CHAPTER 12
RELIABILITY AND AVAILABILITY
IN-CLASS NOTES – HARDWARE TROUBLESHOOTING:
RAM. If not inserted correctly, you will receive 3 beeps upon bootup. RAM must go in pairs,
same size RAM boards. You could have a bad RAM stick but not usually.
VIDEO CARD. If the card is not installed tightly enough, it will beep also. After turned on you
will receive 8 beeps if connected improperly. It is a good idea to screw connectors on, and do
not bend the connectors.
BOOT-UP. When you boot up you hear a beep internally, and this is normal. The BIOS is
telling you the system is okay and all is fine.
MOUSE. Do not connect and disconnect while power is on. There are two kinds of mouses,
a serial and a bus mouse (newer). If the mouse is not working you can have the wrong driver,
or the ball can be dirty. You can also configure a mouse to be right or left handed.
KEYBOARDS. Do not fix, replace $10-15.
SOUND CARDS. Usually no problem once installed.
FLOPPY. Throw out is not working, and replace. If constant light then the cable ay be
unattached.
CD-ROM. A good idea to leave out of the office, users will bring in their own pirated software.
NIC. Right click My computer, Properties, I/O Q settings 9-11. If you see a yellow ? on
the screen, you know right away that the NIC card is not properly configured. I had this
problem at home and at school. You need to load the drivers for the D-LINK to configure
the NIC card for the computer.
System Properties. You can change the Hardware profile, you can keep the kids off the
Internet, by creating another profile in this area, and then making this screen unavailable to
them on logon, so they cannot alter the profile when logged into the computer on their logon.
*** EXCELLENT IDEA ***
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INTRODUCTION
Two of the top requirements for a business operating system are high reliability and availability. In
the context of an operating system, reliability refers to how consistently a server runs applications
and service, while availability refers to the amount of time a system can be used.
Lesson 1:
Managing Hardware Devices and Drivers
Hardware includes any physical device connected to your computer and controlled by its
microprocessor. For a device to work properly with Windows 2000, a device driver must
be loaded onto the computer.
A device driver is a program that allows a specific device to communicate with Windows
2000. Although a device might be installed on your system, Windows 2000 cannot use
the device until an appropriate driver is installed and configured.
Hardware Overview
Hardware includes any devices that were connected to your computer when it was manufactured,
as well as peripheral equipment added later. For example, your system’s hardware can include
modems, disk drives, drive controllers, CD-ROM drives, printers, network adapters, keyboards,
monitors, and display adapter cards.
Other devices, such as printers and scanners, are connected to ports on the outside of the
computer, while some devices, known as PC cards connect only to PC Card slots on a portable
computer.
Each device has its own unique device driver, which is typically supplied by the device
manufacturer. Many of these device drivers are included on the Windows 2000 installation
CD-ROM. *** CHECK THE HCL LIST ***
Hardware Types
Windows 2000 classifies devices by hardware type. Hardware types include such things as
display adapter cards, keyboards, CD-ROM drives, ports, and printers. When you use the
Device Manager snap-in or the Add/Remove Hardware wizard, you see a list of the hardware
types installed on your computer.
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Hardware types are further categorized according to individual devices. For example, the
modem hardware type includes over 200 modems you can install and use with Windows 2000.
Hardware Types
Windows classifies devices by hardware type. Hardware types include such things as display
adapter cards, keyboards, CD-ROM drive, ports and printers. When you use the Device
Manager snap-in or the Add/Remove Hardware wizard, you see a list of the hardware types
installed on your computer.
Permanently connected devices include the following:
Other devices are designed to be connected and disconnected from your computer as you need
them. You can plug or insert these types of devices into the appropriate port or expansion slot,
and Windows 2000 will recognize the device and configure it without restarting your computer.
Devices needed to be connected and disconnected include the following:
PC Cards that connect to portable computers.
Hardware that connects to a universal serial bus (USB) or an IEEE 1392 bus
Docking stations that support hot docking and undocking of portable computers.
