Windows Server 2003 Interview Questions & Answers

8/6/2019 Windows Server 2003 Interview Questions & Answers

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Active Directory Installation Wizard verifies a proper configuration of the DNS

infrastructure. All DNS configuration debugging and reporting activity is done with the

Active Directory Installation Wizard.

10.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.

11. How can you authenticate between forests?Four types of authentication are used across forests: (1) Kerberos and NTLM network

logon for remote access to a server in another forest; (2) Kerberos and NTLM interactive

logon for physical logon outside the users home forest; (3) Kerberos delegation to N-tier

application in another forest; and (4) user principal name (UPN) credentials.

12. What snap-in administrative tools are available for Active Directory? ActiveDirectory Domains and Trusts Manager, Active Directory Sites and Services Manager,

Active Directory Users and Group Manager, Active Directory Replication (optional,available from the Resource Kit), Active Directory Schema Manager (optional, available

from adminpak)

13.What types of classes exist in Windows Server 2003 Active Directory?

Structural class. The structural class is important to the system administrator inthat it is the only type from which new Active Directory objects are created.Structural classes are developed from either the modification of an existing structuraltype or the use of one or more abstract classes.

Abstract class. Abstract classes are so named because they take the form oftemplates that actually create other templates (abstracts) and structural andauxiliary classes. Think of abstract classes as frameworks for the defining objects.

Auxiliary class. The auxiliary class is a list of attributes. Rather than apply

numerous attributes when creating a structural class, it provides a streamlinedalternative by applying a combination of attributes with a single include action.

88 class. The 88 class includes object classes defined prior to 1993, when the 1988X.500 specification was adopted. This type does not use the structural, abstract, andauxiliary definitions, nor is it in common use for the development of objects inWindows Server 2003 environments.

14.How do you delete a lingering object? Windows Server 2003 provides a commandcalled Repadmin that provides the ability to delete lingering objects in the ActiveDirectory.

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

16.How is user account security established in Windows Server 2003? When anaccount is created, it is given a unique access number known as a security identifier(SID). Every group to which the user belongs has an associated SID. The user andrelated group SIDs together form the user accounts security token, which determinesaccess levels to objects throughout the system and network. SIDs from the securitytoken are mapped to the access control list (ACL) of any object the user attempts toaccess.


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17.If I delete a user and then create a new account with the same username andpassword, would the SID and permissions stay the same? No. If you delete a useraccount and attempt to recreate it with the same user name and password, the SID willbe different.

18.What do you do with secure sign-ons in an organization with many roamingusers? Credential Management feature of Windows Server 2003 provides a consistent

single sign-on experience for users. This can be useful for roaming users who movebetween computer systems. The Credential Management feature provides a secure storeof user credentials that includes passwords and X.509 certificates.

19.Anything special you should do when adding a user that has a Mac? "Savepassword as encrypted clear text" must be selected on User Properties Account TabOptions, since the Macs only store their passwords that way.

20.What remote access options does Windows Server 2003 support? Dial-in, VPN,dial-in with callback.

21.Where are the documents and settings for the roaming profile stored? All thedocuments and environmental settings for the roaming user are stored locally on thesystem, and, when the user logs off, all changes to the locally stored profile are copiedto the shared server folder. Therefore, the first time a roaming user logs on to a newsystem the logon process may take some time, depending on how large his profile folder

is.22.Where are the settings for all the users stored on a given machine? \Document

and Settings\All Users

23.What languages can you use for log-on scripts? JavaScipt, VBScript, DOS batchfiles (.com, .bat, or even .exe)

Windows Server 2003 IIS and Scripting interview questions

1. What is presentation layer responsible for in the OSI model?

The presentation layer establishes the data format prior to passing it along to the network

applications interface. TCP/IP networks perform this task at the application layer.

2. Does Windows Server 2003 support IPv6?

Yes, run ipv6.exe from command line to disable it.3. Can Windows Server 2003 function as a bridge?

Yes, and its a new feature for the 2003 product. You can combine several networks and

devices connected via several adapters by enabling IP routing.

4. Whats the difference between the basic disk and dynamic disk?

The basic type contains partitions, extended partitions, logical drivers, and an assortment of

static volumes; the dynamic type does not use partitions but dynamically manages volumes

and provides advanced storage options

5. Whats a media pool?

It is any compilation of disks or tapes with the same administrative properties.

6. How do you install recovery console?

C:\i386\win32 /cmdcons, assuming that your Win server installation is on drive C.7. Whats new in Terminal Services for Windows 2003 Server?

Supports audio transmissions as well, although prepare for heavy network load.

8. What scripts ship with IIS 6.0?

iisweb.vsb to create, delete, start, stop, and list Web sites, iisftp.vsb to create, delete, start,

stop, and list FTP sites, iisdir.vsb to create, delete, start, stop, and display virtual directories,

iisftpdr.vsb to create, delete, start, stop, and display virtual directories under an FTP root,

iiscnfg.vbs to export and import IIS configuration to an XML file.


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9. Whats the name of the user who connects to the Web site anonymously?

IUSR_computername

10. What secure authentication and encryption mechanisms are supported by IIS 6.0?

Basic authentication, Digest authentication, Advanced digest authentication, Certificate-

based Web transactions that use PKCS #7/PKCS #10, Fortezza, SSL, Server-Gated

Cryptography, Transport Layer Security

11. Whats the relation between SSL and TLS?

Transport Layer Security (TLS) extends SSL by providing cryptographic authentication.

12. Whats the role of http.sys in IIS?

It is the point of contact for all incoming HTTP requests. It listens for requests and queues

them until they are all processed, no more queues are available, or the Web server is shut

down.

