Review I
From Proprofs
[edit section] Review Part I
Now that we have covered all of the basic information on the MCSE exam, it’s time for us to work backwards and recall some of the facts and details we’ve covered in previous lessons. This review consists of two parts: this part, which covers some of the key ideas about Windows XP necessary for you to know for the exam, and Part II, which is a review of the exam through some questions and detailed analysis.
[edit section] Core Concepts
We hope that you have learned some of the core concepts of the Windows XP operating system. If you understand these concepts, you should be able to reason your way out of the tougher questions. If not, every different question will seem like a new idea to you and consequently, you’ll have a rough time with the exam.
The exam is divided into objectives, which we have covered in a basically linear manner. The problem is that many of the objectives are related to each other even if they seem distantly apart. For example, account management is heavily related to security auditing, but the two are treated separately. We want you to take note of the five core ideas or concepts on which Windows XP is based.
[edit section] Concept 1: Access Requires Permission; Permission is Based on Policy and Control List
One of the key complaints about Windows 98 was that it was “soft” on security, so Microsoft addressed these concerns in XP by adding the security features found in Windows 2000. The principle behind all access to all resources in Windows XP is rooted in the idea that to access an object requires the appropriate permission. For example, if a user experiences issues with modifying a particular file it is because he or she does not possess the appropriate permissions to change the file. Remember that the principle of permissions is: strictest first. That is, if Bob is a member of Accounting, and Accounting has read access to B, then Bob has access to B. However, if Bob is a member of the same Accounting group but has “Deny” read access to B specifically stated on his ACL (Access Control List), then he will not have access to B. The “strictest first” principle also applies to NTFS and File Sharing – the stricter between the two settings is the one that is applied. So, if Bob has NTFS permissions to access C but does not have the appropriate file sharing permissions, he cannot access C. Similarly, if he has “Full Control” access to C via file sharing but has no NTFS permissions, he cannot access C. In general, ACL lists define all object access in Windows XP, so you should take time to memorize the various options in ACL lists. You should also remember that ACL lists are inherited from super-classes; that is, a member of a group inherits the permissions of the group.
Don’t forget that policy also defines permission – sometimes, a user may not be able to perform a certain task based on the Local Security Policy of the machine or the Account Policy for that particular user. For example, if a user complains that he or she cannot change the account password, chances are that Password Policy or the Account Policy prevents the change.
Finally, remember the connection between Auditing and Accounts – object access auditing is based primarily on the account of the user who attempts access.
[edit section] Concept 2: Automation through Command-Line Utilities such as RIPREP, SYSPREP and BACKUP
One of the most important tools available to the administrator is the ability to script recurring actions and therefore prevent the administrator from having to manually perform mundane tasks. Windows XP includes several key utilities that help the administrator to perform unattended or scripted tasks.
Unattended tasks are tasks that do not require a user’s input to perform. For example, SYSPREP is the “System Preparation” tool that allows an administrator to configure an unattended local Windows XP installation. Similarly, RIPREP allows for the configuration of an unattended remote installation. You should spend some times studying these two utilities at length because the 70-270 exam will certainly have questions on these topics.
Scripted tasks are those that recur via a batch file, login script, or other “script” that allows for a command-line based configuration of a recurring task. For example, administrators can schedule regular backups by performing a BACKUP command-line script upon login or logoff. Drivers can be checked for compliance with the signing program using the System File Checker, or SFC.
[edit section] Concept 3: Identifying Issues and Troubleshooting Using the Event Viewer, Auditing, Performance Monitoring, TCP/IP Utilities, and Remote Assistance
We know that the above title is a lot to absorb. But it is important. The exam will test you on your ability to identify problems given limited information and suggest solutions to problems. Typically, the way to identify problems will be to use the System Event Log, which contains all of the events related to the Application log, Auditing (Security) log, and System log. If a problem exists, it will likely be documented in the Event Logs. Security configuration is also managed through Group Policy and the Event Viewer.
You should also know how to optimize performance in Windows XP. Visual options, appearance settings, and other rather trivial settings can adversely affect a computer’s performance, and you should recall that processor scheduling, memory usage, and virtual memory configuration are contributors to increasing or decreasing a computer’s speed. Performance logs and alerts are used to monitor performance by CPU, memory, and page file usage.
Finally, you should be familiar with the various TCP/IP utilities. PING can check for a response via ICMP whereas NET is used for NetBEUI-based networking information. Commands like SHARE and NET are used for Windows networking, whereas DNS and TRACERT are directly related to UNIX networking and general Internet configuration. DHCP is a feature for automatic IP address assignment that you can use in XP to share an Internet connection via ICS.
One quick note: In recent years, the test has focused on Remote Assistance, so be sure to cover the topic thoroughly. Remember that remote assistance is the feature of Windows XP that allows for a remote user to “control” the PC via an account’s permission and correct issues.
[edit section] Concept 4: Redundancy and Backup Prevent Total Data Loss and Total System Failure
If you recall your previous lessons on disk management, you should remember the various levels of RAID, which provide redundancy in the case of failure. RAID 0 refers to disk striping, RAID 1 to disk mirroring, and RAID 5 to fault tolerance. Remember that the principle of fault tolerance is that the failure of a component of a system will not lead to total system failure. That is, if one disk fails, the information is still available.
Remember that CD burning and access to removable media is controlled via Group Policy and Local Security Policy, which can allow administrators to remove access to media and/or CD burning tools.
[edit section] Concept 5: The Account as the Center of Windows XP
Windows XP is based on accounts, which represent users rather than entire computers. Accounts can be configured to certain permissions via the ACL, as discussed previously. Accounts have their own Profiles, which contain information about the accounts and settings. Accounts also have their own Documents, Local Settings, Application Data, and other folders related to those particular accounts. Accounts may belong to groups, and groups may belong to other groups. Principles are similar to groups, but cannot be removed and contain accounts and other groups without the administrator’s discretion. Some principles include: Everyone, System, and Guests.
The local profile contains the local settings that make the Windows experience unique to a particular user. Roaming profiles allow users to move from PC to PC without losing their particular settings; this feature is desirable for laptop and other mobile users.
[edit section] Moving Forward
Hopefully, this lesson has been something of a refresher-course. We’ve covered most of the basic ideas and principles behind Windows XP. See how you perform on the Review II lesson and determine where you need to go next!
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