Introduction xxi
Assessment Test li
Chapter 1 Server Hardware 1
Server Form Factors 3
Rack Mount 3
Tower 6
Blade Technology 7
Installing and Configuring Server Components 11
CPU 11
RAM 16
Bus Types, Bus Channels, and Expansion Slots 19
NICs 21
Hard Drives 22
Riser Cards 25
RAID Controllers 26
BIOS/UEFI 26
Firmware 28
USB Interface/Ports 28
Hot-Swappable Component 29
Maintaining Power and Cooling Requirements 29
Power 29
Cooling 34
Summary 37
Exam Essentials 37
Review Questions 39
Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Servers 43
Installing and Configuring Server Operating Systems 45
Determining the Server Role/Purpose 45
Updating Firmware 46
BIOS/UEFI Configuration 46
Disk Preparation 49
Configuring Hostnames 54
Local Account Setup 55
Connecting to the Network 56
Joining a Domain/Directory 56
Addressing Security Concerns 57
Enabling Services 58
Installing Features, Roles, Applications, and Drivers 60
Performance Baseline 60
Unattended/Remote Installations 63
Using Access and Control Methods to Administer a Server 66
Local Hardware Administration 66
Network-Based Hardware Administration 69
Network-Based Operating System Administration 71
Purpose and Operation of Virtualization Components 73
Hosts and Guests 73
Management Interface for Virtual Machines 74
Hypervisor 74
Hardware Compatibility List 77
Resource Allocation Between Guest and Host 78
Summary 85
Exam Essentials 85
Review Questions 87
Chapter 3 Server Maintenance 91
Server Roles and Requirements 93
Web Server 93
Application Server 94
Directory Services Server 95
Database Server 96
File Servers 96
Print Server 97
Messaging Server 98
Mail Server 98
Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) Server 98
Network Services Server 99
Proper Server Maintenance Techniques 100
Change Management 101
Patch Management 101
Outages and Service-Level Agreements 104
Performance Monitoring 105
Hardware Maintenance 108
Fault Tolerance and High Availability Techniques 120
Asset Management and Documentation 123
Asset Management 123
Documentation 125
Secure Storage of Sensitive Documentation 129
Summary 130
Exam Essentials 130
Review Questions 131
Chapter 4 Storage Technologies 135
Hardware and Features of Various Storage Technologies 136
Direct Attached Storage (DAS) 136
Network-Attached Storage (NAS) 136
Storage Area Networks (SANs) 137
Using iSCSI and FCoE 140
JBOD 142
Tape 142
Optical Drive 144
Flash, Compact Flash, and USB Drive 144
Installing and Deploying Primary Storage Devices 144
Disk Specifications 144
Interfaces 146
Hard Drive vs. SSD 150
Summary 152
Exam Essentials 152
Review Questions 153
Chapter 5 Identifying Capacity and Fault Tolerance Requirements 157
Calculating Appropriate Storage Capacity and Planning for Future Growth 158
Base 10 vs. Base 2 Disk Size Calculation 158
Disk Quotas 159
Compression 160
Capacity Planning Considerations 160
Configuring RAID 164
RAID Levels and Performance Considerations 165
Software vs. Hardware RAID 167
Configuration Specifications 169
Hot-Swap Support and Ramifications 171
Hot Spare vs. Cold Spare 171
Array Controller 171
Summary 173
Exam Essentials 173
Review Questions 174
Chapter 6 Securing the Server 179
Physical Security Methods and Concepts 180
Multifactor Authentication 180
Security Concepts 181
Server Hardening Techniques 187
OS Hardening 187
Endpoint Security 189
Remediating Security Issues Based on a Vulnerability Scan 190
Hardware Hardening 192
Proper Environmental Controls and Techniques 196
Power Concepts and Best Practices 197
Safety 206
Summary 215
Exam Essentials 215
Review Questions 216