Hardware that connects to serial or parallel ports
Plug and Play Overview
A Plug and Play device adheres to a set of specifications developed by the IEEE and computer and
software manufacturers such as Intel, Compaq Corporation,
Microsoft corporation, and
Technologies.
Just connect it to the computer and provide an external power source if necessary, and Windows
2000 does the rest by installing any necessary drivers, updating the system, and allocating system
resources.
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When you install or uninstall a hardware device, Plug and Play works with the Windows 2000 Power
Options utility to manage the power requirements of your hardware and peripherals, shutting them
down or conserving power when you are not using them.
Plug and Play Device Driver Support
Windows 2000 installs a Plug and Play device and its driver automatically.
Using a Plug and Play driver to install a non-Plug and Play device might provide some Plug and Play
support. Although the system cannot recognize the hardware and load the appropriate drivers on its
own, Plug and Play can oversee the installation by allocating resources, interacting with the Power
Options utility in Control Panel, and recording any issues in the System Log.
Generally, you cannot install non-Plug and Play hardware without performing some manual setup.
Use the Add/Remove Hardware wizard or the Device Manager snap-in to change configuration
settings for legacy hardware.
Installing Devices
Installing a new device typically involves three steps:
If the device is plug and play or is a necessary startup device like the hard disk, this detection
happens automatically. However, for some older devices, you might have to restart your
computer after you have connected one of them to your computer.
To install the device, connect it to the appropriate port or slot on your computer according to
the device manager’s instructions. You might need to start or restart your computer. You must
be logged in as the Administrator complete this procedure.
If the device is a small computer system interface (SCSI) device, connect it to the SCSI controller
port on your computer according to the device manufacturer’s instructions. Restart your computer.
You need to be sure the device number for the SCSI device is not used by another SCSI device and
that the device is properly terminated.
NOTE: Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) SCSI controller
cards and other devices might not require a reboot after installation. As always, refer to the
manufacturer’s instructions when installing hardware.
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Uninstalling Devices:
You can use the Add/Remove Hardware wizard or Device Manager snap-in to notify Windows
2000 that you want to uninstall a non-Plug and Play device. After you notify Windows 2000 that
you are uninstalling a device, you must physically disconnect or remove the device from your
computer. For example, if the device is connected to a port on the outside of your computer,
you would shut down your computer, disconnect the device from the port, and then unplug the
power cord, if there is one for the device.
Instead of uninstalling a Plug and Play device that you might attach again, like a modem, you can
disable a device. When you disable a device, the physical device stays connected to your computer,
but Windows 2000 updates the system registry so that the device drivers are no longer loaded when
you start your computer. When you enable the device, the drivers are available again. Disabling
devices is useful if you want to have more than one hardware configuration (hardware profile) for
your computer. Multiple hardware profiles are common for mobile computers that operate both
on and off of a docking station.
NOTE: The Device Manager snap-in does not remove device drivers from your hard disk. If you
want to do this, use the Add/Remove Hardware wizard and select the Uninstall A Device Removal
Task option. Additionally, consult the hardware manufacturer’s documentation to determine the
best way to remove device drivers.
Tools for Managing Devices and Drivers
Several tools are available for managing hardware devices and their drivers. Most of these tools
can be accessed through the Hardware tab of the System Properties dialog box.
There are two ways to access the Hardware Wizard:
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Add/Remove Hardware Wizard
The Add/Remove Hardware wizard allows you to add new hardware, unplug or remove hardware
from your computer, or troubleshoot hardware-related problems.
In the Control Panel, you can open the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard in two places, System
Properties, and Add/Remove Hardware icon.
NOTE: To use the Add/Remove Hardware wizard, you must be logged on to or running in the
context of an account with Administrator privileges. Use the Runas command-line utility to run in
the security context of another user account. If your computer is connected to a network, network
policy settings might prevent you from using the Add/Remove Hardware wizard.