13. Wheres ASP cache located on IIS 6.0?

On disk, as opposed to memory, as it used to be in IIS 5.

14. What is socket pooling?

Non-blocking socket usage, introduced in IIS 6.0. More than one application can use a given

socket.

15. Describe the process of clustering with Windows 2003 Server when a new node isadded. As a node goes online, it searches for other nodes to join by polling the designated

internal network.

In this way, all nodes are notified of the new nodes existence. If other nodes cannot be

found on a preexisting cluster, the new node takes control of the quorum resources residing

on the shared disk that contains state and configuration data.

16. What applications are not capable of performing in Windows 2003 Server clusters?

The ones written exclusively for NetBEUI and IPX.

17. Whats a heartbeat?

Communication processes between the nodes designed to ensure nodes health.

18. Whats a threshold in clustered environment?

The number of times a restart is attempted, when the node fails.

19. You need to change and admin password on a clustered Windows box, but that requires

rebooting the cluster, doesnt it?

No, it doesnt. In 2003 environment you can do that via cluster.exe utility which does not

require rebooting the entire cluster.

20. For the document of size 1 MB, what size would you expect the index to be with

Indexing Service?

150-300 KB, 15-30% is a reasonable expectation.

21. Doesnt the Indexing Service introduce a security flaw when allowing access to the

index?

No, because users can only view the indices of documents and folders that they have

permissions for.22. Whats the typical size of the index?

Less then 100K documents - up to 128 MB. More than that - 256+ MB.

23. Which characters should be enclosed in quotes when searching the index?

&, @, $, #, ^, ( ), and |.

24. How would you search for C++?

Just enter C++, since + is not a special character (and neither is C).

25. What about Barnes&Noble?


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Should be searched for as Barnes&Noble.

26. Are the searches case-sensitive?

No.

27. Whats the order of precedence of Boolean operators in Microsoft Windows 2003 Server

Indexing Service?

NOT, AND, NEAR, OR.

28. Whats a vector space query?

A multiple-word query where the weight can be assigned to each of the search words. For

example, if you want to fight information on black hole, but would prefer to give more

weight to the word hole, you can enter black[1] hole[20] into the search window.

29. Whats a response queue?

Its the message queue that holds response messages sent from the receiving application to

the sender.

30. Whats MQPing used for?

Testing Microsoft Message Queue services between the nodes on a network.

31. Which add-on package for Windows 2003 Server would you use to monitor the installed

software and license compliance?

SMS (System Management Server).32. Which service do you use to set up various alerts?

MOM (Microsoft Operations Manager).

33. What languages does Windows Scripting Host support?

VB, VBScript, JScript.

1. Whats the difference between local, global and universal groups? Domain

local groups assign access permissions to global domain groups for local domain

resources. Global groups provide access to resources in other trusted domains.

Universal groups grant access to resources in all trusted domains.2. I am trying to create a new universal user group. Why cant 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.

3. What is LSDOU? Its group policy inheritance model, where the policies are applied

to Local machines, Sites, Domains and Organizational Units.

4. Why doesnt LSDOU work under Windows NT? If the NTConfig.pol file exist, it

has the highest priority among the numerous policies.

5. Where are group policies stored? %SystemRoot%System32\GroupPolicy

6. What is GPT and GPC? Group policy template and group policy container.

7. Where is GPT stored? %SystemRoot%\SYSVOL\sysvol\domainname\Policies\GUID


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8. You change the group policies, and now the computer and user settings are

in conflict. Which one has the highest priority? The computer settings take

priority.

9. You want to set up remote installation procedure, but do not want the user

to gain access over it. What do you do? gponame> User Configuration>Windows Settings> Remote Installation Services> Choice Options is your friend.

10. Whats contained in administrative template conf.adm? Microsoft NetMeeting

policies

11. How can you restrict running certain applications on a machine? Via group

policy, security settings for the group, then Software Restriction Policies.

12.You need to automatically install an app, but MSI file is not available. What

do you do? A .zap text file can be used to add applications using the Software

Installer, rather than the Windows Installer.

13. Whats the difference between Software Installer and Windows Installer?

The former has fewer privileges and will probably require user intervention. Plus, it

uses .zap files.

14. What can be restricted on Windows Server 2003 that wasnt 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.

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

16. Where is secedit? Its now gpupdate.

17.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.

18. What is "tattooing" the Registry? The user can view and modify user preferences

that are not stored in maintained portions of the Registry. If the group policy is

removed or changed, the user preference will persist in the Registry.

19. How do you fight tattooing in NT/2000 installations? You cant.

20. How do you fight tattooing in 2003 installations? User Configuration -

Administrative Templates - System - Group Policy - enable - Enforce Show Policies

Only.

21. What does IntelliMirror do? It helps to reconcile desktop settings, applications,

and stored files for users, particularly those who move between workstations or those

who must periodically work offline.


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22. Whats the major difference between FAT and NTFS on a local machine? FAT

and FAT32 provide no security over locally logged-on users. Only native NTFS

provides extensive permission control on both remote and local files.

23. How do FAT and NTFS differ in approach to user shares? They dont, both

have support for sharing.

24. Explan the List Folder Contents permission on the folder in NTFS. Same as

Read & Execute, but not inherited by files within a folder. However, newly created

subfolders will inherit this permission.

25. I have a file to which the user has access, but he has no folder permission

to read it. Can he access it? It is possible for a user to navigate to a file for which

he does not have folder permission. This involves simply knowing the path of the file

object. Even if the user cant drill down the file/folder tree using My Computer, he can

still gain access to the file using the Universal Naming Convention (UNC). The best

way to start would be to type the full path of a file into Run window.

