Group Policy Interview Questions and Answers

1. Why should we use Group Policy?

• For deploying software
• We can apply security
• For controlling Users environment, settings, per computer settings
• To manage desktop environment (To standardize environment)
• To modify the registry

2. What is Group policy object?

We call the actual unit that we are creating, deleting, managing, working with is called Group Policy object. Group Policy objects have two components:

• Group Policy container
• Group Policy template

3. What is Group policy container?

It is the container in the Active Directory where the Group Policy can be applied. (i.e., either Organizational unit or Domain or Site)

4. What is Group policy template?

When you create a group policy container automatically a template will be created in the hard drive, in sysvol folder of the Domain Controller that is called Group Policy template.

5. Where is Group policy template stored?

Group Policy template stored in sysvol folder.

6. How to create a Group Policy?

Start –>Programs –>Administrative tools ->Active Directory Users and computers ->Right click on the container on which you want to apply Group Policy->Select properties-> Click on Group Policy tab->Click on New

7. What are the steps do we have when we are creating Group Policy?

There are two steps, one is creating Group policy and linking to the container. Generally we create the group policy at container only so when you click on New it creates and links the GPO to that container at a time. Suppose if you want to link a group policy object to a container which is already created click on Add select the group policy.

8. What are the buttons available on Group policy tab in properties of a container?

• New (Creates new GPO)
• Add (links a GPO to this container which has created already)
• Edit (Edits the existing GPO)
• Delete Deletes the GPO
• Options (here you get the following check boxes): (i) No override – Prevent other GPO from overriding policy set in this one; and (ii) Disabled – This GPO is not applicable to this container
• Properties

Note: When you are deleting a GPO it asks two things:

• Remove the link from this list
• Remove the link and delete the GPO permanently

9. What is no override option in GPO?

Generally the policies set at one level will be overridden in other level, so if don’t want to override this policy under the sub levels of this one you can set this.
Ex: If you set No override at Domain level then that GPO will be applied through out the Domain, even though you have the same policy differently at OU level.

10. What is Block inheritance of GPO and where it is?

The Block inheritance GPO option blocks the group policies inheriting from the top level, and takes effect of this present GPO.
Right click on the container –> click on Group Policy –ègo to properties >on the bottom of the General tab you will find Block inheritance check box
Ex: If you select Block inheritance at OU level then no policy from the Domain level, or Site level or local policy will not applied to this OU.

11. You have set the No override option at Domain level and Block inheritance at OU level. Which policy will take effect?

If you have set both then No override wins over the Block inheritance. So No override will take effect.

12. What are the options that are available when you click on option button on general tab?

• General
• Disable computer configuration settings (The settings those are set under computer configuration of this GPO will not take effect.)
• Disable user configuration settings (The settings those are set under User configuration of this GPO will not take effect.)
• Links (Displays the containers which have links to this GPO)
• Security (With security option you can set level of permissions and settings to the individual users and groups. Ex: If you want to disable this GPO to a particular user on this container, on security tab select that user and select the deny check box for apply the Group Policy. Then the GPO will not take effect to that user even though he is in that container.)

13. What will you see in the Group Policy snap in?

You will see two major portions, and under those you have sub portions, they are

• Computer Configuration
• Software settings
• Software installations
• Windows settings
• Administrative templates
• User configuration
• Software settings
• Software installations
• Windows settings
• Administrative templates

Note: Administrative templates are for modifying the registry of windows 2000 clients.

14. What is the hierarchy of Group Policy?

• Local policy
• Site Policy
• Domain Policy
• OU Policy
• Sub OU Policy (If any are there)

15. Who can create site level Group Policy?

Enterprise Admin

16. Who can create Domain lever Group Policy?

Domain Admin

17. Who can create Organization Unit lever Group Policy?

Domain Admin

18. Who can create Local Group Policy?

Local Administrator or Domain Administrator

19. What is the Refresh interval for Group Policy?

Refresh interval for Domain Controllers is 5 minutes, and the refresh interval for all other computers in the network is 45 minutes (this one doubt).

20. Why do we need to manage and control desktop environment?

• To decrease support time
• Eliminate potential for problems
• One standard environment to support
• Eliminate distractions
• To increase productivity

21. What is Group policy loop back process? How to set it?

Start –>programs –>Administrative tools –>Active Directory users and computers –>Right click on the container –>click on Group policy tab –>Click on edit –>click on Computer settings –>click on Administrative templates –>system –>Group policy –>click on User group policy loop back processing mode –> click OK –> Select enable

22. What are the players that are involved in deploying software?

• Group Policy: Within GP we specify that this software application gets installed to this particular computer or to this particular user.
• Active Directory: Group Policy will be applied somewhere in Active Directory.
• Microsoft Installer service
• Windows installer packages: The type of package that can be used by Group Policy to deploy applications is .msi packages i.e., Microsoft Installer packages.

23. What is the package that can be used to deploy software through Group Policy?

Windows installer packages (.msi files)

24. What is Microsoft installer service?

Microsoft Installer Service runs on the client machines in the Windows 2000 domain. It installs the minimum amount of an application, as you extend functionality it installs the remaining part of application. It is responsible for installing software in the client. It is also responsible for modifying, upgrading, applying service packs.

25. What is Local security policy, Domain security policy, and Domain controller security policy in the administrative tools?

• Local Security policy: This is group policy applied to local machine
• Domain Security Policy: Group Policy applied at domain level
• Domain Controller Security Policy: Group Policy applied at domain controller level.

26. What are the design considerations for Group policy?

The following should be considered for designing group policies.

• Minimize linking: Because there may be a chance deleting the original one with seeing who else are using this GPO. Minimizing linking for simplicity.
• Minimum number of GPO’s: Microsoft suggests that one GPO with 100 settings will process faster than 100 GPO’s each with one setting. This is for performance.
• Delegate
• Minimize filtering: To keep simple your environment, try to minimize filtering.

If you have more number of GPO’s for a container, whatever GPO is on top will be applied first. If you want, you can move GPO’s up and down.

If there is conflict between two GPO’s of same container, the last applied GPO will be effective. i.e., the bottom one will be effective.

What is group policy in active directory ? What are Group Policy objects (GPOs)?
Group Policy objects, other than the local Group Policy object, are virtual objects. The policy setting information of a GPO is actually stored in two locations: the Group Policy container and the Group Policy template.

The Group Policy container is an Active Directory container that stores GPO properties, including information on version, GPO status, and a list of components that have settings in the GPO.

The Group Policy template is a folder structure within the file system that stores Administrative Template-based policies, security settings, script files, and information regarding applications that are available for Group Policy Software Installation.
The Group Policy template is located in the system volume folder (Sysvol) in the Policies subfolder for its domain.

What is the order in which GPOs are applied ?
Group Policy settings are processed in the following order:
1.Local Group Policy object : Each computer has exactly one Group Policy object that is stored locally. This processes for both computer and user Group Policy processing.

2.Site : Any GPOs that have been linked to the site that the computer belongs to are processed next. Processing is in the order that is specified by the administrator, on the Linked Group Policy Objects tab for the site in Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). The GPO with the lowest link order is processed last, and therefore has the highest precedence.

3.Domain: Processing of multiple domain-linked GPOs is in the order specified by the administrator, on the Linked Group Policy Objects tab for the domain in GPMC. The GPO with the lowest link order is processed last, and therefore has the highest precedence.

4.Organizational units : GPOs that are linked to the organizational unit that is highest in the Active Directory hierarchy are processed first, then POs that are linked to its child organizational unit, and so on. Finally, the GPOs that are linked to the organizational unit that contains the user or computer are processed.

At the level of each organizational unit in the Active Directory hierarchy, one, many, or no GPOs can be linked. If several GPOs are linked to an organizational unit, their processing is in the order that is specified by the administrator, on the Linked Group Policy Objects tab for the organizational unit in GPMC.

The GPO with the lowest link order is processed last, and therefore has the highest precedence.
This order means that the local GPO is processed first, and GPOs that are linked to the organizational unit of which the computer or user is a direct member are processed last, which overwrites settings in the earlier GPOs if there are conflicts. (If there are no conflicts, then the earlier and later settings are merely aggregated.)

How to backup/restore Group Policy objects ?
Begin the process by logging on to a Windows Server 2008 domain controller, and opening the Group Policy Management console. Now, navigate through the console tree to Group Policy Management | Forest: | Domains | | Group Policy Objects.

When you do, the details pane should display all of the group policy objects that are associated with the domain. In Figure A there are only two group policy objects, but in a production environment you may have many more. The Group Policy Objects container stores all of the group policy objects for the domain.

Now, right-click on the Group Policy Objects container, and choose the Back Up All command from the shortcut menu. When you do, Windows will open the Back Up Group Policy Object dialog box.

As you can see in Figure B, this dialog box requires you to provide the path to which you want to store the backup files. You can either store the backups in a dedicated folder on a local drive, or you can place them in a folder on a mapped network drive. The dialog box also contains a Description field that you can use to provide a description of the backup that you are creating.

You must provide the path to which you want to store your backup of the group policy objects.
To initiate the backup process, just click the Back Up button. When the backup process completes, you should see a dialog box that tells you how many group policy objects were successfully backed up. Click OK to close the dialog box, and you’re all done.

When it comes to restoring a backup of any Group Policy Object, you have two options. The first option is to right-click on the Group Policy Object, and choose the Restore From Backup command from the shortcut menu. When you do this, Windows will remove all of the individual settings from the Group Policy Object, and then implement the settings found in the backup.

Your other option is to right-click on the Group Policy Object you want to restore, and choose the Import Settings option. This option works more like a merge than a restore.
Any settings that presently reside within the Group Policy Object are retained unless there is a contradictory settings within the file that is being imported.

You want to standardize the desktop environments (wallpaper, My Documents, Start menu, printers etc.) on the computers in one department. How would you do that?
go to Start->programs->Administrative tools->Active Directory Users and Computers
Right Click on Domain->click on preoperties
On New windows Click on Group Policy
Select Default Policy->click on Edit
on group Policy console
go to User Configuration->Administrative Template->Start menu and Taskbar
Select each property you want to modify and do the same

What?s the difference between software publishing and assigning?
Assign Users :The software application is advertised when the user logs on. It is installed when the user clicks on the software application icon via the start menu, or accesses a file that has been associated with the software application.

Assign Computers :The software application is advertised and installed when it is safe to do so, such as when the computer is next restarted.

Publish to users : The software application does not appear on the start menu or desktop. This means the user may not know that the software is available. The software application is made available via the Add/Remove Programs option in control panel, or by clicking on a file that has been associated with the application. Published applications do not reinstall themselves in the event of accidental deletion, and it is not possible to publish to computers.

What are administrative templates?
Administrative Templates are a feature of Group Policy, a Microsoft technology for centralised management of machines and users in an Active Directory environment. Administrative Templates facilitate the management of registry-based policy. An ADM file is used to describe both the user interface presented to the Group Policy administrator and the registry keys that should be updated on the target machines.

An ADM file is a text file with a specific syntax which describes both the interface and the registry values which will be changed if the policy is enabled or disabled.