The Device Manager Snap-in
Device Manager is an MMC snap-in that provides you with a graphical view of the hardware
that is installed on your computer.
In addition to being able to open the Device Manager snap-in form the Hardware tab of the
System Properties, you can open the tool from the Computer Management MMC or create a
custom MMC containing the Device Manager snap-in.
The Device Manager snap-in allows you to perform the following tasks:
Determine whether the hardware on your computer is working properly.
Change hardware configuration settings
Identify the device drivers loaded for each device, and obtain information about each device driver.
·
Change advanced
settings and properties for devices.
·
Install updated
device drivers.
·
Disable, enable,
and uninstall devices
·
Identify device
conflicts and manually configure resource settings
·
Print a System
Resource Report or the devices installed on your computer.
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Typically Device Manager
is used to check the hardware status and update device drivers. Advanced
users who have a thorough
understanding of computer hardware also use Device Manager’s diagnostic
features to resolve
device conflicts and change resource settings.
IMPORTANT Changing resource settings improperly can disable your hardware and cause your
computer to malfunction or be inoperable. Only users who have expert knowledge of computer hardware
and hardware configurations should change resource settings.
Ordinarily you will not need to use the Device Manager snap-in to change resource settings because
resources are allocated automatically by Windows 2000 during hardware setup.
Driver Signing
The Driver Signing function allows Windows 2000 to notify users whether or not a driver they are
installing has passed Microsoft certification process. Microsoft digitally signs drivers as part of
WHQL testing if the driver runs on Windows 2000 operating systems. This certification process
proves to users that the drivers they employ are identical to those Microsoft has tested and notifies
them if a driver file has been changed after the driver was put on the HCL.
Driver Signing allows for three responses:
Ignore. Allows all files to be installed, whether they’ve been signed or not.
Warn. Notifies the user if a driver that’s being installed hasn’t been signed, and give the user a
change to say “no” to the installation. Warn also gives the user the option to install unsigned
versions of a protected driver file.
Block. Prevents all unsigned drivers from being installed.
Windows 2000 ships with the Warn mode set as the default.
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Hardware Profiles
A hardware profile is a set of instructions that tells Windows 2000 which devices to start when you
start your computer or what settings to use for each device. When you first install Windows 2000,
a hardware profile named Profile 1 (Current) is created. The default profile name varies for mobile
computers. A common name given to mobile computers, by default, is Undocked Profile (Current).
By default, every device installed on your computer at a time you install Windows 2000 is enabled
in the default hardware profile.
You can manage hardware profiles by opening System in Control Panel. If there is more than one
hardware profile, you can designate a default profile that will be used every time you start your
computer.
Once you create a hardware profile, you can use Device Manager to disable and enable devices
in the profile. When you disable a device in a hardware profile, the device drivers for the device
are not loaded when you start your computer.
NOTE: You must be logged on to or running in the context of an account with administrator
privileges on the local computer to create, copy, rename, or delete hardware profiles.
Event Logs
Careful monitoring of the System log generated by the Event Log service can help you predict
and identify the sources of system problems.
The Application and System logs. The Binary data associated with an event is saved if you
archive the log in log format (.evt) but is discarded if you archive data in text (.txt) or comma-
delimited (.csv) format.
Note event Ids. There numbers match at text description in a message file.
Address hardware problems. If you suspect a hardware component is the source of system
problems, filter the System log to show only those events generated by the component.
Address system problems. If a particular event seems related to system problems, try searching
Event Log to find other instances of the same event or judge the frequency of an error.
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Installing Service Packs
Windows 2000 makes it easier for administrators to add service packs.
Windows 2000 also eliminates the need to reinstall components applied before a service pack was
installed.
Service Pack Slipstreaming
When Windows 2000 is installed from either source, the appropriate files from the service pack are
installed without you having to manually apply the service pack after the installation.
Post-Setup Installation of a Service Pack
A Service pack is applied on an existing Windows 2000 system by running update.exe and
updating the system to Windows 2000 plus the service pack.