26. For a user in several groups, are Allow permissions restrictive or

permissive? Permissive, if at least one group has Allow permission for the file/folder,

user will have the same permission.

27. For a user in several groups, are Deny permissions restrictive or

permissive? Restrictive, if at least one group has Deny permission for the file/folder,

user will be denied access, regardless of other group permissions.

28. What hidden shares exist on Windows Server 2003 installation? Admin$,

Drive$, IPC$, NETLOGON, print$ and SYSVOL.

29. Whats the difference between standalone and fault-tolerant DFS

(Distributed File System) installations? The standalone server stores the Dfs

directory tree structure or topology locally. Thus, if a shared folder is inaccessible or

if the Dfs root server is down, users are left with no link to the shared resources. A

fault-tolerant root node stores the Dfs topology in the Active Directory, which is

replicated to other domain controllers. Thus, redundant root nodes may include

multiple connections to the same data residing in different shared folders.

30. Were using the DFS fault-tolerant installation, but cannot access it from a

Win98 box. Use the UNC path, not client, only 2000 and 2003 clients can access

Server 2003 fault-tolerant shares.

31. Where exactly do fault-tolerant DFS shares store information in Active

Directory? In Partition Knowledge Table, which is then replicated to other domain

controllers.

32. Can you use Start->Search with DFS shares? Yes.


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33. What problems can you have with DFS installed? Two users opening the

redundant copies of the file at the same time, with no file-locking involved in DFS,

changing the contents and then saving. Only one file will be propagated through DFS.

34. I run Microsoft Cluster Server and cannot install fault-tolerant DFS. Yeah,

you cant. Install a standalone one.

35. Is Kerberos encryption symmetric or asymmetric? Symmetric.

36. How does Windows 2003 Server try to prevent a middle-man attack on

encrypted line? Time stamp is attached to the initial client request, encrypted with

the shared key.

37. What hashing algorithms are used in Windows 2003 Server? RSA Data

Securitys Message Digest 5 (MD5), produces a 128-bit hash, and the Secure Hash

Algorithm 1 (SHA-1), produces a 160-bit hash.

38.What third-party certificate exchange protocols are used by Windows 2003Server? Windows Server 2003 uses the industry standard PKCS-10 certificate

request and PKCS-7 certificate response to exchange CA certificates with third-party

certificate authorities.

39. Whats the number of permitted unsuccessful logons on Administrator

account? Unlimited. Remember, though, that its the Administrator account, not any

account thats part of the Administrators group.

40. If hashing is one-way function and Windows Server uses hashing for storing

passwords, how is it possible to attack the password lists, specifically the

ones using NTLMv1? A cracker would launch a dictionary attack by hashing every

imaginable term used for password and then compare the hashes.

41. Whats the difference between guest accounts in Server 2003 and other

editions? More restrictive in Windows Server 2003.

42. How many passwords by default are remembered when you check "Enforce

Password History Remembered"? Users last 6 passwords.

1. How do you double-boot a Win 2003 server box? The Boot.ini file is set as read-only, system, and hidden to prevent unwanted editing. To change the Boot.ini

timeout and default settings, use the System option in Control Panel from theAdvanced tab and select Startup.

2. What do you do if earlier application doesnt run on Windows Server 2003?

When an application that ran on an earlier legacy version of Windows cannot be

loaded during the setup function or if it later malfunctions, you must run the

compatibility mode function. This is accomplished by right-clicking the application or


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setup program and selecting Properties > Compatibility > selecting the previously

supported operating system.

3. If you uninstall Windows Server 2003, which operating systems can you

revert to? Win ME and Win 98.

4. How do you get to Internet Firewall settings? Start > Control Panel >Network and Internet Connections > Network Connections.

5. 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.

6. What is Active Directory? Active Directory is a network-based object store and

service that locates and manages resources, and makes these resources available to

authorized users and groups. An underlying principle of the Active Directory is that

everything is considered an objectpeople, servers, workstations, printers,

documents, and devices. Each object has certain attributes and its own security

access control list (ACL).

7. 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.

8. 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).9. Whats new in Windows Server 2003 regarding the DNS management? When

DC promotion occurs with an existing forest, the Active Directory Installation Wizard

contacts an existing DC to update the directory and replicate from the DC the

required portions of the directory. If the wizard fails to locate a DC, it performs

debugging and reports what caused the failure and how to fix the problem. In order

to be located on a network, every DC must register in DNS DC locator DNS records.


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The Active Directory Installation Wizard verifies a proper configuration of the DNS

infrastructure. All DNS configuration debugging and reporting activity is done with

the Active Directory Installation Wizard.

10.When should you create a forest? Organizations that operate on radically

different bases may require separate trees with distinct namespaces. Unique trade orbrand 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.

11.How can you authenticate between forests? Four types of authentication are

used across forests: (1) Kerberos and NTLM network logon for remote access to a

server in another forest; (2) Kerberos and NTLM interactive logon for physical logon

outside the users home forest; (3) Kerberos delegation to N-tier application in

another forest; and (4) user principal name (UPN) credentials.

12.What snap-in administrative tools are available for Active Directory? Active

Directory Domains and Trusts Manager, Active Directory Sites and Services Manager,

Active Directory Users and Group Manager, Active Directory Replication (optional,

available from the Resource Kit), Active Directory Schema Manager (optional,

available from adminpak)

1.

What types of classes exist in Windows Server 2003 Active Directory?