ADM files are consumed by the Group Policy Object Editor (GPEdit). Windows XP Service Pack 2 shipped with five ADM files (system.adm, inetres.adm, wmplayer.adm, conf.adm and wuau.adm). These are merged into a unified “namespace” in GPEdit and presented to the administrator under the Administrative Templates node (for both machine and user policy).

Can I deploy non-MSI software with GPO?
create the fiile in .zap extension.

Name some GPO settings in the computer and user parts ?
Group Policy Object (GPO) computer=Computer Configuration, User=User ConfigurationName some GPO settings in the computer and user parts.

A user claims he did not receive a GPO, yet his user and computer accounts are in the right OU, and everyone else there gets the GPO. What will you look for?
make sure user not be member of loopback policy as in loopback policy it doesn’t effect user settings only computer policy will applicable. if he is member of gpo filter grp or not?
You may also want to check the computers event logs. If you find event ID 1085 then you may want to download the patch to fix this and reboot the computer.

How can I override blocking of inheritance ?

What can I do to prevent inheritance from above?

Name a few benefits of using GPMC.

How frequently is the client policy refreshed ?
90 minutes give or take.

Where is secedit ?
It’s now gpupdate.

What can be restricted on Windows Server 2003 that wasn’t there in previous products ?
Group Policy in Windows Server 2003 determines a users right to modify network and dial-up TCP/IP properties. Users may be selectively restricted from modifying their IP address and other network configuration parameters.

You want to create a new group policy but do not wish to inherit.
Make sure you check Block inheritance among the options when creating the policy.

How does the Group Policy ‘No Override’ and ‘Block Inheritance’ work ?

Group Policies can be applied at multiple levels (Sites, domains, organizational Units) and multiple GP’s for each level. Obviously it may be that some policy settings conflict hence the application order of Site – Domain – Organization Unit and within each layer you set order for all defined policies but you may want to force some polices to never be overridden (No Override) and you may want some containers to not inherit settings from a parent container (Block Inheritance).

A good definition of each is as follows:

No Override – This prevents child containers from overriding policies set at higher levels

Block Inheritance – Stops containers inheriting policies from parent containers

No Override takes precedence over Block Inheritance so if a child container has Block Inheritance set but on the parent a group policy has No Override set then it will get applied.

Also the highest No Override takes precedence over lower No Override’s set.

To block inheritance perform the following:

1. Start the Active Directory Users and Computer snap-in (Start – Programs – Administrative Tools – Active Directory Users and Computers)
2. Right click on the container you wish to stop inheriting settings from its parent and select
3. Select the ‘Group Policy’ tab
4. Check the ‘Block Policy inheritance’ option
5. Click Apply then OK

To set a policy to never be overridden perform the following:

1. Start the Active Directory Users and Computer snap-in (Start – – Administrative Tools – Active Directory Users and Computers)
2. Right click on the container you wish to set a Group Policy to not be overridden and select Properties
3. Select the ‘Group Policy’ tab
4. Click Options
5. Check the ‘No Override’ option
6. Click OK
7. Click Apply then OK

Useful Active Directory Questions and Answers

1.      What is Active Directory ?
Active Directory is a Meta Data. Active Directory is a data base which store a data base like your user information, computer information and also other network object info. It has capabilities to manage and administor the complite Network which connect with AD.

2.      What is domain ?
Windows NT and Windows 2000, a domain is a set of network resources (applications, printers, and so forth) for a group of users. The user need only to log in to the domain to gain access to the resources, which may be located on a number of different servers in the network. The 'domain' is simply your computer address not to confused with an URL. A domain address might look something like 211.170.469.

3.      What is domain controller ?
A Domain controller (DC) is a server that responds to security authentication requests (logging in, checking permissions, etc.) within the Windows Server domain. A domain is a concept introduced in Windows NT whereby a user may be granted access to a number of computer resources with the use of a single username and password combination.

4.      What is LDAP ?
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol LDAP is the industry standard directory access protocol, making Active Directory widely accessible to management and query applications. Active Directory supports LDAPv3 and LDAPv2.

5.      What is KCC ?
KCC ( knowledge consistency checker ) is used to generate replication topology for inter site replication and for intrasitereplication.with in a site replication traffic is done via remote procedure calls over ip, while between site it is done through either RPC or SMTP.

6.      Where is the AD database held? What other folders are related to AD?
The AD data base is store in c:\windows\ntds\NTDS.DIT.

7.      What is the SYSVOL folder?
The sysVOL folder stores the server's copy of the domain's public files. The contents such as group policy, users etc of the sysvol folder are replicated to all domain controllers in the domain.

8.      What are the Windows Server 2003 keyboard shortcuts ?
Winkey opens or closes the Start menu. Winkey + BREAK displays the System Properties dialog box. Winkey + TAB moves the focus to the next application in the taskbar. Winkey + SHIFT + TAB moves the focus to the previous application in the taskbar. Winkey + B moves the focus to the notification area. Winkey + D shows the desktop. Winkey + E opens Windows Explorer showing My Computer. Winkey + F opens the Search panel. Winkey + CTRL + F opens the Search panel with Search for Computers module selected. Winkey + F1 opens Help. Winkey + M minimizes all. Winkey + SHIFT+ M undoes minimization. Winkey + R opens Run dialog. Winkey + U opens the Utility Manager. Winkey + L locks the computer.

9.      Where are the Windows NT Primary Domain Controller (PDC) and its Backup Domain Controller (BDC) in Server 2003 ?
The Active Directory replaces them. Now all domain controllers share a multimaster peer-to-peer read and write relationship that hosts copies of the Active Directory.

10.  I am trying to create a new universal user group. Why can’t I ?
Universal groups are allowed only in native-mode Windows Server 2003 environments. Native mode requires that all domain controllers be promoted to Windows Server 2003 Active Directory.

11.  What is LSDOU ?
 It’s group policy inheritance model, where the policies are applied toLocal machines, Sites, Domains and Organizational Units.

12.  Why doesn’t LSDOU work under Windows NT ?
If the NTConfig.pol file exist, it has the highest priority among the numerous policies.

13.  What’s the number of permitted unsuccessful logons on Administrator account? Unlimited. Remember, though, that it’s the Administrator account, not any account that’s part of the Administrators group.

14.  What’s the difference between guest accounts in Server 2003 and other editions?
 More restrictive in Windows Server 2003

15.  How many passwords by default are remembered when you check "Enforce Password History Remembered"?
User’s last 6 passwords.

16.  Can GC Server and Infrastructure place in single server If not explain why ?
No, As Infrastructure master does the same job as the GC. It does not work together.

17.  Which is service in your windows is responsible for replication of Domain controller to another domain controller.
KCC generates the replication topology.
Use SMTP / RPC to replicate changes.

18.  What Intrasite and IntersiteReplication ?
Intrasite is the replication with in the same site &intersite the replication between sites.

19.  What is lost & found folder in ADS ?
It’s the folder where you can find the objects missed due to conflict.
Ex: you created a user in OU which is deleted in other DC & when replication happed ADS didn’t find the OU then it will put that in Lost & Found Folder.

20.  What is Garbage collection ?
Garbage collection is the process of the online defragmentation of active directory. It happens every 12 Hours.

21.  What System State data contains ?
Contains Startup files,
Registry
Com + Registration Database
Memory Page file
System files
AD information
Cluster Service information
SYSVOL Folder

What is the difference between Windows 2000 Active Directory and Windows 2003 Active Directory? Is there any difference in 2000 Group Polices and 2003 Group Polices? What is meant by ADS and ADS services in Windows 2003?
Windows 2003 Active Directory introduced a number of new security features, as well as convenience features such as the ability to rename a domain controller and even an entire domain
Windows Server 2003 also introduced numerous changes to the default settings that can be affected by Group Policy - you can see a detailed list of each available setting and which OS is required to support it by downloading the Group Policy Settings Reference.

ADS stands for Automated Deployment Services, and is used to quickly roll out identically-configured servers in large-scale enterprise environments. You can get more information from the ADS homepage.

1.      I want to setup a DNS server and Active Directory domain. What do I do first? If I install the DNS service first and name the zone 'name.org' can I name the AD domain 'name.org' too?
Not only can you have a DNS zone and an Active Directory domain with the same name, it's actually the preferred way to go if at all possible. You can install and configure DNS before installing Active Directory, or you can allow the Active Directory Installation Wizard (dcpromo) itself install DNS on your server in the background.

2.      How do I determine if user accounts have local administrative access?
You can use the net localgroup administrators command on each workstation (probably in a login script so that it records its information to a central file for later review). This command will enumerate the members of the Administrators group on each machine you run it on. Alternately, you can use the Restricted Groups feature of Group Policy to restrict the membership of Administrators to only those users you want to belong.

3.      Why am I having trouble printing with XP domain users?
In most cases, the inability to print or access resources in situations like this one will boil down to an issue with name resolution, either DNS or WINS/NetBIOS. Be sure that your Windows XP clients' wireless connections are configured with the correct DNS and WINS name servers, as well as with the appropriate NetBIOS over TCP/IP settings. Compare your wireless settings to your wired LAN settings and look for any discrepancies that may indicate where the functional difference may lie.

4.      What is the ISTG? Who has that role by default?
Windows 2000 Domain controllers each create Active Directory Replication connection objects representing inbound replication from intra-site replication partners. For inter-site replication, one domain controller per site has the responsibility of evaluating the inter-site replication topology and creating Active Directory Replication Connection objects for appropriate bridgehead servers within its site. The domain controller in each site that owns this role is referred to as the Inter-Site Topology Generator (ISTG).

5.      What is difference between Server 2003 vs 2008?
1. Virtualization. (Windows Server 2008 introduces Hyper-V (V for Virtualization) but only on 64bit versions. More and more companies are seeing this as a way of reducing hardware costs by running several 'virtual' servers on one physical machine.)
2. Server Core (provides the minimum installation required to carry out a specific server role, such as for a DHCP, DNS or print server)
3. Better security.
4. Role-based installation.
5. Read Only Domain Controllers (RODC).
6. Enhanced terminal services.
7. Network Access Protection - Microsoft's system for ensuring that clients connecting to Server 2008 are patched, running a firewall and in compliance with corporate security policies.
8. PowerShell - Microsoft's command line shell and scripting language has proved popular with some server administrators.
9. IIS 7 .
10. Bitlocker - System drive encryption can be a sensible security measure for servers located in remote branch offices. br The main difference between 2003 and 2008 is Virtualization, management. 2008 has more in-build components and updated third party drivers.
11. Windows Aero.

6.      What are the requirements for installing AD on a new server?
1 The Domain structure.
2 The Domain Name .
3 storage location of the database and log file.
4 Location of the shared system volume folder.
5 DNS configMethode.
6 DNS configuration.

7.      What is LDP?
LDP : Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) is often used to establish MPLS LSPs when traffic engineering is not required. It establishes LSPs that follow the existing IP routing, and is particularly well suited for establishing a full mesh of LSPs between all of the routers on the network.

What are the Groups types available in active directory ?
Security groups: Use Security groups for granting permissions to gain access to resources. Sending an e-mail message to a group sends the message to all members of the group. Therefore security groups share the capabilities of distribution groups.

