Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Server Installation

Chapter 4 Learning Objectives n Make advance preparations to install Windows NT 4.0 Server, including listing hardware information and making decisions regarding installation setup parameters n Create an emergency repair disk n Perform NT Server installation using different methods n Troubleshoot installation problems n Remove Windows NT Server

Chapter 4 Advance Preparations n Information about what hardware components are installed n Information about where the operating system files will be installed n The name of the server n An installed NIC

Chapter 4 Server Hardware Components n Compile a list of hardware component information n Record the basic input/output system (BIOS) configuration settings n Make sure you have most up-to-date drives for hardware (SCSI adapters, RAID drives, NIC, CD-ROM drives) n If installing on SMP, obtain most recent copy of the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)

Chapter 4 Server Hardware Component Information Form

Chapter 4 Making Decisions in Advance n How to partition the disk(s) n What file system(s) to use n Where system files will be located n What the server name will be n What the password for the Administrator account will be n What protocol(s) will be selected n What the domain name will be n How the server will function

Chapter 4 Disk Partition Selection n Partitioning: A process in which a hard disk section or a complete hard disk is set up for use by an operating system F Makes one drive act like several smaller disks F Partitions generally are drive letters (C:, D:, etc.). n Formatting: An operation that marks small disk sections (blocks or tracks and sectors) for use by a specific file system

Chapter 4 Dual Boot System n Dual-boot system: A computer set up to boot from two or more different operating systems, such as Windows NT Server and MS-DOS u Take filesystems into account F ex. MS-DOS can’t read NTFS without special software

Chapter 4 NT Server File Systems n NTFS recommended over FAT file system u Offers best security, performance, and file handling for network users u Offers logging and file compression

Chapter 4 File Location and NT Directory Name n Critical with dual-boot system u Use separate directory for each operating system n System files in root directory of boot disk in folder called \winnt (default) u Other people may support server u NT software utilities anticipate Winnt folder

Chapter 4 Server Name Guidelines n Relatively short and easy to type n Descriptive of server’s function or reflective of organization that uses it n Easy to remember and use n Not already used by another network computer

Chapter 4 Administrator Account Password n Select a password that is difficult to guess n Avoid using information that can be identified with you n Use a long password (Windows NT Server accepts up to 14 characters)

Chapter 4 Protocol Selection n NetBEUI u Small nonrouted networks of under 200 n TCP/IP u Larger or routed network u Internet connectivity n Client Service for NetWare (CSNW) and NWLink u Gateway to NetWare

Chapter 4 Server Domains n Used to identify users, check their authorizations, and give access to resources n Simplify server management n Consist of clients and resources u Clients: User accounts and user groups u Resources: File servers, print servers, etc. used by clients n Can support as many as 40,000 objects, 26,000 users, and 250 groups

Chapter 4 Server Functions n Primary domain controller (PDC) n Backup domain controller (BDC) n Member server n Standalone server

Chapter 4 Primary Domain Controller (PDC) n Acts as the master server when there are two or more NT servers on a network n Holds the master database (called the security accounts manager, or SAM) of user accounts and access privileges

Chapter 4 Backup Domain Controller (BDC) n Acts as a backup to the primary domain controller n Has a copy of the SAM database containing user account and access privilege information n Offers fault tolerance

Chapter 4 Backing Up the PDC with BDCs Domain resources PDCBDC Primary SAM Backup SAM Backup SAM Backup SAM

Chapter 4 Member Servers and Standalone Servers n Member servers u No account logon verification u Used as a special-purpose server, such as a database server n Standalone servers u Not part of an existing domain u ex., for testing, or personal use, etc.

Chapter 4 Creating an Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) n Created when you install Windows NT and updated after the installation n Contains repair, diagnostic, and backup information in case there is a problem with Windows NT

Chapter 4 Content of the ERD

Chapter 4 Installation Options n Floppy disk and CD-ROM n Network installation n Network Client Administrator installation n Unattended installation

Chapter 4 Command-line Switches for WINNT.EXE & WINNT32.EXE n /? n /B n /E:command n /F n /I:initialization filename n /O n /OX n /R:folder n /RX:folder n /S:drive:\folder /S:\\server\share\folder n /T:drive\folder n /U:script file n /X

Chapter 4 Floppy Disk and CD-ROM Installation n One of most common ways to start Windows NT Server setup u Three floppies containing bare-bones system u CD holds remainder of system, more drivers, etc. u Can make boot floppies from CD on another machine (handy!)

Chapter 4 Network Installation n Enable installation from a shared network directory on another computer n Useful if your computer lacks CD-ROM drive n Useful if you operate a large network and plan to implement many NT servers n Fast and consistent

Chapter 4 Network Client Administrator Installation n Enables installation even if prospective server computer has no operating system n Boot floppy contains just enough of the OS to be able to get on the network and get the rest

Chapter 4 Unattended Installation n Usually performed over the network n Enables specification of a set of parameters before installation begins u Answer file u Uniqueness database file (UDF) n Not recommended for creating servers; saves time when setting up multiple Windows NT workstations

Chapter 4 Stepping Through an Installation (Floppy Disk and CD-ROM) n Part 1 u Character-based Setup screens n Part 2 u Graphical display using Windows-based dialog boxes

Chapter 4 Installation Part 1 (Text-based) n Detects hardware u Loads installation files onto the computer u Asks about disk partitioning/formatting choices u May require disk from peripheral manufacturer for special drivers

Chapter 4 Installation Part 2 (Graphical) n Enables configuration of information specific to the server u Registration information u Server name u Server type u NIC setup

Chapter 4 Troubleshooting Installation Problems: Preventive Steps n Purchase a processor and hardware components that are on Microsoft’s HCL n Test hardware before installing Windows NT n Compile and record information about hardware components and BIOS setup n Run comprehensive test of hard disk

Chapter 4 Problems with Hardware Drivers or Actual Hardware n Setup did not find any mass storage devices on the computer or there is an inaccessible boot drive n There is a disk error on one of the three floppy setup disks n A problem is reported with HAL.DLL F Especially on multiprocessor systems n The installation fails when installing the network components continued

Chapter 4 Problems with Hardware Drivers or Actual Hardware n A problem is reported with NTOSKRNL.EXE n A device driver is not available in Setup for a given component F May be able to install OS and install device driver later n A STOP message appears during the installation F Can be tough to diagnose

Chapter 4 Uninstalling Windows NT Server n Necessary when new server hardware is purchased and you want to pass along the old hardware to someone else u licensing restriction, anti-piracy n In essence, simply blow away the contents of the drive u re-format, re-partition, or combination u …making sure you save user data first.

Chapter 4 Chapter Summary n With advance preparation, installation of Windows NT 4.0 Server is likely to be trouble-free. u Record information about server hardware u Have current drivers for hardware in the server continued

Chapter 4 Chapter Summary n Make important decisions before you start the installation. u Disk partition selection u File system u File location and directory name u Names for the server and its domain u Administrator account password u Protocol selection u Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) continued

Chapter 4 Chapter Summary n Select appropriate installation method. u Floppy disks and CD-ROM u Network installation u Network Client Administrator installation u Unattended installation