2. Structural class. The structural class is important to the system administrator in

that it is the only type from which new Active Directory objects are created.

Structural classes are developed from either the modification of an existing structural

type or the use of one or more abstract classes.

Abstract class. Abstract classes are so named because they take the form of

templates that actually create other templates (abstracts) and structural and

auxiliary classes. Think of abstract classes as frameworks for the defining objects.

Auxiliary class. The auxiliary class is a list of attributes. Rather than apply

numerous attributes when creating a structural class, it provides a streamlined

alternative by applying a combination of attributes with a single include action.

88 class. The 88 class includes object classes defined prior to 1993, when the 1988

X.500 specification was adopted. This type does not use the structural, abstract, and


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auxiliary definitions, nor is it in common use for the development of objects in

Windows Server 2003 environments.

1. How do you delete a lingering object? Windows Server 2003 provides a

command called Repadmin that provides the ability to delete lingering objects in the

Active Directory.

2. 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.

3. How is user account security established in Windows Server 2003? When an

account is created, it is given a unique access number known as a security identifier

(SID). Every group to which the user belongs has an associated SID. The user and

related group SIDs together form the user accounts security token, whichdetermines access levels to objects throughout the system and network. SIDs from

the security token are mapped to the access control list (ACL) of any object the user

attempts to access.

4. If I delete a user and then create a new account with the same username

and password, would the SID and permissions stay the same? No. If you

delete a user account and attempt to recreate it with the same user name and

password, the SID will be different.

5. What do you do with secure sign-ons in an organization with many roaming

users? Credential Management feature of Windows Server 2003 provides a

consistent single sign-on experience for users. This can be useful for roaming users

who move between computer systems. The Credential Management feature provides

a secure store of user credentials that includes passwords and X.509 certificates.

6. Anything special you should do when adding a user that has a Mac? "Save

password as encrypted clear text" must be selected on User Properties Account Tab

Options, since the Macs only store their passwords that way.

7. What remote access options does Windows Server 2003 support? Dial-in,

VPN, dial-in with callback.8. Where are the documents and settings for the roaming profile stored? All

the documents and environmental settings for the roaming user are stored locally on

the system, and, when the user logs off, all changes to the locally stored profile are

copied to the shared server folder. Therefore, the first time a roaming user logs on to

a new system the logon process may take some time, depending on how large his

profile folder is.


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9. Where are the settings for all the users stored on a given machine?

\Document and Settings\All Users

10.What languages can you use for log-on scripts? JavaScipt, VBScript, DOS batch

files (.com, .bat, or even .exe)

11. What is presentation layer responsible for in the OSI model? The presentationlayer establishes the data format prior to passing it along to the network applications

interface. TCP/IP networks perform this task at the application layer.

12. Does Windows Server 2003 support IPv6? Yes, run ipv6.exe from command line

to disable it.

13. Can Windows Server 2003 function as a bridge? Yes, and its a new feature for

the 2003 product. You can combine several networks and devices connected via

several adapters by enabling IP routing.

14. Whats the difference between the basic disk and dynamic disk? The basic

type contains partitions, extended partitions, logical drivers, and an assortment of

static volumes; the dynamic type does not use partitions but dynamically manages

volumes and provides advanced storage options

15. Whats a media pool? It is any compilation of disks or tapes with the same

administrative properties.

16. How do you install recovery console? C:\i386\win32 /cmdcons, assuming that

your Win server installation is on drive C.

17. Whats new in Terminal Services for Windows 2003 Server? Supports audio

transmissions as well, although prepare for heavy network load.

18. What scripts ship with IIS 6.0?iisweb.vsb to create, delete, start, stop, and list

Web sites, iisftp.vsb to create, delete, start, stop, and list FTP sites, iisdir.vsb to

create, delete, start, stop, and display virtual directories, iisftpdr.vsb to create,

delete, start, stop, and display virtual directories under an FTP root, iiscnfg.vbs to

export and import IIS configuration to an XML file.

19. Whats the name of the user who connects to the Web site anonymously?

IUSR_computername

20.What secure authentication and encryption mechanisms are supported byIIS 6.0? Basic authentication, Digest authentication, Advanced digest authentication,

Certificate-based Web transactions that use PKCS #7/PKCS #10, Fortezza, SSL,

Server-Gated Cryptography, Transport Layer Security

21. Whats the relation between SSL and TLS? Transport Layer Security (TLS)

extends SSL by providing cryptographic authentication.


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22. Whats the role of http.sys in IIS? It is the point of contact for all incoming HTTP

requests. It listens for requests and queues them until they are all processed, no

more queues are available, or the Web server is shut down.

23. Wheres ASP cache located on IIS 6.0? On disk, as opposed to memory, as it

used to be in IIS 5.

24. What is socket pooling? Non-blocking socket usage, introduced in IIS 6.0. More

than one application can use a given socket.

25. Describe the process of clustering with Windows 2003 Server when a new

node is added. As a node goes online, it searches for other nodes to join by polling

the designated internal network. In this way, all nodes are notified of the new nodes

existence. If other nodes cannot be found on a preexisting cluster, the new node

takes control of the quorum resources residing on the shared disk that contains state

and configuration data.

26. What applications are not capable of performing in Windows 2003 Server

clusters? The ones written exclusively for NetBEUI and IPX.

27. Whats a heartbeat? Communication processes between the nodes designed to

ensure nodes health.

28. Whats a threshold in clustered environment? The number of times a restart is

attempted, when the node fails.

29.You need to change and admin password on a clustered Windows box, but

that requires rebooting the cluster, doesnt it? No, it doesnt. In 2003

environment you can do that via cluster.exe utility which does not require rebooting

the entire cluster.