Chapter 7 Securing Server Data and Network Access 221
Basic Network Security Systems and Protocols 222
Firewall 222
Network Access Control 226
Router Access List 228
NIDS 229
Authentication Protocols 229
PKI 230
VPN 232
IPsec 232
VLAN 233
Security Zones 234
Logical Access Control Methods 235
Access Control Lists 235
Permissions 240
Data Security Methods and Secure Storage Disposal Techniques 243
Storage Encryption 243
Storage Media 245
Summary 247
Exam Essentials 247
Review Questions 248
Chapter 8 Networking 253
Configuring Servers to Use IP Addressing and Network Infrastructure Services 255
IPv4 vs. IPv6 255
Default Gateway 256
CIDR Notation and Subnetting 256
Public and Private IP Addressing 257
Static IP Assignment vs. DHCP 258
DNS 259
NetBIOS 265
WINS 265
NAT/PAT 267
MAC Addresses 267
Network Interface Card Configuration 269
Ports and Protocols 275
TCP vs. UDP 275
SNMP 161 276
SMTP 25 276
FTP 20/21 276
SFTP 22 276
SSH 22 276
SCP 22 276
NTP 123 277
HTTP 80 277
HTTPS 443 277
Telnet 23 277
IMAP 143 277
POP3 110 277
RDP 3389 277
FTPS 989/990 278
LDAP 389/3268 278
DNS 53 278
DHCP 68 278
Cable Management Procedures 278
Copper 278
Fiber 281
Connectors 282
Cable Placement and Routing 285
Summary 288
Exam Essentials 289
Review Questions 290
Chapter 9 Disaster Recovery 293
Disaster Recovery Principles 294
Site Types 294
Replication Methods 295
Continuity of Operations 297
Backup 298
Methodology 299
Backup Media 304
Media and Restore Best Practices 305
Media Storage Location 307
Summary 309
Exam Essentials 309
Review Questions 310
Chapter 10 Troubleshooting Hardware and Software Issues 315
Troubleshooting Theory and Methodologies 317
Identifying the Problem and Determining the Scope 317
Establish a Theory of Probable Cause (Question the Obvious) 319
Test the Theory to Determine Cause 320
Establish a Plan of Action to Resolve the Problem and Notify Impacted Users 320
Implement the Solution or Escalate as Appropriate 320
Verify Full System Functionality and If Applicable Implement Preventative Measures 321
Perform a Root Cause Analysis 321
Document Findings, Actions and Outcomes Throughout the Process 321
Troubleshooting Hardware Problems 322
Common Problems 322
Causes of Common Problems 328
Environmental Issues 331
Hardware Tools 333
Troubleshooting Software Problems 334
Common Problems 334
Cause of Common Problems 343
Software Tools 348
Summary 360
Exam Essentials 360
Review Questions 361
Chapter 11 Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues 365
Diagnosing Network Problems 366
Common Problems 366
Causes of Common Problems 378
Networking Tools 384
Diagnosing Security Issues 391
Common Problems 391
Causes of Common Problems 393
Security Tools 399
Summary 404
Exam Essentials 405
Review Questions 406
Chapter 12 Troubleshooting Storage Issues 411
Troubleshooting Storage Problems 412
Common Problems 412
Causes of Common Problems 418
Storage Tools 426
Summary 438
Exam Essentials 439
Review Questions 440
Appendix Answers to Review Questions 443
Chapter 1: Server Hardware 444
Chapter 2: Installing and Configuring Servers 445
Chapter 3: Server Maintenance 447
Chapter 4: Storage Technologies 448
Chapter 5: Identifying Capacity and Fault Tolerance Requirements 450
Chapter 6: Securing the Server 451
Chapter 7: Securing Server Data and Network Access 453
Chapter 8: Networking 455
Chapter 9: Disaster Recovery 456
Chapter 10: Troubleshooting Hardware and Software Issues 458
Chapter 11: Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues 460
Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Storage Issues 461
Index 463
