CMIT 369 Windows Server Essay.

Windows Server 2012 R2

• Windows Server 2012 R2 has many features that greatly enhances the operation system’s functionality.
• Windows server 2012 R2 is a good replacement and improvement of windows server 2012. It expands on the existing capabilities of the window server 2012 and it highlights new feature like Hyper-V.  
• In networking, the windows server 2012 R2  uses DHCP, DNS, Hyper-V Virtual Switch, Hyper-V, clustering and IPAM (Minasi, 2014).
• The hyper-V is used to specify the live migration between the windows server 2012 R2 and windows server 2012.
• The hyper-V compression improves the live migrations and it has recovery manager.
• The Hyper-V recovery manager is used to provide the azure based service and it manages the replication of Hyper-V.
• The Hyper-V recovery manager also provides full control of failover of the virtual machines.
• In work folder, the windows server 2012 R2 has fully functional and secure file service when compared to the windows server 2012.
• It is maintaining the desired state configuration and it provides the number of new cmdlets to monitor the specific states.
• It dynamically moves the stored data between the various classes of storage.
• It has the dynamic NIC teaming.
• It use the PowerShell desired state configuration to ensure the data center components and it has correct configuration.
• It has the site to side VPN gateway.
• It uses the tiered storage spaces and it is used to provide high scalability and performance.
• It enables great consistent management.
• The enhancement of hyper-V extensible switch is used to enable the coexistence with extension implementations.
• In clustering, the windows server 2012 R2 has various changes on the clustering front. It allocates the data de-duplication and cache. It uses the dash board to manage each clusters.

• The windows server 2012 has data deduplication and it is used to remove the application copies from VHDs.
• It uses GUI, because of less install options and it minimizes the user interface, then reduces the attack form hackers and reduces the disk spaces.
• It has Hyper-V 3.0.
• It supports the 64 processors and 1TB of RAM per virtual machine.
• High features in windows server 2012 include IP address management and Hyper-V.
• The IP address management is used to provide the internal framework and offers managing the IP address spaces on the user network.
• The Hyper-V feature allows to replicate the virtual machine from one to another location without the need of any shared storage.
• It manages the DNS and DHCP protocols.
• It changes network virtualization and it is used to improve the network virtualization in windows server 2012. Its main goal is to solve the IP address and virtual machine related problems.
• It has new server manager and it is one of new feature in windows server 2012.
• The new server manager is used to create server groups and manages the tasks among each server (US, 2017).
• It has the standard edition and data center. It does not have the enterprise edition. It runs up to more than one virtual machines.
• It has expanded the power shell capabilities and it has more than hundred cmdlets in the window server 2012. It is mainly used to manage the overall workload.
• It performs live migration and storage live migration.
• It has the storage services to create the group standard disks into the storage pools and then creates the virtual disk. It is called as the storage spaces.
• It uses iSCSI target server and it is one of the main feature in windows server 2012. It is used to block the storage to the other servers.
• The server core is a great feature in windows server 2012. It switches between the GUI install and Server core install without requiring to reinstall the operating system (Panek, n.d.).

• Here uses the One server.
• Server role combine into,
  • DNS and DHCP services
  • File and print services
  • Domain controllers

Add a server role in Windows server 2012 by using the below mentioned steps:

For example, add the server role as DNS server.

Open server manager.

Select “Add roles and features.”

Then, it displays the “Before you begin” window and click on the next button.

After selecting the installation type, choose the role based or feature based installation and click on the next button (Stanek, 2014).

Here, select the destination server by choosing “Select a server form the server pool” and click on the next button.

After selecting the server selection, select the server roles as DNS server and double click on the DNS server.

Then, it displays the DNS server features and click on the Add features button.

Once add feature is completed then, go to the DNS server and click on the Next button to install DNS server.

Here, confirm the DNS server installation and click on the install button.

Here, DNS server installation has started and completed successfully.

Then, check the DNS server in the System.

In DNS manager window, create the zone by right clicking on the forward and lookup zones. Then, choose the new zone.

Next, it displays the new zone wizard and here create the new file name as domain.com.dns. Then, click on the next button.

Here, create the new host for DNS server file. Enter the new host name as www, fully qualified domain name as www.domain.com and IP address as 127.0.01, after clicking on the Add host button (twitter., 2017).  

Finally, DNS server is installation completed.