30. For the document of size 1 MB, what size would you expect the index to be

with Indexing Service? 150-300 KB, 15-30% is a reasonable expectation.

31. Doesnt the Indexing Service introduce a security flaw when allowing

access to the index? No, because users can only view the indices of documents

and folders that they have permissions for.

32. Whats the typical size of the index? Less then 100K documents - up to 128 MB.

More than that - 256+ MB.33. Which characters should be enclosed in quotes when searching the index?

&, @, $, #, ^, ( ), and .

34. How would you search for C++? Just enter C++, since + is not a special character

(and neither is C).

35. What about Barnes&Noble? Should be searched for as Barnes&Noble.


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36. Are the searches case-sensitive? No.

37. Whats the order of precedence of Boolean operators in Microsoft Windows

2003 Server Indexing Service? NOT, AND, NEAR, OR.

38. Whats a vector space query? A multiple-word query where the weight can be

assigned to each of the search words. For example, if you want to fight information

on black hole, but would prefer to give more weight to the word hole, you can enter

black[1] hole[20] into the search window.

39. Whats a response queue? Its the message queue that holds response messages

sent from the receiving application to the sender.

40. Whats MQPing used for? Testing Microsoft Message Queue services between the

nodes on a network.

41. Which add-on package for Windows 2003 Server would you use to monitor

the installed software and license compliance? SMS (System ManagementServer).

42. Which service do you use to set up various alerts? MOM (Microsoft Operations

Manager).

43. What languages does Windows Scripting Host support? VB, VBScript, JScript.

x86 interview questions

1. What is a Microprocessor? - Microprocessor is a program-controlled device, which

fetches the instructions from memory, decodes and executes the instructions. MostMicro Processor are single- chip devices.

2. Give examples for 8 / 16 / 32 bit Microprocessor? - 8-bit Processor - 8085 / Z80 /

6800; 16-bit Processor - 8086 / 68000 / Z8000; 32-bit Processor - 80386 / 80486.

3. Why 8085 processor is called an 8 bit processor? - Because 8085 processor has 8 bit

ALU (Arithmetic Logic Review). Similarly 8086 processor has 16 bit ALU.

4. What is 1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th generation processor? - The processor made of PMOS /

NMOS / HMOS / HCMOS technology is called 1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th generation

processor, and it is made up of 4 / 8 / 16 / 32 bits.

5. Define HCMOS? - High-density n- type Complimentary Metal Oxide Silicon field effect

transistor.

6. What does microprocessor speed depend on? - The processing speed depends on

DATA BUS WIDTH.


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7. Is the address bus unidirectional? - The address bus is unidirectional because the

address information is always given by the Micro Processor to address a memory

location of an input / output devices.

8. Is the data bus is Bi-directional? - The data bus is Bi-directional because the same

bus is used for transfer of data between Micro Processor and memory or input /output devices in both the direction.

9. What is the disadvantage of microprocessor? - It has limitations on the size of data.

Most Microprocessor does not support floating-point operations.

10.What is the difference between microprocessor and microcontroller? - In

Microprocessor more op-codes, few bit handling instructions. But in Microcontroller:

fewer op-codes, more bit handling Instructions, and also it is defined as a device that

includes micro processor, memory, & input / output signal lines on a single chip.

11.What is meant by LATCH? - Latch is a D- type flip-flop used as a temporary storage

device controlled by a timing signal, which can store 0 or 1. The primary function of a

Latch is data storage. It is used in output devices such as LED, to hold the data for

display.

12.Why does microprocessor contain ROM chips? - Microprocessor contain ROM chip

because it contain instructions to execute data.

13.What is the difference between primary & secondary storage device? - In primary

storage device the storage capacity is limited. It has a volatile memory. In secondary

storage device the storage capacity is larger. It is a nonvolatile memory. Primary

devices are: RAM / ROM. Secondary devices are: Floppy disc / Hard disk.

14.Difference between static and dynamic RAM? - Static RAM: No refreshing, 6 to 8 MOS

transistors are required to form one memory cell, Information stored as voltage level

in a flip flop. Dynamic RAM: Refreshed periodically, 3 to 4 transistors are required to

form one memory cell, Information is stored as a charge in the gate to substrate

capacitance.

15.What is interrupt? - Interrupt is a signal send by external device to the processor so

as to request the processor to perform a particular work.

16.What is cache memory? - Cache memory is a small high-speed memory. It is used for

temporary storage of data & information between the main memory and the CPU

(center processing unit). The cache memory is only in RAM.

17.What is called ?Scratch pad of computer?? - Cache Memory is scratch pad of

computer.

18. Which transistor is used in each cell of EPROM? - Floating ?gate Avalanche Injection

MOS (FAMOS) transistor is used in each cell of EPROM.


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19.Differentiate between RAM and ROM? - RAM: Read / Write memory, High Speed,

Volatile Memory. ROM: Read only memory, Low Speed, Non Voliate Memory.

20.What is a compiler? - Compiler is used to translate the high-level language program

into machine code at a time. It doesn?t require special instruction to store in a

memory, it stores automatically. The Execution time is less compared to Interpreter.21.Which processor structure is pipelined? - All x86 processors have pipelined structure.

22.What is flag? - Flag is a flip-flop used to store the information about the status of a

processor and the status of the instruction executed most recently

23.What is stack? - Stack is a portion of RAM used for saving the content of Program

Counter and general purpose registers.

24.Can ROM be used as stack? - ROM cannot be used as stack because it is not possible

to write to ROM.