Lesson Summary:
computer’s microprocessor.
detect and configure a device and install the appropriate device drivers.
installation apply the service pack updates as part of the setup routine.
Lesson 2:
Backing up Data
The goal of all backup jobs is to ensure that lost data can be recovered efficiently and quickly.
A backup job is a single process of backing up data. Regularly backing up data on server hard
disks and client computers hard disks prevents data loss due to disk drive failures, power outages,
virus infections, and other such incidents.
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Introduction to Windows Backup
Windows 2000 provides Windows Backup which is a tool that allows you to easily backup and
restore data. Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Backup. OR Run, type ntbackup.
You can use Backup to backup data manually or to schedule unattended backup jobs on a regular
basis.
To successfully backup and restore data on a computer running Windows 2000, you must have
the appropriate permissions and user rights:
have the
Permission.
back up and restore all files. By default, members of these groups have the Backup Files
And Directories and
Planning Issues for Windows Backup
You should be able to quickly and successfully restore critical lost data. There is no single correct
backup plan for all networks. The following section discover issues to consider in formulating your
backup plan.
Always back up critical files that your company needs to operate, such as sales an financial records,
the registry for each server and the Active Directory store.
Determine which Target Media to use for Storing Backup Data
With Windows Backup, you can back up the following removable media:
Files. You can store files on removable media device such as an Iomega Zip drive, or on a
network location, such as a file server.
Tape. A less expensive medium than other removable media, a tape is more convenient
for large backup jobs because of its high storage capacity.
NOTE: If you use a removable media device to backup and restore data, be sure to verify that
the device is supported on the Windows 2000 HCL.
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Determine Whether to Perform Network or Local Backup Jobs
A network backup can contain data from multiple network computers. This allows you to
consolidate backup from multiple computers to a single removable backup media.
There are several things to consider in performing local backups. First you must move from computer
to computer so that you can perform a backup at each computer, or you must rely on users to back up
their own computers. Typically most users fail to backup their data on a regular basis. A second
consideration with local backups is the number of removable storage media devices available.
You can also choose to use a combination of network and local backup jobs. Do this when critical
data resides on client computers and servers and you do not have a removable storage media device
for each computer.
Setting Backup Options
The default Backup settings are:
restore jobs, alert messages and what is backed up.
existing file.
backup job.
log.
You can modify some default settings in the Backup wizard for a specific backup job.
Backup Types
Windows Backup provides five backup types that define what data is backed up: normal, copy,
differential, incremental and daily.
When a file changes, an attribute is set on the file that indicates the file has changed since the last
backup. Backing up the file clears or resets the attribute.
NOTE: msbackup will only backup at 20 GB/hour, and it will not backup live files.
Files to Backup: .ini file, System files, .pab files. .pst (e-mail) registry
Not to Backup: Programs, operating system, page file and temporary internet files.
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To access the Backup directory: (Programs/Accessories/ System Tools/ Backup, notice that it is
aWizard again.) Ensure that you name the Backups by date, and label them properly. It is also a
good idea to print them and save another copy to floppy. Backup program has a scheduler also,
so you do not have to do it manually each time.
rely on markers to determine which files to back up, but it does clear the archive attribute from all files.
Copy
During a copy backup, all selected files and folders are backed up. It neither looks nor clears
markers.
Differential (Slow
Backup and Fast Recovery)
Only selected files and folders that have a marker are backed up. Because a differential backup
does not clear markers, if you did two differential backups in a row on a file, the file would be
backed up each time.
Incremental (Fast
Backup and Slow Recovery)
Only selected files and folders that have a marker are backed up. An incremental backup clears
markers.
Daily
During a daily backup, all selected files and folders that have changed during the day are backed up.
A daily backup neither looks for nor clears markers. DAILY
BACKUP LOOKS AT THE DATE.
ARCHIVE BIT: It is changed once the file is saved, and is not changed if the file is opened and
viewed, it must be saved to alter the Archive Bit.