Here, use the data center because it has highly virtualized private cloud environments. It contains various features and the main features are listed below:

• Server manager
• Server core
• User interfaces
• Branch cache
• Windows power shell

Contoso Corporation uses the Server core, because it has several benefits for Contoso Corporation. The server core is used to provide high performance and it has various benefits, which are listed below:

• High stability

Because, the server core installation has simple and easy processes.

• Simplified management

Easy to manage the installation of server core and also it is easy to configure the server core.

• Low maintenance

It has low binaries and less maintenance.

• Disk and memory requirement is reduced.

Both two locations such as Pensacola and Casper.

Here, the servers are automatically deployed.

Every AD forest has at least a single domain. The number of users in one domain is based on the slow link. It should accommodate the replication between the controllers and bandwidth. The applied information contains at least 100000 users. The connectivity speed is 28.8 Kbps.

• 20 percent of new users will join the forest per year.
• 15 percent of users will leave the forest per year.
• Each user has membership with the global groups and universal groups ("Determining the Number of Domains Required", 2017).
• AD uses integrated DNS.
• Here, it uses one AD forests.

AD domain is needed for all the established regions. The number of regions should be less for ADDS. It is possible to establish many forest domains. More than 10 forests are required for manageability. Initially, it has to determine the number of users to host the forest. Based on the slow link of the forest domain, the controllers will replicate the number of bandwidth to allocate the AD replication (Tulloch, 2013). Here, it uses the one AD domains.

Yes, I will use server core on servers because it has many benefits. The benefits of the server core are listed below:

• Server core has high stability.
• It has simplified management.
• It needs less maintenance.
• It reduces the required amount of memory and disk.
• It has less attack surface.

Here, it uses RODC which stands for Read-only Domain controllers. It is the new feature of the ADDS. It is used as an additional option for the controllers. It is used to copy the partitions in the active directory of the database ("AD DS: Read-Only Domain Controllers", 2017).

To prepare RODC do the following steps:

• First open the server manager.
• Click on the manage button in the server manger window.
• Then, click on next.
• Choose the type of installation.
• Select the destination for the server.
• Then, select the roles for the server.
• Click on “Add the Roles and features option.”
• Select the features.
• Next, click next on ADDS.
• Click on the Install option in the confirmation screen.
• Then, complete the installation.

AD OU stands for Active directory organizational unit and it means to create an organizational unit in the active directory. The organization unit is one of the container type and it is created in the domain controller. It is used to store the organizational units, groups, users and computers. It is basically used for organization structure and organization geographical structure (Thomas, 2014). 

Here, it uses global catalog because it is a distributed data repository. It contains a partial and searchable representation of each objet in every domain. The global catalog objects are stored on the domain controllers. The domain controllers are designated as the global catalog server. It requires the application and user to provide the requested object to the domain. It also provides the ability to locate the objects from the domain.  

The DHCP scope design is based on the parameter definition and parameter settings. It establishes the DHCP configuration. It has many parameters such as lease duration, number of scopes and address range and these parameters support only the DHCP clients and BOOTP clients. The lease duration parameters has the default lease duration as 8 days ("Design Options for DHCP Scopes", 2017).

First open the DHCP server.

Select the IPv6, right click on IPv6 and click on the new scope option.

Then, it displays the welcome wizard for the new scope.

Click on the Next button.

Here, enter the scope name as Building and Description as Finance Offices. Then click on the next button.

Here, assign the scope prefix and click on the next button.

Here, add the exclusions and click on the next button.

After assigning the Scope lease, click on the next button.

Finally, the new scope creation is completed by clicking on the finish button.

• The windows server 2012 R2 default implementation enables the configuration of IPv6 along with IPv4.
• The windows server 2012 R2 uses the dual IP layer implementation that is IPv4 and IPv6.
• If application queries DNS server to resolve the IP address host name and the DNS server responds with an IPv6 or IPv4 addresses.
• Sometimes, the DNS server responds with both IP address but the windows server 2012 R2 will prefer IPv6 address (Tulloch, 2017).

IP layer diagram for Windows server 2012 R2 is as follows,

The windows server 2012 R2 use the DHCP server to supports the three options of fault tolerance. They are,

• Install a DHCP failover cluster

To install DHCP failover cluster on a windows failover cluster and DHCP server takes the DHCP server fails and DHCP load. It is used to share storage and ensuring the storage redundancy (Clercq, 2017).