Distribution groups: Distribution groups are used for sending e-main messages to groups of users. You cannot grant permissions to security groups. Even though security groups have all the capabilities of distribution groups, distribution groups still requires, because some applications can only read distribution groups.

Explain about the groups scope in AD ?
Domain Local Group: Use this scope to grant permissions to domain resources that are located in the same domain in which you created the domain local group. Domain local groups can exist in all mixed, native and interim functional level of domains and forests. Domain local group memberships are not limited as you can add members as user accounts, universal and global groups from any domain. Just to remember, nesting cannot be done in domain local group. A domain local group will not be a member of another Domain Local or any other groups in the same domain.

Global Group: Users with similar function can be grouped under global scope and can be given permission to access a resource (like a printer or shared folder and files) available in local or another domain in same forest. To say in simple words, Global groups can be use to grant permissions to gain access to resources which are located in any domain but in a single forest as their memberships are limited. User accounts and global groups can be added only from the domain in which global group is created. Nesting is possible in Global groups within other groups as you can add a global group into another global group from any domain. Finally to provide permission to domain specific resources (like printers and published folder), they can be members of a Domain Local group. Global groups exist in all mixed, native and interim functional level of domains and forests.

Universal Group Scope: These groups are precisely used for email distribution and can be granted access to resources in all trusted domain as these groups can only be used as a security principal (security group type) in a windows 2000 native or windows server 2003 domain functional level domain. Universal group memberships are not limited like global groups. All domain user accounts and groups can be a member of universal group. Universal groups can be nested under a global or Domain Local group in any domain.

What is REPLMON ?
The Microsoft definition of the Replmon tool is as follows; This GUI tool enables administrators to view the low-level status of Active Directory replication, force synchronization between domain controllers, view the topology in a graphical format, and monitor the status and performance of domain controller replication.

What is ADSIEDIT ?
ADSIEDIT :ADSIEdit is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that acts as a low-level editor for Active Directory. It is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) tool. Network administrators can use it for common administrative tasks such as adding, deleting, and moving objects with a directory service. The attributes for each object can be edited or deleted by using this tool. ADSIEdit uses the ADSI application programming interfaces (APIs) to access Active Directory. The following are the required files for using this tool: ADSIEDIT.DLL ADSIEDIT.

What is NETDOM ?
NETDOM is a command-line tool that allows management of Windows domains and trust relationships. It is used for batch management of trusts, joining computers to domains, verifying trusts, and secure channels.

What is REPADMIN?
This command-line tool assists administrators in diagnosing replication problems between Windows domain controllers.Administrators can use Repadmin to view the replication topology (sometimes referred to as RepsFrom and RepsTo) as seen from the perspective of each domain controller. In addition, Repadmin can be used to manually create the replication topology (although in normal practice this should not be necessary), to force replication events between domain controllers, and to view both the replication metadata and up-to-dateness vectors.

How to take backup of AD ?
For taking backup of active directory you have to do this : first go START - PROGRAM -ACCESORIES - SYSTEM TOOLS - BACKUP OR Open run window and ntbackup and take systemstate backup when the backup screen is flash then take the backup of SYSTEM STATE it will take the backup of all the necessary information about the syatem including AD backup , DNS ETC.

What are the DS* commands ?
The following DS commands: the DS family built in utility .
DSmod - modify Active Directory attributes.
DSrm - to delete Active Directory objects.
DSmove - to relocate objects
DSadd - create new accounts
DSquery - to find objects that match your query attributes.
DSget - list the properties of an object

What are the requirements for installing AD on a new server?
An NTFS partition with enough free space.
An Administrator's username and password.
The correct operating system version.
A NIC Properly configured TCP/IP (IP address, subnet mask and - optional - default gateway).
A network connection (to a hub or to another computer via a crossover cable) .
An operational DNS server (which can be installed on the DC itself) .
A Domain name that you want to use .
The Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 CD media (or at least the i386 folder) .

Explain about Trust in AD ?
To allow users in one domain to access resources in another, Active Directory uses trusts. Trusts inside a forest are automatically created when domains are created.

The forest sets the default boundaries of trust, not the domain, and implicit, transitive trust is automatic for all domains within a forest. As well as two-way transitive trust, AD trusts can be a shortcut (joins two domains in different trees, transitive, one- or two-way), forest (transitive, one- or two-way), realm (transitive or nontransitive, one- or two-way), or external (nontransitive, one- or two-way) in order to connect to other forests or non-AD domains.

Trusts in Windows 2000 (native mode)
One-way trust – One domain allows access to users on another domain, but the other domain does not allow access to users on the first domain.
Two-way trust – Two domains allow access to users on both domains.
Trusting domain – The domain that allows access to users from a trusted domain.
Trusted domain – The domain that is trusted; whose users have access to the trusting domain.
Transitive trust – A trust that can extend beyond two domains to other trusted domains in the forest.
Intransitive trust – A one way trust that does not extend beyond two domains.
Explicit trust – A trust that an admin creates. It is not transitive and is one way only.
Cross-link trust – An explicit trust between domains in different trees or in the same tree when a descendant/ancestor (child/parent) relationship does not exist between the two domains.
Windows 2000 Server – supports the following types of trusts:
Two-way transitive trusts.
One-way intransitive trusts.
Additional trusts can be created by administrators. These trusts can be:
Shortcut
Windows Server 2003 offers a new trust type – the forest root trust. This type of trust can be used to connect Windows Server 2003 forests if they are operating at the 2003 forest functional level. Authentication across this type of trust is Kerberos based (as opposed to NTLM). Forest trusts are also transitive for all the domains in the forests that are trusted. Forest trusts, however, are not transitive.

Difference between LDIFDE and CSVDE?
CSVDE is a command that can be used to import and export objects to and from the AD into a CSV-formatted file. A CSV (Comma Separated Value) file is a file easily readable in Excel. I will not go to length into this powerful command, but I will show you some basic samples of how to import a large number of users into your AD. Of course, as with the DSADD command, CSVDE can do more than just import users. Consult your help file for more info.

LDIFDE is a command that can be used to import and export objects to and from the AD into a LDIF-formatted file. A LDIF (LDAP Data Interchange Format) file is a file easily readable in any text editor, however it is not readable in programs like Excel. The major difference between CSVDE and LDIFDE (besides the file format) is the fact that LDIFDE can be used to edit and delete existing AD objects (not just users), while CSVDE can only import and export objects.

What is tombstone lifetime attribute ?
The number of days before a deleted object is removed from the directory services. This assists in removing objects from replicated servers and preventing restores from reintroducing a deleted object. This value is in the Directory Service object in the configuration NIC.

What are application partitions? When do I use them ?
AN application diretcory partition is a directory partition that is replicated only to specific domain controller.Only domain controller running windows Server 2003 can host a replica of application directory partition.
Using an application directory partition provides redundany,availability or fault tolerance by replicating data to specific domain controller pr any set of domain controllers anywhere in the forest.

How do you create a new application partition ?
Use the DnsCmd command to create an application directory partition.
To do this, use the following syntax:
DnsCmdServerName /CreateDirectoryPartition FQDN of partition

How do you view all the GCs in the forest?
C:\repadmin /showrepsdomain_controller where domain_controller is the DC you want to query to determine whether it?s a GC.
The output will include the text DSA Options: IS_GC if the DC is a GC.

Can you connect Active Directory to other 3rd-party Directory Services? Name a few options.
Yes, you can use dirXML or LDAP to connect to other directories.
In Novell you can use E-directory.

What is IPSec Policy
IPSec provides secure gateway-to-gateway connections across outsourced private wide area network (WAN) or Internet-based connections using L2TP/IPSec tunnels or pure IPSec tunnel mode. IPSec Policy can be deployed via Group policy to the Windows Domain controllers 7 Servers.

What are the different types of Terminal Services ?
User Mode & Application Mode.

What is RsOP
RsOP is the resultant set of policy applied on the object (Group Policy).

What is the System Startup process ?
Windows 2K boot process on a Intel architecture.

Power-On Self Tests (POST) are run.

The boot device is found, the Master Boot Record (MBR) is loaded into memory, and its program is run.

The active partition is located, and the boot sector is loaded.

The Windows 2000 loader (NTLDR) is then loaded.

The boot sequence executes the following steps:

The Windows 2000 loader switches the processor to the 32-bit flat memory model.

The Windows 2000 loader starts a mini-file system.

The Windows 2000 loader reads the BOOT.INI file and displays the operating system selections (boot loader menu).

The Windows 2000 loader loads the operating system selected by the user. If Windows 2000 is selected, NTLDR runs NTDETECT.COM. For other operating systems, NTLDR loads BOOTSECT.DOS and gives it control.

NTDETECT.COM scans the hardware installed in the computer, and reports the list to NTLDR for inclusion in the Registry under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_HARDWARE hive.

NTLDR then loads the NTOSKRNL.EXE, and gives it the hardware information collected by NTDETECT.COM. Windows NT enters the Windows load phases.

How do you change the DS Restore admin password ?

In Windows 2000 Server, you used to have to boot the computer whose password you wanted to change in Directory Restore mode, then use either the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Local User and Groups snap-in or the command net user administrator * to change the Administrator password.
Win2K Server Service Pack 2 (SP2) introduced the Setpwd utility, which lets you reset the Directory Service Restore Mode password without having to reboot the computer. (Microsoft refreshed Setpwd in SP4 to improve the utility?s scripting options.)

In Windows Server 2003, you use the Ntdsutil utility to modify the Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator password.

To do so, follow these steps:
1. Start Ntdsutil (click Start, Run; enter cmd.exe; then enter ntdsutil.exe).
2. Start the Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator password-reset utility by entering the argument ?set dsrm password? at the ntdsutil prompt: ntdsutil: set dsrm password.
3. Run the Reset Password command, passing the name of the server on which to change the password, or use the null argument to specify the local machine.
For example, to reset the password on server testing, enter the following argument at the Reset DSRM Administrator Password prompt: Reset DSRM Administrator Password: reset password on server testing

To reset the password on the local machine, specify null as the server name:
Reset DSRM Administrator Password: reset password on server null

You?ll be prompted twice to enter the new password. You?ll see the following messages:
5. Please type password for DS Restore Mode Administrator Account:
6. Please confirm new password:
Password has been set successfully.
7. Exit the password-reset utility by typing ?quit? at the following prompts:
8. Reset DSRM Administrator Password: quit
ntdsutil: quit

I am upgrading from NT to 2003. The only things that are NT are the PDC and BDCs; everything else is 2000 or 2003 member servers. My question is, when I upgrade my NT domain controllers to 2003, will I need to do anything else to my Windows 2000/2003 member servers that were in the NT domain?
Your existing member servers, regardless of operating system, will simply become member servers in your upgraded AD domain. If you will be using Organizational Units and Group Policy (and I hope you are), you'll probably want to move them to a specific OU for administration and policy application, since they'll be in the default "Computers" container immediately following the upgrade.

8.      How do I use Registry keys to remove a user from a group?
In Windows Server 2003, you can use the dsmod command-line utility with the -delmbr switch to remove a group member from the command line. You should also look into the freeware utilities available from www.joeware.net .ADFind and ADMod are indispensable tools in my arsenal when it comes to searching and modifying Active Directory.