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In Classroom Notes:
http:/server01/certsrv/, page 634 in the book, go into Internet Explorer, for the Certificates in the
Policies.
Forest03.com, try to join
Authentication method, IpSec has three sections: Client, certificate and Shared key.
For adding certificates, go into Active Directory Computers and User/ Right Click on Domain
Controller/Properties/Group policies/IpSec/Right Click Client/Properties/Edit/Edit. TRY AT HOME
UPS. There are two kinds an Offline and an Online. For a company, choose and Online UPS,
it has constant power. If the power goes out you can conserve power by shutting off all the Hubs
and the Monitors, they are power drainers.
Setting Backup Types for Specific Jobs
You can choose the type of backup to run when you use the Wizard, and it will even schedule it
for you. It is a good idea to combine backup types. For example on a Friday, run a Full Backup,
and then daily run a differential.
Before backing up, you should let the users know the time of the backup and send a console message.
If you use a removable media device, make sure the following preliminary tasks are completed:
backing up to take, you must attach the tape device to the computer on which you run
Windows Backup.
ensure that a tape is loaded in the tape drive.
Scheduling Backup Jobs
Scheduling a backup job means you can have an unattended backup job occur at a later time, for
example, when users are not at work and files are closed.
NOTE: If the Task Scheduler service is not running or not set to start automatically, Windows
2000 displays a dialog box prompting you to start the service. Click OK, and the Set Account
Information dialog box appears.
By clicking the Advanced button, you can also schedule how long the backup can last and for
how many days, weeks, months, or years you want this schedule to continue.
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TIP If the computer targeted for backup is running Certificate Services, you can schedule
Certificate Services to stop before the backup begins. At the conclusion of the backup, configure the
Task Scheduler to restart the Certificate Service. The easiest way to configure this is to stop and start
Certificate Services and initiate the backup routing in a single command file. The command file is then
scheduled to run through the Task Schedule. This procedure is described near the conclusion of
Exercise 1 in this chapter.
Lesson Summary:
Windows
Backup Wizard.
schedule backup jobs.
Lesson 3:
Implementing Disaster Protection
A computer disaster or any event that renders a computer unable to start. The term disaster
protection refers to any effort to prevent computer disasters and minimize downtime in the event
of system failure. You can achieve a level of disaster protection by configuring an uninterruptible
power supply (UPS) and implementing fault-tolerant disk configurations.
Configuring an Uninterruptible Power Supply
Disaster Recovery is the restoration of a computer so that you can log on and access the system
resources after a computer disaster has occurred.
An uninterruptible power supply provides power if the local power fails and usually is rated to
provide a specific amount of power for a specific period of time. It allows you to close all files,
and shut down the system properly.
NOTE: Before purchasing a UPS for use with Windows 2000, determine whether the proposed
device is on the Windows 2000 HCL.
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Implementing Disk Fault Tolerance
Fault Tolerance is the ability of a computer or operating system to respond to a catastrophic event,
such as a power outage or hardware failure, so that no data is lost and that work in progress is not
corrupted. Fully fault-tolerant systems using fault-tolerant disk arrays prevent the loss of data.
Raid Implementations
To maintain access to data during the loss of a single hard disk, Windows 2000 Server provides a
software implementation of a fault tolerance technology known as a redundant array of independent
disks (RAID). RAID provides fault tolerance by implementing data redundancy. With Data
redundancy, a computer writes data to more than one disk, which protects the data in the event
of a single hard disk failure.
You can implement RAID fault tolerance as either a software or hardware solution.
Software Implementations of RAID
Windows 2000 Server supports two software implementations of RAID: mirrored volumes
(RAID 1) and striped volumes with parity (RAID 5), otherwise known as RAID-5 volumes.
With Software implementations, there is no fault tolerance following a failure until the fault is
repaired. If a second fault occurs before the data lost from the first fault is regenerated, you
can recover the data only by restoring it from a backup.