25. What is NV-RAM? - Nonvolatile Read Write Memory, also called Flash memory. It is

also know as shadow RAM.

8086 interview questions

What are the flags in 8086? - In 8086 Carry flag, Parity flag, Auxiliary carry flag, Zero

flag, Overflow flag, Trace flag, Interrupt flag, Direction flag, and Sign flag.

What are the various interrupts in 8086? - Maskable interrupts, Non-Maskable interrupts.

What is meant by Maskable interrupts? - An interrupt that can be turned off by the

programmer is known as Maskable interrupt.

What is Non-Maskable interrupts? - An interrupt which can be never be turned off

(ie.disabled) is known as Non-Maskable interrupt.

Which interrupts are generally used for critical events? - Non-Maskable interrupts are

used in critical events. Such as Power failure, Emergency, Shut off etc.,

Give examples for Maskable interrupts? - RST 7.5, RST6.5, RST5.5 are Maskable

interrupts

Give example for Non-Maskable interrupts? - Trap is known as Non-Maskable interrupts,

which is used in emergency condition.

What is the Maximum clock frequency in 8086? - 5 Mhz is the Maximum clock frequency

in 8086.

What are the various segment registers in 8086? - Code, Data, Stack, Extra Segment

registers in 8086.

Which Stack is used in 8086? - FIFO (First In First Out) stack is used in 8086.In this type


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of Stack the first stored information is retrieved first.

What are the address lines for the software interrupts? -

RST 0

0000 H

RST1

0008 H

RST2

0010 H

RST3

0018 H

RST4

0020 H

RST5

0028 H

RST6

0030 H

RST7

0038 H

What is SIM and RIM instructions? - SIM is Set Interrupt Mask. Used to mask the

hardware interrupts. RIM is Read Interrupt Mask. Used to check whether the interrupt is

Masked or not.

Which is the tool used to connect the user and the computer? - Interpreter is the tool

used to connect the user and the tool.

What is the position of the Stack Pointer after the PUSH instruction? - The address line is

02 less than the earlier value.

What is the position of the Stack Pointer after the POP instruction? - The address line is

02 greater than the earlier value.

Logic calculations are done in which type of registers? - Accumulator is the register in

which Arithmetic and Logic calculations are done.

What are the different functional units in 8086? - Bus Interface Unit and Execution unit,

are the two different functional units in 8086.

Give examples for Micro controller? - Z80, Intel MSC51 &96, Motorola are the best


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examples of Microcontroller.

What is meant by cross-compiler? - A program runs on one machine and executes on

another is called as cross-compiler.

What are the address lines for the hardware interrupts? -

RST 7.5

003C H

RST 6.5

0034 H

RST 5.5

002C H

TRAP

0024 H

Which Segment is used to store interrupt and subroutine return address registers? -

Stack Segment in segment register is used to store interrupt and subroutine return

address registers.

Which Flags can be set or reset by the programmer and also used to control the

operation of the processor? - Trace Flag, Interrupt Flag, Direction Flag.

What does EU do? - Execution Unit receives program instruction codes and data from

BIU, executes these instructions and store the result in general registers.

Which microprocessor accepts the program written for 8086 without any changes? -

8088 is that processor.

What is the difference between 8086 and 8088? - The BIU in 8088 is 8-bit data bus & 16-

bit in 8086.Instruction queue is 4 byte long in 8088and 6 byte in 8086.

8085 microprocessor questions

What are the various registers in 8085? - Accumulator register, Temporary register,

Instruction register, Stack Pointer, Program Counter are the various registers in 8085 .

In 8085 name the 16 bit registers? - Stack pointer and Program counter all have 16 bits.

What are the various flags used in 8085? - Sign flag, Zero flag, Auxillary flag, Parity flag,

Carry flag.

What is Stack Pointer? - Stack pointer is a special purpose 16-bit register in the

Microprocessor, which holds the address of the top of the stack.


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What is Program counter? - Program counter holds the address of either the first byte of

the next instruction to be fetched for execution or the address of the next byte of a multi

byte instruction, which has not been completely fetched. In both the cases it gets

incremented automatically one by one as the instruction bytes get fetched. Also

Program register keeps the address of the next instruction.

Which Stack is used in 8085? - LIFO (Last In First Out) stack is used in 8085.In this type

of Stack the last stored information can be retrieved first.

What happens when HLT instruction is executed in processor? - The Micro Processor

enters into Halt-State and the buses are tri-stated.

What is meant by a bus? - A bus is a group of conducting lines that carriers data,

address, & control signals.

What is Tri-state logic? - Three Logic Levels are used and they are High, Low, High

impedance state. The high and low are normal logic levels & high impedance state iselectrical open circuit conditions. Tri-state logic has a third line called enable line.

Give an example of one address microprocessor? - 8085 is a one address

microprocessor.

In what way interrupts are classified in 8085? - In 8085 the interrupts are classified as

Hardware and Software interrupts.

What are Hardware interrupts? - TRAP, RST7.5, RST6.5, RST5.5, INTR.

What are Software interrupts? - RST0, RST1, RST2, RST3, RST4, RST5, RST6, RST7.

Which interrupt has the highest priority? - TRAP has the highest priority.

Name 5 different addressing modes? - Immediate, Direct, Register, Register indirect,

Implied addressing modes.

How many interrupts are there in 8085? - There are 12 interrupts in 8085.

What is clock frequency for 8085? - 3 MHz is the maximum clock frequency for 8085.

What is the RST for the TRAP? - RST 4.5 is called as TRAP.

In 8085 which is called as High order / Low order Register? - Flag is called as Low order

register & Accumulator is called as High order Register.