9.      Why are my NT4 clients failing to connect to the Windows 2000 domain?
Since NT4 relies on NetBIOS for name resolution, verify that your WINS server (you do have a WINS server running, yes?) contains the records that you expect for the 2000 domain controller, and that your clients have the correct address configured for the WINS server.

How to add your first Windows 2003 DC to an existing Windows 2000 domain ?

The first step is to install Windows 2003 on your new DC. This is a straighforward process, so we aren?t going to discuss that here.

Because significant changes have been made to the Active Directory schema in Windows 2003, we need to make our Windows 2000 Active Directory compatible with the new version. If you already have Windows 2003 DCs running with Windows 2000 DCs, then you can skip down to the part about DNS.

Before you attempt this step, you should make sure that you have service pack 4 installed on your Windows 2000 DC. Next, make sure that you are logged in as a user that is a member of the Schema Admin and Enterprise Admin groups.

Next, insert the Windows 2003 Server installation CD into the Windows 2000 Server.
Bring up a command line and change directories to the I386 directory on the installation CD. At the command prompt, type: Code :
adprep /forestprep After running this command, make sure that the updates have been replicated to all existing Windows 2000 DCs in the forest. Next, we need to run the following command: Code :adprep /domainprep

The above command must be run on the Infrastructure Master of the domain by someone who is a member of the Domain Admins group.
Once this is complete, we move back to the Windows 2003 Server. Click ?start? then ?run? - type in dcpromo and click OK. During the ensuing wizard, make sure that you select that you are adding this DC to an existing domain.
After this process is complete, the server will reboot. When it comes back online, check and make sure that the AD database has been replicated to your new server.
Next, you will want to check and make sure that DNS was installed on your new server.

If not, go to the control panel,
click on ?Add or Remove Programs?, and click the ?Add/Remove Windows Components? button.
In the Windows Components screen, click on ?Networking Services? and click the details button.

In the new window check ?Domain Name System (DNS)? and then click the OK button. Click ?Next? in the Windows Components screen.
This will install DNS and the server will reboot. After reboot, pull up the DNS Management window and make sure that your DNS settings have replicated from the Windows 2000 Server. You will need to re-enter any forwarders or other properties you had set up, but the DNS records should replicate on their own.

The next 2 items, global catalog and FSMO roles, are important if you plan on decomissioning your Windows 2000 server(s). If this is the case, you need to tansfer the global catalog from the old server to the new one.

First, let?s create a global catalog on our new server. Here are the steps:

10.  On the domain controller where you want the new global catalog, start the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in.
To start the snap-in, click ?Start?, point to ?Programs?, point to ?Administrative Tools?, and then click ?Active Directory Sites and Services?.
2. In the console tree, double-click ?Sites?, and then double-click ?sitename?.

3. Double-click ?Servers?, click your domain controller, right-click ?NTDS Settings?, and then click ?Properties?.
4. On the General tab, click to select the Global catalog check box to assign the role of global catalog to this server.
5. Restart the domain controller.

11.  Make sure you allow sufficient time for the account and the schema information to replicate to the new global catalog server before you remove the global catalog from the original DC or take the DC offline.

12.  After this is complete, you will want to transfer or seize the FSMO roles for your new server.
For instructions, read Using Ntdsutil.exe to transfer or seize FSMO roles to a domain controller.
After this step is complete, we can now run DCPROMO on the Windows 2000 Servers in order to demote them.

13.  Once this is complete, copy over any files you need to your new server and you should have successfully replaced your Windows 2000 server(s) with a new Windows 2003 server.

How do you view replication properties for AD partitions and DCs?
By using replication monitor
go to start  run  type repadmin
go to start  run  type replmon

Why can't you restore a DC that was backed up 4 months ago?
Because of the tombstone life which is set to only 60 days.

Different modes of AD restore ?
A nonauthoritative restore is the default method for restoring Active Directory. To perform a nonauthoritative restore, you must be able to start the domain controller in Directory Services Restore Mode. After you restore the domain controller from backup, replication partners use the standard replication protocols to update Active Directory and associated information on the restored domain controller.

An authoritative restore brings a domain or a container back to the state it was in at the time of backup and overwrites all changes made since the backup. If you do not want to replicate the changes that have been made subsequent to the last backup operation, you must perform an authoritative restore. In this one needs to stop the inbound replication first before performing the An authoritative restore.

How do you configure a stand-by operation master for any of the roles?
# Open Active Directory Sites and Services.
# Expand the site name in which the standby operations master is located to display the Servers folder.
# Expand the Servers folder to see a list of the servers in that site.
# Expand the name of the server that you want to be the standby operations master to display its NTDS Settings.
# Right-click NTDS Settings, click New, and then click Connection.
# In the Find Domain Controllers dialog box, select the name of the current role holder, and then click OK.
# In the New Object-Connection dialog box, enter an appropriate name for the Connection object or accept the default name, and click OK.

14.  What's the difference between transferring a FSMO role and seizing ?
Seizing an FSMO can be a destructive process and should only be attempted if the existing server with the FSMO is no longer available.

15.  If you perform a seizure of the FSMO roles from a DC, you need to ensure two things:
the current holder is actually dead and offline, and that the old DC will NEVER return to the network. If you do an FSMO role Seize and then bring the previous holder back online, you'll have a problem.

16.  An FSMO role TRANSFER is the graceful movement of the roles from a live, working DC to another live DC During the process, the current DC holding the role(s) is updated, so it becomes aware it is no longer the role holder

17.  I want to look at the RID allocation table for a DC. What do I do?
dcdiag /test:ridmanager /s:servername /v (servername is the name of our DC)

18.  What is BridgeHead Server in AD ?
A bridgehead server is a domain controller in each site, which is used as a contact point to receive and replicate data between sites. For intersite replication, KCC designates one of the domain controllers as a bridgehead server. In case the server is down, KCC designates another one from the domain controller. When a bridgehead server receives replication updates from another site, it replicates the data to the other domain controllers within its site.

What is the default size of ntds.dit ?
10 MB in Server 2000 and 12 MB in Server 2003 .

Where is the AD database held and What are other folders related to AD ?
AD Database is saved in %systemroot%/ntds. You can see other files also in this folder. These are the main files controlling the AD structure.

ntds.dit
edb.log
res1.log
res2.log
edb.chk

When a change is made to the Win2K database, triggering a write operation, Win2K records the transaction in the log file (edb.log). Once written to the log file, the change is then written to the AD database. System performance determines how fast the system writes the data to the AD database from the log file. Any time the system is shut down, all transactions are saved to the database.

During the installation of AD, Windows creates two files: res1.log and res2.log. The initial size of each is 10MB. These files are used to ensure that changes can be written to disk should the system run out of free disk space. The checkpoint file (edb.chk) records transactions committed to the AD database (ntds.dit). During shutdown, a "shutdown" statement is written to the edb.chk file.

Then, during a reboot, AD determines that all transactions in the edb.log file have been committed to the AD database. If, for some reason, the edb.chk file doesn't exist on reboot or the shutdown statement isn't present, AD will use the edb.log file to update the AD database. The last file in our list of files to know is the AD database itself, ntds.dit. By default, the file is located in\NTDS, along with the other files we've discussed

What FSMO placement considerations do you know of ?
Windows 2000/2003 Active Directory domains utilize a Single Operation Master method called FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operation), as described in Understanding FSMO Roles in Active Directory.

In most cases an administrator can keep the FSMO role holders (all 5 of them) in the same spot (or actually, on the same DC) as has been configured by the Active Directory installation process.

However, there are scenarios where an administrator would want to move one or more of the FSMO roles from the default holder DC to a different DC.
Windows Server 2003 Active Directory is a bit different than the Windows 2000 version when dealing with FSMO placement.

In this article I will only deal with Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, but you should bear in mind that most considerations are also true when planning Windows 2000 AD FSMO roles

What do you do to install a new Windows 2003 R2 DC in a Windows 2003 AD?
If you're installing Windows 2003 R2 on an existing Windows 2003 server with SP1 installed, you require only the second R2 CD-ROM.

Insert the second CD and the r2auto.exe will display the Windows 2003 R2 Continue Setup screen. If you're installing R2 on a domain controller (DC), you must first upgrade the schema to the R2 version (this is a minor change and mostly related to the new Dfsreplication engine).

To update the schema, run the Adprep utility, which you'll find in the Components\r2\adprep folder on the second CD-ROM.
Before running this command, ensure all DCs are running Windows 2003 or Windows 2000 with SP2 (or later).

Here's a sample execution of the Adprep /forestprep
command:
D:\CMPNENTS\R2\ADPREPadprep /forestprep
ADPREP WARNING:
Before running adprep, all Windows 2000 domain controllers in the forest should be upgraded to Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 (SP1) with QFE 265089, or to Windows 2000 SP2 (or later).

QFE 265089 (included in Windows 2000 SP2 and later) is required to prevent potential domain controller corruption.
[User Action] If ALL your existing Windows 2000 domain controllers meet this requirement, type C and then press ENTER to continue. Otherwise, type any other key and press ENT ER to quit.
C Opened Connection to SAV

DALDC01 SSPI Bind succeeded Current Schema Version is 30 Upgrading schema to version 31 Connecting to "SAVDALDC01" Logging in as current user using SSPI Importing directory from file "C:\WINDOWS\system32\sch31.ldf" Loading entries... 139 entries modified successfully.

The command has completed successfully Adprep successfully updated the forest-wide information.
After running Adprep, install R2 by performing these steps:

Click the "Continue Windows Server 2003 R2 Setup" link, as the figureshows.
2. At the "Welcome to the Windows Server 2003 R2 Setup Wizard" screen, click Next.
3. You'll be prompted to enter an R2 CD key (this is different from your existing Windows 2003 keys) if the underlying OS wasn't installed from R2 media (e.g., a regular Windows 2003 SP1 installation).
Enter the R2 key and click Next. Note: The license key entered for R2 must match the underlying OS type, which means if you installed Windows 2003 using a volume-license version key, then you can't use a retail or Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) R2 key.
4. You'll see the setup summary screen which confirms the actions to be performed (e.g., Copy files). Click Next.
5. After the installation is complete, you'll see a confirmation dialog box. Click Finish

What is OU ?
Organization Unit is a container object in which you can keep objects such as user accounts, groups, computer, printer .applications and other (OU).
In organization unit you can assign specific permission to the user's. organization unit can also be used to create departmental limitation.

Name some OU design considerations ?
OU design requires balancing requirements for delegating administrative rights - independent of Group Policy needs - and the need to scope the application of Group Policy.

The following OU design recommendations address delegation and scope issues:
Applying Group Policy An OU is the lowest-level Active Directory container to which you can assign Group Policy settings.
Delegating administrative authority
usually don't go more than 3 OU levels
What is sites ? What are they used for ?
One or more well-connected (highly reliable and fast) TCP/IP subnets.
A site allows administrators to configure Active Directory access and replication topology to take advantage of the physical network.

A Site object in Active Directory represents a physical geographic location that hosts networks. Sites contain objects called Subnets.

Sites can be used to Assign Group Policy Objects, facilitate the discovery of resources, manage active directory replication, and manage network link traffic.
Sites can be linked to other Sites. Site-linked objects may be assigned a cost value that represents the speed, reliability, availability, or other real property of a physical resource. Site Links may also be assigned a schedule.