RAID 0 Recover, you must set up the Hardware the same way, and then restore the data.
RAID 1 You must break the mirror, then restore the mirror to the same size.
NOTE: When you upgrade Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000, any existing mirror sets or
stripe sets with parity are retained. Windows 2000 provides limited support for these fault
tolerance sets, allowing you to manage and delete them.
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Mirrored Volumes
(RAID 1)
A mirrored volume uses the Windows 2000 Server fault tolerance driver (ftdisk.sys) to write
the same data to a volume on each of two physical disks simultaneously.
A mirrored volume can contain any partition, including the boot or system partition; however,
both disks in a mirrored volume must be Windows 2000 dynamic disks.
Mirrored volumes can be striped across multiple disks. This configuration is often referred to
as RAID 10, RAID 1 mirroring and RAID 0 striping. Unlike RAID0, RAID 10 is a fault-tolerant
RAID configuration because each disk in the stripe is also mirrored. RAID 10 improves disk
I/O by performing read and write operations across the stripe.
Performance on Mirrored Volumes
Mirrored volumes can enhance read performance because the fault tolerance driver reads from
both members of the volume at once. There can be a slight decrease in write performance
because the fault tolerance driver must write to both members.
Because disk space usage is only 50 percent (two members for one set of data), mirrored
volumes can be expensive.
CAUTION Deleting a mirrored volume will delete all the information stored on that volume.
Disk Dulplexing (RAID 1)
If the same disk controller controls both physical disks in a mirrored volume and the disk
controller fails, neither member of the mirrored volume is
accessible. You can install a second
controller in the computer so that each disk in the mirrored volume has its own controller.
This arrangement, called disk duplexing, can protect the mirrored volume against both
controller failure and hard disk failure. Some hardware implementations of disk duplexing
use two or more channels on a single disk controller card.
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RAID 5 (Volumes)
Windows 2000 Server also supports fault tolerance through striped volumes with parity (RAID 5).
Parity is a mathematical method of determining the number of odd and even bits in a number or
series of numbers, which can be used to reconstruct data if one number in a sequence of
numbers is lost.
In a RAID-5 Volume, Windows 2000 achieves fault tolerance by adding a parity-information
stripe to each disk partition in the volume.
If a single disk fails, Windows 2000 can use the data and parity information on the remaining
disks to reconstruct the data that was on the failed disk.
RECOVERY: Replace the hardware in the same format, then recover from backup.
RAID-5 volumes have a cost advantage over mirrored volumes because disk usage is optimized.
The more disks you have in the RAID-5 volume, the less the cost of the redundant data stripe.
The following table shows how the amount of space required for the data stripe decreases with
the addition of 2-GB disks to the RAID-5 volume:
======================================================================
Number Disks Available
Of disks space used
disk space
Redundancy
======================================================================
3 6GB 4GB 33%
4 8GB 6GB 25%
5 10GB 8GB 20%
======================================================================
There are some restrictions that RAID-5 volumes implement in software. First, RAID-5 volumes
involve a minimum of 3 drives and a maximum of 32
drives. Second, a software-level RAID-5
volume cannot contain
the boot or system partition.
RAID 1 (Mirrored) versus RAID-5 (Striped Sets with parity)
Mirrored volumes and RAID-5 volumes provide different levels of fault tolerance. The major
differences between mirrored volumes (RAID 1) and RAID-5 volumes are performance and cost.
See the chart for the comparison.
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=====================================================================
Mirrored volumes Striped
volumes with parity
RAID 1 RAID
5
=====================================================================
Supports FAT and NTFS Supports FAT and NTFS
Can protect system or boot partitions Cannot protect system or boot
Partitions.
Requires 2 hard disks Requires min. 3 and max. 32 hard
Disks.
Has a higher cost per MB Has a lower cost per MB
50% utilization 33% minimum utilization
Has good write performance Has moderate write
Performance
Has good read performance Has excellent read performance
Uses less system memory Required more system memory
=====================================================================
Generally, mirrored volumes offer read and write performance comparable to that of single disks.