What are input & output devices? - Keyboards, Floppy disk are the examples of input

devices. Printer, LED / LCD display, CRT Monitor are the examples of output devices.

Can an RC circuit be used as clock source for 8085? - Yes, it can be used, if an accurate


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clock frequency is not required. Also, the component cost is low compared to LC or

Crystal.

Why crystal is a preferred clock source? - Because of high stability, large Q (Quality

Factor) & the frequency that doesn?t drift with aging. Crystal is used as a clock source

most of the times.

Which interrupt is not level-sensitive in 8085? - RST 7.5 is a raising edge-triggering

interrupt.

What does Quality factor mean? - The Quality factor is also defined, as Q. So it is a

number, which reflects the lossness of a circuit. Higher the Q, the lower are the losses.

What are level-triggering interrupt? - RST 6.5 & RST 5.5 are level-triggering interrupts.

Microsoft Win32 Interview Questions Recent 2008

1. Tell the differences between Windows 95 and Windows NT? Lack of Unicode

implementation for most of the functions of Win95. Different extended error codes.

Different number window and menu handles. Windows 95 implements some window

management features in 16 bits. Windows 95 uses 16-bit world coordinate system

and the coordinates restricted to 32K. Deletion of drawing objects is different.

Windows 95 does not implement print monitor DLLs of Windows NT. Differences in

registry. Windows 95 does not support multiprocessor computers. NT implementation

of scheduler is quite different. Different driver models. Win95 was built with back-compatibility in mind and ill-behaving 16-bit process may easily corrupt the system.

Win95 starts from real DOS, while WinNT uses DOS emulation when one needs a

DOS. Win95s FAT is built over 16-bit win3.1 FAT (not FAT32!, actually, Win95s FAT

contains two FATs).

2. What is the effective way of DIB files management? A: Memory-mapped file is

the best choice for device-independent bitmaps. MMF allows to map the file to

RAM/SWAP addresses and to let Windows handle all load/unload operations for the

file.

3. What should you be aware of if you design a program that runs

days/weeks/months/years? A: When your program should run for a long time, you

should be careful about heap allocations, because if you use new/delete intensively

in your application, the memory becomes highly fragmented with a time. It is better

to allocate all necessary memory in this case that many times small blocks. You

should be especially careful about CString class which allocates permanent DLL
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4. What are the advantages of using DLLs? DLLs are run-time modular. DLL is

loaded when the program needs it. Used as a code sharing between executables.

5. What are the different types of DLLs? A: Extension, Regular and pure Win32

DLL (without MFC)

6. What are the differences between a User DLL and an MFC Extension DLL? A:

Extension DLL supports a C++ interface, i.e. can export whole C++ classes and the

client may construct objects from them. Extension DLL dynamically links to MFC DLLs

(those which name starts with MFC??.DLL) and to be synchronous with the version it

was developed for. Extension DLL is usually small (simple extension DLL might be

around 10K) Regular DLL can be loaded by any Win32 environment (e.g. VB 5) Big

restriction is that regular DLL may export only C-style functions. Regular DLLs are

generally larger. When you build a regular DLL, you may choose a static link (in this

case MFC library code is copied to your DLL) and dynamic (in this case you would

need MFC DLLs to be presented on the target machine)

7. What do you have to do when you inherit from two CObject-based classes?

A: First of all, this is a bad idea does not matter what tells you interviewer. Secondly,

if you forced to use condemned rhombus structure, read Technical Note 16 in MSDN,

which discusses why MFC does not support multiple inheritance and what to do in

case you still need it (there are a few problems with CObject class, such as incorrect

information, returned by IsKindOf() of CObject for MI, etc.)

8. What are the additional requirements for inheritance from CWnd-based

classes? A: Again, this is the bad idea. Try to find alternative solution. Anyway, if youhave to multiply inherit from CWnd-based class, the following are additional

requirements to the above conditions (again, this is extremely bad question for

interview!!!): There must be only one CWnd-derived base class. The CWnd-derived

base class must be the first (or left-most) base class.

9. What is a "mutex"? A: Mutexes are the mechanism of process synchronization that

might be used to synchronize data across multiple processes. Mutex is a waitable

object while a critical section is not. Mutexes are significantly slower than critical

sections.

10. Whats the difference between a "mutex" and a "critical section"? Critical

section provides synchronization means for one process only, while mutexes allow

data synchronization across processes.

11. What might be wrong with the following pseudo-code:

FUNCTION F

BEGIN


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INT I=2

DO

I = I + 1

IF I = 4 THEN BREAK

END DOEND

A:This code is not thread safe. Suppose one thread increments I to 3 and then returns

to the beginning of DO statement. Then it increments I to 4 and now context switch

happens. Second thread increments I to 5. From this moment the code shown will

execute forever until some external force intervention. Solution is obviously using

some synchronization object to protect I from being changed by more than one

thread.

12. What is a deadlock ? A: A deadlock, very simply, is a condition in which two or

more threads wait for each other to release a shared resource before resuming their

execution. Because all threads participating in a deadlock are suspended and cannot,

therefore, release the resources they own, no thread can continue, and the entire

application (or, worse, more than one application if the resources are shared between

threads in multiple applications) appears to hang.

13. How can we create thread in MFC framework? A: Using AfxBeginThread.

14. What types of threads are supported by MFC framework? A: Working thread

and windows thread. Working thread usually does not have a user interface and

easier to use. Windows thread has an user interface and usually used to improve

responsiveness of the user input. Message Map

15. When ON_UPDATE_COMMAND_UI is called? (message may vary) A: When a

user of your application pulls down a menu, each menu item needs to know whether

it should be displayed as enabled or disabled. The target of a menu command

provides this information by implementing an ON_UPDATE_COMMAND_UI handler.