Trying to look at the Schema, how can I do that ?
register schmmgmt.dll using this command
c:\windows\system32regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll
Open mmc -- add snapin -- add Active directory schema
name it as schema.msc
Open administrative tool -- schema.msc

19.  What is the port no of Kerbrose ?
88

20.  What is the port no of Global catalog ?
3268

21.  What is the port no of LDAP ?
389

22.  Explain Active Directory Schema ?
Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 Active Directory uses a database set of rules called "Schema". The Schema is defines as the formal definition of all object classes, and the attributes that make up those object classes, that can be stored in the directory. As mentioned earlier, the Active Directory database includes a default Schema, which defines many object classes, such as users, groups, computers, domains, organizational units, and so on.

23.  These objects are also known as "Classes". The Active Directory Schema can be dynamically extensible, meaning that you can modify the schema by defining new object types and their attributes and by defining new attributes for existing objects. You can do this either with the Schema Manager snap-in tool included with Windows 2000/2003 Server, or programmatically.

How can you forcibly remove AD from a server, and what do you do later? ? Can I get user passwords from the AD database?
Dcpromo /forceremoval , an administrator can forcibly remove Active Directory and roll back the system without having to contact or replicate any locally held changes to another DC in the forest. Reboot the server then After you use the dcpromo /forceremoval command, all the remaining metadata for the demoted DC is not deleted on the surviving domain controllers, and therefore you must manually remove it by using the NTDSUTIL command.

In the event that the NTDS Settings object is not removed correctly you can use the Ntdsutil.exe utility to manually remove the NTDS Settings object. You will need the following tool: Ntdsutil.exe, Active Directory Sites and Services, Active Directory Users and Computers

What are the FSMO roles? Who has them by default? What happens when each one fails?
Flexible Single Master Operation (FSMO) role. Currently there are five FSMO roles:
Schema master
Domain naming master
RID master
PDC emulator
Infrastructure master

24.  What is domain tree ?
Domain Trees: A domain tree comprises several domains that share a common schema and configuration, forming a contiguous namespace. Domains in a tree are also linked together by trust relationships. Active Directory is a set of one or more trees.
Trees can be viewed two ways. One view is the trust relationships between domains. The other view is the namespace of the domain tree.

25.  What is forests ?
A collection of one or more domain trees with a common schema and implicit trust relationships between them. This arrangement would be used if you have multiple root DNS addresses.

26.  How to Select the Appropriate Restore Method ?
You select the appropriate restore method by considering:
Circumstances and characteristics of the failure. The two major categories of failure, From an Active Directory perspective, are Active Directory data corruption and hardware failure.

27.  Active Directory data corruption occurs when the directory contains corrupt data that has been replicated to all domain controllers or when a large portion of the Active Directory hierarchy has been changed accidentally (such as deletion of an OU) and this change has replicated to other domain controllers.

Where are the Windows NT Primary Domain Controller (PDC) and its Backup Domain Controller (BDC) in Server 2003?
The Active Directory replaces them. Now all domain controllers share a multimaster peer-to-peer read and write relationship that hosts copies of the Active Directory.

What is Global Catalog?
The Global Catalog authenticates network user logons and fields inquiries about objects across a forest or tree. Every domain has at least one GC that is hosted on a domain controller. In Windows 2000, there was typically one GC on every site in order to prevent user logon failures across the network.

How long does it take for security changes to be replicated among the domain controllers?
Security-related modifications are replicated within a site immediately. These changes include account and individual user lockout policies, changes to password policies, changes to computer account passwords, and modifications to the Local Security Authority (LSA).

28.  When should you create a forest?
Organizations that operate on radically different bases may require separate trees with distinct namespaces. Unique trade or brand names often give rise to separate DNS identities. Organizations merge or are acquired and naming continuity is desired. Organizations form partnerships and joint ventures. While access to common resources is desired, a separately defined tree can enforce more direct administrative and security restrictions.

29.  Describe the process of working with an external domain name ?
If it is not possible for you to configure your internal domain as a subdomain of your external domain, use a stand-alone internal domain. This way, your internal and external domain names are unrelated. For example, an organization that uses the domain name contoso.com for their external namespace uses the name corp.internal for their internal namespace.

30.  The advantage to this approach is that it provides you with a unique internal domain name. The disadvantage is that this configuration requires you to manage two separate namespaces. Also, using a stand-alone internal domain that is unrelated to your external domain might create confusion for users because the namespaces do not reflect a relationship between resources within and outside of your network.

31.  In addition, you might have to register two DNS names with an Internet name authority if you want to make the internal domain publicly accessible.

32.  How do you view all the GCs in the forest?

33.  C:\repadmin /showreps
domain_controller

34.  OR
You can use Replmon.exe for the same purpose.
OR
AD Sites and Services and nslookupgc._msdcs.

35.  To find the in GC from the command line you can try using DSQUERY command.
dsquery server -isgc to find all the GC’s in the forest
you can try dsquery server -forest -isgc.

Latest Active Directory Interview Questions

What are the physical components of Active Directory ?

Domain controllers and Sites. Domain controllers are physical computers which is running Windows Server operating system and Active Directory data base. Sites are a network segment based on geographical location and which contains multiple domain controllers in each site.

What are the logical components of Active Directory ?

Domains, Organizational Units, trees and forests are logical components of Active Directory.

What are the Active Directory Partitions ?

Active Directory database is divided into different partitions such as Schema partition, Domain partition, and Configuration partition. Apart from these partitions, we can create Application partition based on the requirement.

What is group nesting ?

Adding one group as a member of another group is called 'group nesting'. This will help for easy administration and reduced replication traffic.

What is the feature of Domain Local Group ?

Domain local groups are mainly used for granting access to network resources.A Domain local group can contain accounts from any domain, global groups from any domain and universal groups from any domain. For example, if you want to grant permission to a printer located at Domain A, to 10 users from Domain B, then create a Global group in Domain B and add all 10 users into that Global group. Then, create a Domain local group at Domain A, and add Global group of Domain B to Domain local group of Domain A, then, add Domain local group of Domain A to the printer(of Domain A) security ACL.

How will you take Active Directory backup ?

Active Directory is backed up along with System State data. System state data includes Local registry, COM+, Boot files, NTDS.DIT and SYSVOL folder. System state can be backed up either using Microsoft's default NTBACKUP tool or third party tools such as SymantechNetBackup, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager etc.

What is Lost and Found Container ?

In multimaster replication method, replication conflicts can happen. Objects with replication conflicts will be stored in a container called 'Lost and Found' container. This container also used to store orphaned user accounts and other objects.

Do we use clustering in Active Directory ?Why ?

No one installs Active Directory in a cluster. There is no need of clustering a domain controller. Because Active Directory provides total redundancy with two or more servers.

What is Active Directory Recycle Bin ?

Active Directory Recycle bin is  a feature of Windows Server 2008 AD. It helps to restore accidentally deleted Active Directory objects without using a backed up AD database, rebooting domain controller or restarting any services.

What is RODC ? Why do we configure RODC ?

Read only domain controller (RODC) is a feature of Windows Server 2008 Operating System. RODC is a read only copy of Active Directory database and it can be deployed in a remote branch office where physical security cannot be guaranteed. RODC provides more improved security and faster log on time for the branch office.

How do you check currently forest and domain functional levels? Say both GUI and Command line.

To find out forest and domain functional levels in GUI mode, open ADUC, right click on the domain name and take properties. Both domain and forest functional levels will be listed there. TO find out forest and domain functional levels, you can use DSQUERY command.

Which version of Kerberos is used for Windows 2000/2003 and 2008 Active Directory ?

All versions of Windows Server Active Directory use Kerberos 5.

Name few port numbers related to Active Directory ?

Kerberos 88, LDAP 389, DNS 53, SMB 445

What is an FQDN ?

FQDN can be expanded as Fully Qualified Domain Name.It is a hierarchy of a domain name system which points to a device in the domain at its left most end. For example in system.

Have you heard of ADAC ?

ADAC- Active Directory Administrative Center is a new GUI tool came with Windows Server 2008 R2, which provides enhanced data management experience to the admin. ADAC helps administrators to perform common Active Directory object management task across multiple domains with the same ADAC instance.

How many objects can be created in Active Directory? (both 2003 and 2008)

As per Microsoft, a single AD domain controller can create around 2.15 billion objects during its lifetime.

explain the process between a user providing his Domain credential to his workstation and the desktop being loaded? Or how the AD authentication works ?

When a user enters a user name and password, the computer sends the user name to the KDC. The KDC contains a master database of unique long term keys for every principal in its realm. The KDC looks up the user's master key (KA), which is based on the user's password. The KDC then creates two items: a session key (SA) to share with the user and a Ticket-Granting Ticket (TGT). The TGT includes a second copy of the SA, the user name, and an expiration time. The KDC encrypts this ticket by using its own master key (KKDC), which only the KDC knows. The client computer receives the information from the KDC and runs the user's password through a one-way hashing function, which converts the password into the user's KA. The client computer now has a session key and a TGT so that it can securely communicate with the KDC. The client is now authenticated to the domain and is ready to access other resources in the domain by using the Kerberos protocol.

What Is Urgent Replication And When Is It Used ?

You probably know how Active Directory core replication works. When there’s an object changed, the source DC, the one that serviced the change request, notifies it’s direct replication neighbours that there was a change to some object. The neighbors then start the replication process by requesting the changes made since the last replication.

Important to know is, that there is a “notification delay” between the actual change to the objects in the directory and the notification sent to the replication partners. Server 2003 DCs wait 15 seconds before they fire out the change notification. This delay is there to onlysend one change notification once the change transaction to the object is done. If there are multiple changes made to an object, let’s say the phone number, the home town and the employeeID of a user and the changes were made in 1 second delay each, we only send one change notification for those three changes. If there was no notification delay and we waited a second between the changes to a user’s attributes, the source DC were sending three change notifications to its partners. Too much traffic there! Note that the default change notificaction delay in Windows 2000 was 5 minutes (the numbers may differ depending on installation type (upgrade from 2000 to 2003, forest functional level, …).

Given that fact, one can think of several scenarios which may lead to “problem” since the change to the directory is not replicated right away: user Password changes, user lockout, Password Policy changed,…

For this reason, there’s urgent replication. Urgent replication works in the same way “normal” replication does, but has no notification delay of a few seconds/minutes. That makes “urgent” changes that need to be distributed thrughout the sites and DCs to get more quickly to all edges. Urgent replication takes place in the following cases:

The Password Policy or account lockout policy of a domain has changed

The LSA secret has changed (that’s used for the “secure channels” between machines and DCs and trusts)

a user or computer is locked out due to a failed logon attempt (in this case, the urgent replication is used to notify the DC with the PDC emulator role first and then to all others)

the RID master has changed

So — if one of the mentioned events take place, urgent replication takes place and there’s no notification delay prior to change notification of neighbour DCs.

Which FSMO role directly impacting the consistency of Group Policy ?

PDC Emulator.

I want to promote a new additional Domain Controller in an existing domain. Which are the groups I should be a member of ?