RAID-5 volumes offer better read performance than mirrored volumes, especially with multiple
controllers, because data is distributed among multiple drives.
Mirroring uses only 50% of the available disk space, so it is more expensive in cost per MB than
disk without mirroring. RAID 5 uses 33% of the available disk space for parity information when
you use the minimum number of hard disk (three).
Implementing RAID Systems
The software-level fault tolerance features of Windows 2000 Server are available only on
Windows 2000 dynamic disks. In Windows 2000 Server, you create software-level mirrored
and RAID-5 volumes by using the Create Volume wizard in the Comptuer Management Snap-in.
NOTE: Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Windows 2000
clustering for an even higher level of fault tolerance. Clustering is beyond the scope of this
course.
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Lesson Summary:
disk fault tolerance.
to make sure it works.
software or hardware solution. A software-level mirrored volume uses the Windows
2000 Server fault tolerance driver (ftdisk.sys) to write the same data to a volume on
each of two physical disk simultaneously.
volumes with parity (RAID 5). In a RAID-5 volume, Windows 2000 achieves fault
tolerance by adding a parity-information stripe to each disk partition in the volume.
Volume wizard in the Computer Management snap-in.
Lesson 4:
Recovering from a Disaster
Reliability and availability are in part affected by your system’s ability to recover from a disaster.
Repairing the Windows 2000 Installation
Windows 2000 have several features that allow you to repair a system that does not start or
load Windows 2000.
NOTE: You can also reinstall Windows 2000 over a damaged Windows 2000 system or
install Windows 2000 into a separate folder. This may be time consuming, but it is useful if
the emergency repair process does not solve your problem. If you reinstall Windows 2000,
you might lose changes that have been made to your system, such as service pack upgrades.
Safe Mode
Safe Mode lets you start your system with a minimal set of device drivers and services. For
example, if newly installed device drivers or software are preventing your computer from
starting, you might be able to start your computer in safe mode and then remove the software
or device drivers from your system. Safe mode does not work in all circumstances, especially
if your system files are corrupted or missing or your hard disk is damaged or has failed.
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In Safe mode, Windows 2000 uses default settings (VGA monitor, Microsoft mouse driver,
and the minimum device drivers required to start Windows). If a symptom does not reappear
when you start in Safe Mode, you can eliminate the default settings and minimum device drivers
as possible causes of the problem.
You can choose one of the following options when you start
Safe Mode:
Safe Mode. Starts Windows 2000 and uses only basic files and drivers (mouse, except serial mice;
monitor; keyboard; mass storage; base video; default system services; and no network connections.
If your computer does not boot properly in safe mode you may need to use the ERD to repair your
system. Only loads the core components, NIC, CD-ROM, Hard Drive and Floppy.
Safe Mode with Networking. Starts Windows 2000 with only basic files and drivers, plus
network connections.
Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Starts Windows 2000 with only basic files and drivers.
After logging on, the command prompt is displayed instead of the Windows desktop,
Start menu, and Taskbar.
Enable Boot Logging. Starts Windows 2000 while logging all the installed drivers and
services that were loaded (or not loaded) by the system to a file. NDIS2 driver works with
DOS, if it fails do not worry, NDIS version 5.0 works better. When you open the log in
notepad, search for the work FAIL.
Enable VGA Mode. Starts Windows 2000 with the basic VGA driver. This mode is useful
when you have installed a new driver for your video card driver is always used when you start
Windows 2000 in Safe mode (either Safe mode, Safe mode with Networking or Safe mode
with Command Prompt). Loads up the standard 640 X 480 16-bit screen).
Last Known Good Configuration. Starts Windows with the registry information that Windows
saved as the last shutdown. Use this option only in cases of incorrect configuration. Last Known
Good Configuration does not solve problems caused by corrupted, incompatible, or missing drivers
or files. Also, any changes made since that last successful startup will be lost.