16. What is a "hook"? A: A point in the Windows message-handling mechanism where

an application can install a subroutine to monitor messages. You need hooks to

implement your own Windows message filter.

17. What are the difference between MFC Exception macros and C++ exception

keywords? A:Actually, MFC macros may accept exception of only CException class

or class, derived from CException, where as C++ exception mechanism accepts

exception of ANY type Reusable Control Class

18. How would you set the background of an edit control to a customized color?

A: You have several choices, but the simplest one is subclassing. Kruglinski in his


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"Inside Visual C++" describes pretty well this process. Generally, you derive the class

from none control class, override the messages you want (like WM_CTLCOLOR) and

then in init function like OnInitialUpdate of CDialog, subclass the control with

SubclassDlgItem().

19. What is Message Reflection? How could you accomplish the above taskusing message reflection? A: See Technical Note 62 of MSDN. Usually, message is

handled in the parent class that means you have to override message handler for

each parent. Sometimes it is nice to handle a message in the control itself, without

parent invocation. Such handling mechanism is called message reflection. Control

"reflects" message to itself and then processes it. Use ON__REFLECT macro to create

a reflected message.

20. What is the command routing in MFC framework? A: CView => CDocument =>

CFrameWnd => CWinApp

21. Whats the purpose of CView class? CDocument class? What are

relationships between them? A: The CView class provides the basic functionality

for user-defined view classes. A view is attached to a document and acts as an

intermediary between the document and the user: the view renders an image of the

document on the screen or printer and interprets user input as operations upon the

document. The CDocument class provides the basic functionality for user-defined

document classes. A document represents the unit of data that the user typically

opens with the File Open command and saves with the File Save command. Users

interact with a document through the CView object(s) associated with it. A view is a

child of a frame window. The relationship between a view class, a frame window

class, and a document class is established by a CDocTemplate object. A view can be

attached to only one document, but a document can have multiple views attached to

it at once.

22. What class is responsible for document template in MDI application? A:

CMultiDocTemplate.

23. What function must be used to add document template? A: AddDocTemplate.

24. What the main objects are created for SDI and MDI applications? A: CWinApp

- application object. For MDI application with New document implementation

CDocTemplate, CDocument, CView, CMainFrame. If your application is SDI, your

CMainFrame class is derived from class CFrameWnd. If your application is MDI,

CMainFrame is derived from class CMDIFrameWnd. For MDI application

CMDIChildWindow is also created.


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25. We have a loop for 800,000. It fails on 756,322. How can we get the

information before it fails? A: You could think of several way to debug this: Set

the condition in debugger to stop when loop is passed around 756321 times. Throw

an exception within a loop (may be not the best idea since exception does not show

you the exact location of the fail. Create a log file and to put detailed informationwithin a loop.

26. Our Debug version works fine, but Release fails. What should be done? A:

There are four differences between debug and release builds:

o heap layout (you may have heap overwrite in release mode - this will cause

90% of all problems),

o compilation (check conditional compilation statements, assertion functions

etc.),

o pointer support (no padding in release mode which may increase chances of a

pointer to point into sky)

o optimization.

Microsoft Windows 2000 Administration Questions

1. Explain hidden shares. Hidden or administrative shares are share names with a

dollar sign ($) appended to their names. Administrative shares are usually created

automatically for the root of each drive letter. They do not display in the network

browse list.

2. How do the permissions work in Windows 2000? What permissions does

folder inherit from the parent? When you combine NTFS permissions based on

users and their group memberships, the least restrictive permissions take

precedence. However, explicit Deny entries always override Allow entries.

3. Why cant I encrypt a compressed file on Windows 2000? You can either

compress it or encrypt it, but not both.

4. If I rename an account, what must I do to make sure the renamed account

has the same permissions as the original one? Nothing, its all maintained

automatically.

5. Whats the most powerful group on a Windows system? Administrators.

6. What are the accessibility features in Windows 2000? StickyKeys, FilterKeys

Narrator, Magnifier, and On-Screen Keyboard.

7. Why cant I get to the Fax Service Management console?You can only see it if

a fax had been installed.


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8. What do I need to ensure before deploying an application via a Group

Policy? Make sure its either an MSI file, or contains a ZAP file for Group Policy.

9. How do you configure mandatory profiles? Rename ntuser.dat to ntuser.man

10. I cant get multiple displays to work in Windows 2000. Multiple displays have

to use peripheral connection interface (PCI) or Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) port

devices to work properly with Windows 2000.

11. Whats a maximum number of processors Win2k supports? 2

12. I had some NTFS volumes under my Windows NT installation. What

happened to NTFS after Win 2k installation? It got upgraded to NTFS 5.

13. How do you convert a drive from FAT/FAT32 to NTFS from the command

line? convert c: /fs:ntfs

14. Explain APIPA. Auto Private IP Addressing (APIPA) takes effect on Windows 2000

Professional computers if no DHCP server can be contacted. APIPA assigns thecomputer an IP address within the range of 169.254.0.0 through 169.254.255.254

with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0.

15. How does Internet Connection Sharing work on Windows 2000? Internet

Connection Sharing (ICS) uses the DHCP Allocator service to assign dynamic IP

addresses to clients on the LAN within the range of 192.168.0.2 through

192.168.0.254. In addition, the DNS Proxy service becomes enabled when you

implement ICS.

Windows Server 2003 Interview Questions & Answers

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