You should be a member of Enterprise Admins group or the Domain Admins group. Also you should be member of local Administrators group of the member server which you are going to promote as additional Domain Controller.

Tell me one easiest way to check all the 5 FSMO roles ?

Use netdom query /domain:YourDomain FSMO command. It will list all the FSMO role handling domain controllers.

What is Realm trust ?
Use realm trusts to form a trust relationship between a non-Windows Kerberos realm and an Active Directory domain.

Name few Active Directory Built in groups

SID: S-1-5-32-544 - Name: Administrators - Description: A built-in group. After the initial installation of the operating system, the only member of the group is the Administrator account. When a computer joins a domain, the Domain Admins group is added to the Administrators group. When a server becomes a domain controller, the Enterprise Admins group also is added to the Administrators group.

SID: S-1-5-32-548 - Name: Account Operators - Description: A built-in group that exists only on domain controllers. By default, the group has no members. By default, Account Operators have permission to create, modify, and delete accounts for users, groups, and computers in all containers and organizational units of Active Directory except the Builtin container and the Domain Controllers OU. Account Operators do not have permission to modify the Administrators and Domain Admins groups, nor do they have permission to modify the accounts for members of those groups.

SID: S-1-5-32-549 - Name: Server Operators - Description: A built-in group that exists only on domain controllers. By default, the group has no members. Server Operators can log on to a server interactively; create and delete network shares; start and stop services; back up and restore files; format the hard disk of the computer; and shut down the computer.

SID: S-1-5-32-550 - Name: Print Operators - Description: A built-in group that exists only on domain controllers. By default, the only member is the Domain Users group. Print Operators can manage printers and document queues.

SID: S-1-5-32-551 - Name: Backup Operators - Description: A built-in group. By default, the group has no members. Backup Operators can back up and restore all files on a computer, regardless of the permissions that protect those files. Backup Operators also can log on to the computer and shut it down.

In a domain environment these groups are present, and are used for administrative purposes.

SID: S-1-5-21domain-512 - Name: Domain Admins - Description: A global group whose members are authorized to administer the domain. By default, the Domain Admins group is a member of the Administrators group on all computers that have joined a domain, including the domain controllers. Domain Admins is the default owner of any object that is created by any member of the group.

SID: S-1-5-21root domain-518 - Name: Schema Admins - Description: A universal group in a native-mode domain; a global group in a mixed-mode domain. The group is authorized to make schema changes in Active Directory. By default, the only member of the group is the Administrator account for the forest root domain.

SID: S-1-5-21root domain-519 - Name: Enterprise Admins - Description: A universal group in a native-mode domain; a global group in a mixed-mode domain. The group is authorized to make forest-wide changes in Active Directory, such as adding child domains. By default, the only member of the group is the Administrator account for the forest root domain.

SID: S-1-5-21domain-520 - Name: Group Policy Creator Owners - Description: A global group that is authorized to create new Group Policy objects in Active Directory. By default, the only member of the group is Administrator.

Scenario Based AD Interview Questions and Answers - Microsoft 70-640 Exam

QUESTION NO: 1
You have a single Active Directory domain. All domain controllers run Windows Server 2008 and are configured as DNS servers. The domain contains one Active Directory-integrated DNS zone. You need to ensure that outdated DNS records are automatically removed from the DNS zone.
What should you do?
A.From the properties of the zone, modify the TTL of the SOA record.
B.From the properties of the zone, enable scavenging.
C.From the command prompt, run ipconfig /flushdns.
D.From the properties of the zone, disable dynamic updates.
Answer: B
Explanation:

To remove the outdated DNS records from the DNS zone automatically, you should enable Scavenging through Zone properties. Scavenging will help you clean up old unused records in DNS. Since "clean up" really means "delete stuff" a good understanding of what you are doing and a healthy respect for "delete stuff" will keep you out of the hot grease. Because deletion is involved there are quite a few safety valves built into scavenging that take a long time to pop. When enabling scavenging, patience is required.

 

QUESTION NO: 2
Your network consists of a single Active Directory domain. All domain controllers run Windows Server 2008 R2. The Audit account management policy setting and Audit directory services access setting are enabled for the entire domain.
You need to ensure that changes made to Active Directory objects can be logged. The logged changes must include the old and new values of any attributes.
What should you do?

a.       Run auditpol.exe and then configure the Security settings of the Domain Controllers OU.

b.      From the Default Domain Controllers policy, enable the Audit directory service access setting and enable directory service changes.

c.       Enable the Audit account management policy in the Default Domain Controller Policy.

d.      Run auditpol.exe and then enable the Audit directory service access setting in the Default Domain policy.

Answer: A
Explanation:
To make sure the changes made to active directory objects are logged and the logs show the old and new values of any attribute, you should run audipol.exe and configure the security settings for the domain controllers Organizational Unit.

QUESTION NO: 3
Your company, Contoso, Ltd., has a main office and a branch office. The offices are connected by a WAN link. Contoso has an Active Directory forest that contains a single domain named ad.contoso.com.
The ad.contoso.com domain contains one domain controller named DC1 that is located in the main office. DC1 is configured as a DNS server for the ad.contoso.com DNS zone. This zone is configured as a standard primary zone.
You install a new domain controller named DC2 in the branch office. You install DNS on DC2.
You need to ensure that the DNS service can update records and resolve DNS queries in the event that a WAN link fails.
What should you do?

e.       Create a new stub zone named ad.contoso.com on DC2.

f.       Create a new standard secondary zone named ad.contoso.com on DC2.

g.      Configure the DNS server on DC2 to forward requests to DC1.

h.      Convert the ad.contoso.com zone on DC1 to an Active Directory-integrated zone.

Answer: D

Explanation:
To make sure that the DNS service on TK2 can update records and resolve DNS queries in the event of a MAN link failure, you should convert maks.contoso.com on TK1 to an Active Directory-integrated zone. Active Directory-integrated DNS offers two pluses over traditional zones. For one, the fault tolerance built into Active Directory eliminates the need for primary and secondary nameservers.
Effectively, all nameservers using Active Directory-integrated zones are primary nameservers. This has a huge advantage for the use of dynamic DNS as well: namely, the wide availability of nameservers that can accept registrations. Recall that domain controllers and workstations register their locations and availability to the DNS zone using dynamic DNS.
In a traditional DNS setup, only one type of nameserver can accept these registrations—the primary server, because it has the only read/write copy of a zone. By creating an Active Directory-integrated zone, all Windows Server 2008 nameservers that store their zone data in Active Directory can accept a dynamic registration, and the change will be propagated using Active Directory multimaster replication.

Windows Server 2008 Active directory Interview Questions and Answers

QUESTION NO: 4
Your company has a server that runs an instance of Active Directory Lightweight Directory Service (AD LDS). You need to create new organizational units in the AD LDS application directory partition. What should you do?

i.        Use the dsmod OU <OrganizationalUnitDN command to create the organizational units.

j.        Use the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in to create the organizational units on the AD LDS application directory partition.

k.      Use the dsadd OU <OrganizationalUnitDN command to create the organizational units.

l.        Use the ADSI Edit snap-in to create the organizational units on the AD LDS application directory partition.

Answer: D
Explanation:
To create new OUs in the AD LDS application directory partition, you should use ADSI Edit snap-in. ADSI Edit is a snap-in that runs in a Microsoft Management Console (MMC). The default console containing ADSI Edit is AdsiEdit.msc. If this snap-in is not added in your MMC, you can do it by adding through Add/Remove Snap-in menu option in the MMC or you can open AdsiEdit.msc from a Windows Explorer.

QUESTION NO: 5
Your company has an Active Directory domain. The company has two domain controllers named DC1 and DC2. DC1 holds the Schema Master role.
DC1 fails. You log on to Active Directory by using the administrator account. You are not able to transfer the Schema Master operations role.
You need to ensure that DC2 holds the Schema Master role.
What should you do?

A. Configure DC2 as a bridgehead server.
B. On DC2, seize the Schema Master role.
C. Log off and log on again to Active Directory by using an account that is a member of the Schema Administrators group. Start the Active Directory Schema snap-in.

m.    Register the Schmmgmt.dll. Start the Active Directory Schema snap-in.

Answer: B
Explanation:
To ensure that DC2 holds the Schema Master role, you should seize the Schema Master role on DC2. Seizing the schema master role is a drastic step that should be considered only if the current operations master will never be available again. So to transfer the schema master operations role, you have to seize it on DC2.

QUESTION NO: 6
Your company has an Active Directory forest that runs at the functional level of Windows Server 2008.
You implement Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS).
You install Microsoft SQL Server 2005. When you attempt to open the AD RMS administration Web site, you receive the following error message: "SQL Server does not exist or access denied."
You need to open the AD RMS administration Web site.
Which two actions should you perform? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose two.)

n.      Restart IIS.

o.      Manually delete the Service Connection Point in AD DS and restart AD RMS.

p.      Install Message Queuing.

q.      Start the MSSQLSVC service.

Answer: A,D
Explanation:
To rectify the SQL server problem, you have to restart the internet information server (IIS). The IIS server will be refreshed. Then you start the MSSQULSVC service to start the SQL server. This will enable you to access the database from AD RMS administration website.

QUESTION NO: 7
Your network consists of an Active Directory forest that contains one domain named contoso.com. All domain controllers run Windows Server 2008 R2 and are configured as DNS servers.
You have two Active Directory-integrated zones: contoso.com and nwtraders.com. You need to ensure a user is able to modify records in the contoso.com zone. You must prevent the user from modifying the SOA record in the nwtraders.com zone. What should you do?

r.        From the Active Directory Users and Computers console, run the Delegation of Control Wizard.

s.       From the Active Directory Users and Computers console, modify the permissions of the Domain Controllers organizational unit (OU).

t.        From the DNS Manager console, modify the permissions of the contoso.com zone.

u.      From the DNS Manager console, modify the permissions of the nwtraders.com zone.

Answer: C
Explanation:
To allow the user to modify records in contoso.com and prevent him/her from modifying the SOA record in contoso.com zone, you should set the permissions of contoso.com through DNS Manager Console. You set the permissions for the users to modify the records in contoso.com. By setting permission on one Active directory-integrated zone, you will be preventing the users from modifying anything else on the other zones.

Windows Server 2008 Active directory Exam Questions and Answers

QUESTION NO: 8

Your company has an Active Directory domain. All servers run Windows Server 2008 R2. Your company uses an Enterprise Root certificate authority (CA). You need to ensure that revoked certificate information is highly available. What should you do?

a.       Implement an Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) responder by using an Internet Security and Acceleration Server array.

b.      Publish the trusted certificate authorities list to the domain by using a Group Policy Object (GPO).

c.       Implement an Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) responder by using Network Load Balancing.

d.      Create a new Group Policy Object (GPO) that allows users to trust peer certificates. Link the GPO to the domain.

Answer: C

Explanation:

To ensure that the revoked certificate information is available at all, you should use the network load balancing and publish an OCSP responder. OCSP is an online responder that can receive a request to check for revocation of a certificate without the client having to download the entire CRL. This process speeds up certificate revocation checking and reduces network bandwidth used for this process. This can be helpful especially when such checking is down over slow WAN links.