Directory Service Restore Mode. Used to restore the SYSVOL directory and Active
Directory services on a domain controller. This option is available only on domain controllers,
and if Directory Services is loaded. Bad news, restore from the last backup.
Debugging Mode. Starts Windows 2000 while sending debug information through a serial
cable to another computer. This is an important mode for software developers. Similar to
DOS, type in “Help”.
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To start Windows 2000 in Safe mode, restart your computer. Press F8 when you see the
message Starting Windows 2000. Use the arrow keys to highlight the appropriate Safe mode
option, and then press Enter.
Recovery Console
The Recovery Console is a text-mode command interpreter that is separate from the Windows
2000 command prompt and allows the system administrator to gain access to the hard disk of a
computer running Windows 2000. NOTE: here by default, but you can access it. You must
install it. Boot from CD-ROM.
If you do not have Setup floppy disks and your computer cannot start from the Windows 2000
installation CD-ROM, use another computer and the Makeboot.exe or Makebt32.exe utility to
create the Setup floppy disks. Run I386\Winnt32.exe/cmdcons
The Recovery Console allows you to obtain limited access to NTFS, FAT16, and FAT32,
volumes without starting the graphical interface. The Recovery Console allows administrators
and Microsoft Product Support Services technicians to start and stop services and repair the
system in a very granular way.
Creating the Emergency Repair Disk
The Windows 2000 ERD, unlike the ERD used with Windows NT, does not contain a copy
of the registry files. The backup registry files are in the folder %systemroot%\Repair as they
are in Windows NT. However, these files are from the original installation of Windows 2000.
In the event of a problem, they can be used to return your computer to a usable state.
When the ERD is created, the files described in the following table are copied from
%systemroot%\Repair to a floppy disk.
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File Name Contents
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Autoexec.nt A copy of %systemroot%\System32\Autoexec.nt, which is used to
Initialize the MS-DOS environment.
Config.nt A copy of %systemroot%\System32\Config.nt, which is used to
Initialize the MS-DOS environment.
Setup.log A log of which files were installed and of Cyclic Redundancy
Check (CRC) information for use during the emergency repair
Process. This file has the read-only, system, and hidden attributes,
And it is not visible unless you have configured My Computer to
Show all files or used the dir /a, dir/as or dir/ah command-line
Commands.
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Recovering from a Mirrored Volume Failure
In a mirrored volume, the computer saves data to each member simultaneously. If one member
fails, the functional member continues to operate.
To replace the failed member, you must first “remove the failed disk from the mirrored volume.
Using the Computer Management snap-in, you can isolate the working member as a separate
volume. Then you can replace the failed disk with a functional disk.
If the primary member of a mirrored volume, including the boot partition, fails, use a boot disk to
start the computer and access the functioning member. The Boot.ini file on the boot disk must
include the Advanced RISC Computing (ARC) path pointing to the mirrored partition. It is
recommended that you create and test a boot disk immediately after implementing a mirrored
volume.
NOTE: Replacing a failed member is not the only reason to remove a mirrored volume. You
might also remove one member of a mirrored volume to reclaim the disk space for other purposes.
Repairing a RAID-5 Volume
If a member of a RAID-5 volume fails, the computer continues to operate with access to all data.
However, as data is requested, the Windows 2000 Server fault tolerance driver uses the data and
parity bits on the remaining members to regenerate the missing data in RAM.
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To restore the computer’s level of performance, you can replace the failed drive and then repair
the RAID-5 volume. The fault tolerance driver reads the parity information from the parity information
stripes on the remaining members, and then re-creates the data contained on the missing member.
When complete, the fault tolerance driver writes the data to the new member.
Lesson Summary:
system resources after a computer disaster has occurred.
the Recovery Console, and the Emergency Repair Disk.
Windows 2000 command prompt and allows the system administrator to gain access to
the hard disk of a computer running Windows 2000.
mirrored volume failure or repair a RAID-5 volume.