINS, DNS, and IP addressing Older versions of Windows used “Windows Internet Naming Service” – look up service including NetBIOS names and corresponding IP addresses Now, DNS is increasingly replacing WINS: – DNS server manages access to network name/IP address look up Managing Domain Users Active Directory installed when server promoted to domain controller Users gain access via client machines – to even enable user log on, a client machine must have an account in that domain – client details stored in active directory User must have a domain account – details stored in “Active Directory”… – entry in database of usernames/passwords essential for successful login match Potential Installation Traps & Errors Quite a lot of hardware has to be correctly configured Not plug-and-play? – need to install software manually Not on the HCL? – Need to get drivers from the manufacturer & install from separate media All these potential problems can prevent installation from proceeding to completion Potential Installation Traps & Errors The most common problem postinstallation is that files become corrupt This will mean that the system boot up process will be suspended indefinitely as the system looks in vain for the missing file Correcting Installation Errors Each NOS should have a system to allow recovery from a failed installation – With Windows 2000/3, it is “recovery console” Such a “recovery” system should allow the system to reboot to at least a command prompt – allowing the necessary file(s) to be re-installed… The computer should then again boot up satisfactorily Installing Clients Will be necessary if: – Existing client software not compatible with server-side or is upgraded for other reasons – Existing client software becomes faulty or will not connect to the domain – New computer to be added to the domain Automatic Installations The first server on the network should always be installed manually However, NOSs allow capabilities for the “automatic” installation of clients This means that all the questions that are asked by the installation process must be answered on a text file or “script” that can be accessed during the automatic install – with Windows 2000/3 this is known as UNATTEND.TXT More about Windows “Automatic” Installation Several possibilities: – RIS (Remote Installation Service) » » » » Windows 2000/3 installation files “Unattend” Scripts All provided on a server (RIS server) Supports PXE (network boot option in BIOS) – SYSPREP » “cloning” or “imaging” tool » Just copy all folders and files directly from a prototype (!) Configuration of the Network environment NOS should allow options to add or remove network services and components If the NOS is really good, such reconfigurations will not even require a reboot! – e.g. breeds of Unix (no registry) Because the registry needs to be reconfigured and reread, Windows 2000/3 does often require a reboot when new hardware is added… Upgrading the Server Environment… Rather than starting again, with a completely new setup, it may be necessary to upgrade an existing facility. If the network is being upgraded from a previous version, it will be necessary to migrate settings and data into the new environment – essential that such data is safely backed up to tape drive or other safe location before the upgrade begins Dual Boot Systems Two different operating systems held on two system partitions – one of the system partitions could (for simplicity) be a floppy disk or USB drive Most usual with network clients, interfacing with two separate NOSs – always boot into one operating system (boot partition) – then offered (via menu) a choice of system partition to be loaded into memory Updating Drivers NOT a good idea to remove a driver from the system until there is evidence that the replacement actually works! Advised procedure: – disable the existing driver – either: use the Add/Remove Hardware wizard to find and install the new driver – or: restart the computer and allow “plug and play” to find and install the new driver Ensuring that a driver is “authorised” Authorised drivers are “signed” by the manufacturer The “digital signature” can be read by any computer running a recent version of Windows If a driver doesn’t have an appropriate signature – error message “pop up” appears on the screen The driver could still be installed, but with no signature there is no guarantee that it will work! Adding Manufacturers Improvements to the NOS Networking software continually being updated, optimised, and improved by manufacturers Improvements released as: – New version of NOS » complete reinstall of system – “Service Pack” » reinstallation of certain components and new features » plugs to recently discovered security holes – hotfixes Installation of a Service Pack An “update” command is available The distribution folder (including URL for Internet downloads) should be included An option to uninstall the service pack at a later date is included and recommended A wizard manages the whole process The End