QUESTION NO: 9

You have two servers named Server1 and Server2. Both servers run Windows Server 2008 R2. Server1 is configured as an enterprise root certification authority (CA). You install the Online Responder role service on Server2. You need to configure Server1 to support the Online Responder. What should you do?

Import the enterprise root CA certificate.

Configure the Certificate Revocation List Distribution Point extension.

Configure the Authority Information Access (AIA) extension.

Add the Server2 computer account to the CertPublishers group.

Answer: C

Explanation:

To configure online responder role service on S1, you should configure AIA extension. The authority information access extension indicates how to access CA information and services for the issuer of the certificate in which the extension appears. Information and services may include on-line validation services and CA policy data. (The location of CRLs is not specified in this extension; that information is provided by the cRLDistributionPoints extension.) This extension may be included in subject or CA certificates, and it MUST be non-critical.

QUESTION NO: 10

Your company has an Active Directory domain. A user attempts to log on to a computer that was turned off for twelve weeks. The administrator receives an error message that authentication has failed. You need to ensure that the user is able to log on to the computer. What should you do?

Run the netsh command with the set and machine options.

Reset the computer account. Disjoin the computer from the domain, and then rejoin the computer to the domain.

Run the netdom TRUST /reset command.

Run the Active Directory Users and Computers console to disable, and then enable the computer account.

Answer: B

Explanation:

To ensure that the administrator can log on to the computer, you should disjoin the computer from the domain and rejoin it again. Reset the computer account too. Due to long inactivity, the computer was not responding to the authentication query using the Active Directory records. So when you disjoin and rejoin the computer to the domain and reset the computer account, the Active Directory refreshes the computer account password. After that the administrator can easily log on to the computer.

QUESTION NO: 11

Your company has an Active Directory forest that contains a single domain. The domain member server has an Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) role installed. You need to configure AD FS to ensure that AD FS tokens contain information from the Active Directory domain. What should you do?

a.       Add and configure a new account partner.

b.      Add and configure a new resource partner.

c.       Add and configure a new account store.

d.      Add and configure a Claims-aware application.

Answer: C

Explanation:
To configure the AD FS trust policy to populate AD FS tokens with employee's information from Active directory domain, you need toadd and configure a new account store.
AD FS allows the secure sharing of identity information between trusted business partners across an extranet. When a user needs to access a Web application from one of its federation partners, the user's own organization is responsible for authenticating the user and providing identity information in the form of "claims" to the partner that hosts the Web application. The hosting partner uses its trust policy to map the incoming claims to claims that are understood by its Web application, which uses the claims to make authorization decisions. Because claims originate from an account store, you need to configure account storeto configure the AD FS trust policy.

QUESTION NO: 12

You network consists of a single Active Directory domain. All domain controllers run Windows Server 2008 R2. You need to reset the Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) password on a domain controller.

What tool should you use?

a.       Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in

b.      ntdsutil

c.       Local Users and Groups snap-in

d.      dsmod

Answer: B

Explanation:

To reset the DSRM password on a single domain controller, you should use ntdsutil utility. You can use Ntdsutil.exe to reset this password for the server on which you are working, or for another domain controller in the domain. Type ntdsutil and at the ntdsutil command prompt, type set dsrm password.

QUESTION NO: 13

Your company has a main office and a branch office. You deploy a read-only domain controller (RODC) that runs Microsoft Windows Server 2008 to the branch office. You need to ensure that users at the branch office are able to log on to the domain by using the RODC. What should you do?

Add another RODC to the branch office.

Configure a new bridgehead server in the main office.

Decrease the replication interval for all connection objects by using the Active Directory Sites and Services console.

Configure the Password Replication Policy on the RODC.

Answer: D

Explanation:

To ensure that the users at the branch office can log on to the domain using RODC, you should use a Password Replication Policy. RODCs don't cache any user or machine passwords. You can change this by adding a policy through each RODC's unique Password Replication Policy (PRP). A policy would create a group for each branch office with a RODC and add users in that branch office. An administrator, then, can allow password replication for the branch-office group.

QUESTION NO: 14

Your company has a single Active Directory domain named intranet.adatum.com. The domain controllers run Windows Server 2008 and the DNS server role. All computers, including non-domain members, dynamically register their DNS records. You need to configure the intranet.adatum.com zone to allow only domain members to dynamically register DNS records. What should you do?

a.       Set dynamic updates to Secure Only.

b.      Remove the Authenticated Users group.

c.       Enable zone transfers to Name Servers.

d.      Deny the Everyone group the Create All Child Objects permission.

Answer: A

Explanation:

To make sure only the domain members are able to register their DNS records dynamically, set the option Secure only for Dynamic updates. This will let only the domain members to register their DNS records dynamically.

QUESTION NO: 15

Your network consists of a single Active Directory domain. All domain controllers run Windows Server 2008 R2 and are configured as DNS servers. A domain controller named DC1 has a standard primary zone for contoso.com. A domain controller named DC2 has a standard secondary zone for contoso.com. You need to ensure that the replication of the contoso.com zone is encrypted. You must not lose any zone data. What should you do?

1.      Convert the primary zone into an Active Directory-integrated stub zone. Delete the secondary zone.

2.      Convert the primary zone into an Active Directory-integrated zone. Delete the secondary zone.

3.      Configure the zone transfer settings of the standard primary zone. Modify the Master Servers lists on the secondary zone.

4.      On both servers, modify the interface that the DNS server listens on.

Answer: B

Explanation:

To make sure that the replication of the contoso.com zone is encrypted to prevent data loss, you should convert the primary zone into an active directory zone and delete the secondary zone.

QUESTION NO: 16

You are decommissioning domain controllers that hold all forest-wide operations master roles. You need to transfer all forest-wide operations master roles to another domain controller. Which two roles should you transfer? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose two.)

1.      Domain naming master

2.      Infrastructure master

3.      RID master

4.      PDC emulator

5.      Schema master

Answer: A,E

Explanation:

To transfer all forest-wide operation master roles to another domain, you should transfer Domain naming master and Schema master. Schema Master: The schema master domain controller controls all updates and modifications to the schema. To update the schema of a forest, you must have access to the schema master.

There can be only one schema master in the whole forest. Domain naming master: The domain naming master domain controller controls the addition or removal of domains in the forest. There can be only one domain naming master in the whole forest.

QUESTION NO: 17

Contoso, Ltd. has an Active Directory domain named ad.contoso.com. Fabrikam, Inc. has an Active Directory domain named intranet.fabrikam.com. Fabrikam's security policy prohibits the transfer of internal DNS zone data outside the Fabrikam network. You need to ensure that the Contoso users are able to resolve names from the intranet.fabrikam.com domain. What should you do?

1.      Create a new stub zone for the intranet.fabrikam.com domain.

2.      Configure conditional forwarding for the intranet.fabrikam.com domain.

3.      Create a standard secondary zone for the intranet.fabrikam.com domain.

4.      Create an Active DirectoryCintegrated zone for the intranet.fabrikam.com domain.

Answer: B

Explanation:

To enable a fabrikam.com user to resolve names from intranet.fabrikam.com domain, you should set the conditional forwarding for the intranet.fabrikam.com domain. A conditional forwarding is a DNS query setting that enables a DNS server to route a request for a particular name to another DNS server by specifying a name and IP address.

QUESTION NO: 18

An Active Directory database is installed on the C volume of a domain controller. You need to move the Active Directory database to a new volume. What should you do?

a.       Copy the ntds.dit file to the new volume by using the ROBOCOPY command.

b.      Move the ntds.dit file to the new volume by using Windows Explorer.

c.       Move the ntds.dit file to the new volume by running the Move-item command in Microsoft Windows PowerShell.

d.      Move the ntds.dit file to the new volume by using the Files option in the Ntdsutil utility.

Answer: D

Explanation:

To move the Active Directory database to a new volume, you should move the ntds.dit file to the new volume by opening the Files option in the ntdsutil utility. Use Ntdsutil.exe to move the database file, the log files, or both to a larger existing partition. If you are not using Ntdsutil.exe when moving files to a different partition, you will need to manually update the registry.

QUESTION NO: 19

Your company has file servers located in an organizational unit named Payroll. The file servers contain payroll files located in a folder named Payroll. You create a GPO. You need to track which employees access the Payroll files on the file servers. What should you do?

a.       Enable the Audit process tracking option. Link the GPO to the Domain Controllers organizational unit. On the file servers, configure Auditing for the Authenticated Users group in the Payroll folder.

b.      Enable the Audit object access option. Link the GPO to the Payroll organizational unit. On the file servers, configure Auditing for the Everyone group in the Payroll folder.

c.       Enable the Audit process tracking option. Link the GPO to the Payroll organizational unit. On the file servers, configure Auditing for the Everyone group in the Payroll folder.

d.      Enable the Audit object access option. Link the GPO to the domain. On the domain controllers, configure Auditing for the Authenticated Users group in the Payroll folder.

Answer: B

QUESTION NO: 20

Your company uses a Windows 2008 Enterprise certificate authority (CA) to issue certificates. You need to implement key archival. What should you do?

a.       Configure the certificate for automatic enrollment for the computers that store encrypted files.

b.      Install an Enterprise Subordinate CA and issue a user certificate to users of the encrypted files.

c.       Apply the Hisecdc security template to the domain controllers.

d.      Archive the private key on the server.

Answer: D

QUESTION NO: 21

Your company has an Active Directory domain that runs Windows Server 2008 R2. The Sales OU contains an OU for Computers, an OU for Groups, and an OU for Users. You perform nightly backups. An administrator deletes the Groups OU. You need to restore the Groups OU without affecting users and computers in the Sales OU. What should you do?

a.       Perform an authoritative restore of the Sales OU.

b.      Perform a non-authoritative restore of the Sales OU.

c.       Perform an authoritative restore of the Groups OU.

d.      Perform a non-authoritative restore of the Groups OU.

Answer: C

QUESTION NO: 22

Your network consists of a single Active Directory domain. The functional level of the forest is Windows Server 2008 R2. You need to create multiple password policies for users in your domain. What should you do?

A. From the Group Policy Management snap-in, create multiple Group Policy objects.

B. From the Schema snap-in, create multiple class schema objects.

C. From the ADSI Edit snap-in, create multiple Password Setting objects.

From the Security Configuration Wizard, create multiple security policies.

Answer: C

QUESTION NO: 23

You have a domain controller that runs Windows Server 2008 R2 and is configured as a DNS server. You need to record all inbound DNS queries to the server. What should you configure in the DNS Manager console?

a.       Enable debug logging.

b.      Enable automatic testing for simple queries.

c.       Configure event logging to log errors and warnings.

d.      Enable automatic testing for recursive queries.

Answer: A

QUESTION NO: 24

Your company has a main office and a branch office. The company has a single-domain Active Directory forest. The main office has two domain controllers named DC1 and DC2 that run Windows Server 2008 R2. The branch office has a Windows Server 2008 R2 read-only domain controller (RODC) named DC3. All domain controllers hold the DNS Server role and are configured as Active Directory-integrated zones. The DNS zones only allow secure updates. You need to enable dynamic DNS updates on DC3. What should you do?

a.       Run the Dnscmd.exe /ZoneResetType command on DC3.

b.      Reinstall Active Directory Domain Services on DC3 as a writable domain controller.

c.       Create a custom application directory partition on DC1. Configure the partition to store Active Directory-integrated zones.

d.      Run the Ntdsutil.exe  DS Behavior commands on DC3.

Answer: B

QUESTION NO: 25

Your company has an Active Directory domain named ad.contoso.com. The domain has two domain controllers named DC1 and DC2. Both domain controllers have the DNS server role installed.

You install a new DNS server named DNS1.contoso.com on the perimeter network. You configure DC1 to forward all unresolved name requests to DNS1.contoso.com.

You discover that the DNS forwarding option is unavailable on DC2.

You need to configure DNS forwarding on the DC2 server to point to the DNS1.contoso.com server.

Which two actions should you perform? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose two.)

Clear the DNS cache on DC2.

Configure conditional forwarding on DC2.

Configure the Listen On address on DC2.

Delete the Root zone on DC2.

Answer: B,D

QUESTION NO: 26

Your company has an organizational unit named Production. The Production organizational unit has a child organizational unit named R&D. You create a GPO named Software Deployment and link it to the Production organizational unit.

a.       You create a shadow group for the R&D organizational unit. You need to deploy an application to users in the Production organizational unit.

b.      You also need to ensure that the application is not deployed to users in the R&D organizational unit.

c.       What are two possible ways to achieve this goal? (Each correct answer presents a complete solution. Choose two.)

d.      Configure the Block Inheritance setting on the R&D organizational unit.

e.       Configure the Enforce setting on the software deployment GPO.

f.       Configure security filtering on the Software Deployment GPO to Deny Apply group policy for the R&D security group.

g.      Configure the Block Inheritance setting on the Production organizational unit.

Answer: A,C

QUESTION NO: 27

Your company has a branch office that is configured as a separate Active Directory site and has an Active Directory domain controller. The Active Directory site requires a local Global Catalog server to support a new application. You need to configure the domain controller as a Global Catalog server. Which tool should you use?

a.       The Server Manager console

b.      The Active Directory Sites and Services console

c.       The Dcpromo.exe utility

d.      The Computer Management console

e.       The Active Directory Domains and Trusts console

Answer: B

QUESTION NO: 28

Your company has a main office and three branch offices. The company has an Active Directory forest that has a single domain. Each office has one domain controller. Each office is configured as an Active Directory site. All sites are connected with the DEFAULTIPSITELINK object. You need to decrease the replication latency between the domain controllers. What should you do?

a.       Decrease the replication schedule for the DEFAULTIPSITELINK object.

b.      Decrease the replication interval for the DEFAULTIPSITELINK object.

c.       Decrease the cost between the connection objects.

d.      Decrease the replication interval for all connection objects.

Answer: B

QUESTION NO: 29

Your company has two Active Directory forests named contoso.com and fabrikam.com. Both forests run only domain controllers that run Windows Server 2008. The domain functional level of contoso.com is Windows Server 2008. The domain functional level of fabrikam.com is Windows Server 2003 Native mode. You configure an external trust between contoso.com and fabrikam.com. You need to enable the Kerberos AES encryption option. What should you do?

a.       Raise the forest functional level of fabrikam.com to Windows Server 2008.

b.      Raise the domain functional level of fabrikam.com to Windows Server 2008.

c.       Raise the forest functional level of contoso.com to Windows Server 2008.

d.      Create a new forest trust and enable forest-wide authentication.

Answer: B

QUESTION NO: 30

All consultants belong to a global group named TempWorkers. You place three file servers in a new organizational unit named SecureServers. The three file servers contain confidential data located in shared folders. You need to record any failed attempts made by the consultants to access the confidential data. Which two actions should you perform? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose two.)

a.       Create and link a new GPO to the SecureServers organizational unit. Configure the Deny access to this computer from the network user rights setting for the TempWorkers global group.

b.      Create and link a new GPO to the SecureServers organizational unit. Configure the Audit privilege use Failure audit policy setting.

c.       Create and link a new GPO to the SecureServers organizational unit. Configure the Audit object access Failure audit policy setting.

d.      On each shared folder on the three file servers, add the three servers to the Auditing tab. Configure the Failed Full control setting in the Auditing Entry dialog box.

e.       On each shared folder on the three file servers, add the TempWorkers global group to the Auditing tab. Configure the Failed Full control setting in the Auditing Entry dialog box.

Answer: C,E

QUESTION NO: 31

You have two servers named Server1 and Server2. Both servers run Windows Server 2008 R2. Server1 is configured as an Enterprise Root certification authority (CA). You install the Online Responder role service on Server2. You need to configure Server2 to issue certificate revocation lists (CRLs) for the enterprise root CA. Which two tasks should you perform? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose two.)

a.       Import the enterprise root CA certificate.

b.      Import the OCSP Response Signing certificate.

c.       Add the Server1 computer account to the CertPublishers group.

d.      Set the Startup Type of the Certificate Propagation service to Automatic.

Answer: A,B

QUESTION NO: 32

Your company has an Active Directory forest. The forest includes organizational units corresponding to the following four locations:

London

Chicago

New York

India

Each location has a child organizational unit named Sales. The Sales organizational unit contains all the users and computers from the sales department.

The offices in London, Chicago, and New York are connected by T1 connections. The office in India is connected by a 256-Kbps ISDN connection.

You need to install an application on all the computers in the sales department.

Which two actions should you perform? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose two.)

a.       Create a Group Policy Object (GPO) named OfficeInstall that assigns the application to users. Link the GPO to each Sales organizational unit.

b.      Disable the slow link detection setting in the Group Policy Object (GPO).

c.       Configure the slow link detection threshold setting to 1,544 Kbps (T1) in the Group Policy Object (GPO).

d.      Create a Group Policy Object (GPO) named OfficeInstall that assigns the application to the computers. Link the GPO to each Sales organizational unit.

Answer: B,D

QUESTION NO: 33

Your company has a domain controller server that runs the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system. The server is a backup server. The server has a single 500-GB hard disk that has three partitions for the operating system, applications, and data. You perform daily backups of the server.

The hard disk fails. You replace the hard disk with a new hard disk of the same capacity. You restart the computer on the installation media. You select the Repair your computer option.

You need to restore the operating system and all files.

What should you do?

a.       Select the System Image Recovery option.

b.      Run the Imagex utility at the command prompt.

c.       Run the Wbadmin utility at the command prompt.

d.      Run the Rollback utility at the command prompt.

Answer: C

QUESTION NO: 34

You need to remove the Active Directory Domain Services role from a domain controller named DC1. What should you do?

a.       Run the netdom remove DC1 command.

b.      Run the Dcpromo utility. Remove the Active Directory Domain Services role.

c.       Run the nltest /remove_server: DC1 command.

d.      Reset the Domain Controller computer account by using the Active Directory Users and Computers utility.

Answer: B

QUESTION NO: 35

Your company has an Active Directory forest. The company has branch offices in three locations. Each location has an organizational unit. You need to ensure that the branch office administrators are able to create and apply GPOs only to their respective organizational units. Which two actions should you perform? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose two.)

a.       Run the Delegation of Control wizard and delegate the right to link GPOs for their branch organizational units to the branch office administrators.

b.      Add the user accounts of the branch office administrators to the Group Policy Creator Owners Group.

c.       Modify the Managed By tab in each organizational unit to add the branch office administrators to their respective organizational units.

d.      Run the Delegation of Control wizard and delegate the right to link GPOs for the domain to the branch office administrators.

Answer: A,B

QUESTION NO: 36

Your company has an Active Directory domain. A user attempts to log on to the domain from a client computer and receives the following message: "This user account has expired. Ask your administrator to reactivate the account." You need to ensure that the user is able to log on to the domain. What should you do?

a.       Modify the properties of the user account to set the account to never expire.

b.      Modify the properties of the user account to extend the Logon Hours setting.

c.       Modify the default domain policy to decrease the account lockout duration.

d.      Modify the properties of the user account to set the password to never expire.

Answer: A

QUESTION NO: 37

You have an existing Active Directory site named Site1. You create a new Active Directory site and name it Site2.

You need to configure Active Directory replication between Site1 and Site2. You install a new domain controller.

You create the site link between Site1 and Site2.

What should you do next?

a.       Use the Active Directory Sites and Services console to assign a new IP subnet to Site2. Move the new domain controller object to Site2.

b.      Use the Active Directory Sites and Services console to configure a new site link bridge object.

c.       Use the Active Directory Sites and Services console to decrease the site link cost between Site1 and Site2.

d.      Use the Active Directory Sites and Services console to configure the new domain controller as a preferred bridgehead server for Site1.

Answer: A

QUESTION NO: 38

Your company has an Active Directory forest. Each branch office has an organizational unit and a child organizational unit named Sales. The Sales organizational unit contains all users and computers of the sales department. You need to install an Office 2007 application only on the computers in the Sales organizational unit. You create a GPO named SalesApp GPO. What should you do next?

a.       Configure the GPO to assign the application to the computer account. Link the SalesAPP GPO to the Sales organizational unit in each location.

b.      Configure the GPO to assign the application to the computer account. Link the SalesAPP GPO to the domain.

c.       Configure the GPO to publish the application to the user account. Link the SalesAPP GPO to the Sales organizational unit in each location.

d.      Configure the GPO to assign the application to the user account. Link the SalesAPP GPO to the Sales organizational unit in each location.

Answer: A

QUESTION NO: 39

Your network consists of an Active Directory forest that contains one domain. All domain controllers run Windows Server 2008 R2 and are configured as DNS servers. You have an Active Directory- integrated zone.

You have two Active Directory sites. Each site contains five domain controllers.

You add a new NS record to the zone.

You need to ensure that all domain controllers immediately receive the new NS record.

What should you do?

a.       From the DNS Manager console, reload the zone.

b.      From the DNS Manager console, increase the version number of the SOA record.

c.       From the command prompt, run repadmin /syncall.

d.      From the Services snap-in, restart the DNS Server service.

Answer: C

QUESTION NO: 40

Your company has a single Active Directory domain named intranet.contoso.com. All domain controllers run Windows Server 2008 R2. The domain functional level is Windows 2000 native and the forest functional level is Windows 2000.

You need to ensure the UPN suffix for contoso.com is available for user accounts.

What should you do first?

a.       Raise the intranet.contoso.com forest functional level to Windows Server 2003 or higher.

b.      Raise the intranet.contoso.com domain functional level to Windows Server 2003 or higher.

c.       Add the new UPN suffix to the forest.

d.      Change the Primary DNS Suffix option in the Default Domain Controllers Group Policy Object (GPO) to contoso.com.

Answer: C

QUESTION NO: 41

You have a Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Root CA . Security policy prevents port 443 and port 80 from being opened on domain controllers and on the issuing CA .

You need to allow users to request certificates from a Web interface. You install the Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) server role.

What should you do next?

a.       Configure the Online Responder Role Service on a member server.

b.      Configure the Online Responder Role Service on a domain controller.

c.       Configure the Certificate Enrollment Web Service role service on a member server.

d.      Configure the Certificate Enrollment Web Service role service on a domain controller.

Answer: C