• Split DHCP scope setting

To set up a split DHCP scope uses the two DHCP servers and the servers are share the DHCP scope. The two servers act as primary server and backup server. The IP single part of IP address pools is assigned to the primary server and the other part is assigned to the backup server (Kowalski, Dymora, & Mazurek, 2016).

• DHCP failover setting.

The DHCP failover is used to replicate the DHCP scope to the server. It has two modes such as load sharing and standby.

If the DHCP roles are installed and the server is added in the management host, then it is possible to see DHCP.

Then, open the DHCP MMC and first add the second DHCP server by right clicking on the DHCP and then add server.

Now, it is possible to see the DHCP servers in the list. Then, authorize the DHCP servers in the domain. Next, right click in the scope to cluster and click on configure failover. If the wizard opens, the clustered scope can be seen.

If scope is not available, then check the service of DHCP, whether the configuration is completed or not and if it has any issues in the DNS and ADDS. Then, select the partner for the failover.

If the second DHCP is authorized, then the list can be seen. If it is not visible then select "This server" and then select "Browse."

Now enter the server name in the following window.

If the name is entered then click on the check names option. If the server is found then click ok.

Click ok in the following window, to attach with the DHCP MMC.

Now, the server with FQDN in the patern server box is visible. Then, click on the next button.

Now, set the configuration for cluster.

• The DHCP reservation is used to allow a machine to DHCP environment.
• DHCP environment is used to maintain the MAC address.
• It maps the IP address and MAC address. The MAC addresses are basically hard coded and it obtain the IP address always.

To configure a DHCP reservation follow the below steps (US, 2017):

• Open DHCP console.
• Expand the application scope and select the reservations.
• In reservations, choose the new reservation.

• Enter the reservation name as Demo Reservation, IP address as 192.168.242.50 and MAC address and choose the supported type as both.

Finally, click on the Add button.

• To design the DNS name space use the split brain DNS. The split DNS has two DNS domain for resources of internet and intranet.
• Consider the below example for split brain DNS:
  1. The Contoso Corporation using the Split brain DNS is contoso.com.
  2. The contoso.com is the domain name for both intranet and internet.  
  3. The common internet users use the www.contoso.com website and the Contoso employees use the intranet website ("Design Your DNS Infrastructure for DirectAccess", 2017).

• To protect DNS server use the three options such as DNs socket pool, DNS SEC and DNS cache locking.
• The DNS cache locking technique is used to control the DNS information. The DNS server takes the information and cache defines the value of time to live for DNS resources.
• The DNS socket pool is used to enable the DNS server by using the randomization of source port. The windows server 2012 R2 automatically enables the DNS socket poll.
• The DNSSEC is used to enable DNs zone and it provides the high security for Infrastructure of DNS ("Simple Step : Implementing DNS Security in Windows Server 2012 R2", 2017).

• The DNS zone is classified into two types such as primary and secondary zone. Here, the secondary zone is used. The secondary zone is used to allow the DNS database transferred to the master of DNS server.
• It provides the load balancing and fault tolerance.
• It is also used to resolve the public and private namespace without using the forward and backward zones.
• It maintains the master database ("How to configure a DNS Secondary Zone in Windows Server 2008 & 2012", 2017).
• It performs name resolution process.

The following steps are given to install the print server in window server 2012 R2:

• Locate the features and then add the roles of the print service.
• The preparation information must be reviewed (Stanek, 2014).
• Next, select the type of installation.
• Then, select the type of server.
• Specify the roles for the server.
• Click on continue to add the past features.
• The service documents for print must be reviewed.
• Confirm the given settings and install the print server.
• Again confirm the installation.
• Update the location of the print spooler ("Manage Network Discovery, File and Printer Sharing", 2017).

To manage the file server in windows 2012, continue the following steps:

• Install the FSRM.
• Add the features in FSRM.
• Select the roles for the server.
• Select the features box and wait until the installation is completed.
• Then, open the File server resource manager.
• Expand the file screening manager.
• Create properties for the file groups.
• Verify the availability of the media files in the file group.
• Create template for file screen.

The file sharing is used to share the files or folders.

In server manager,

1. Click the file and storage services and select the shares.
2. In shares the wizard, click on task and choose new share.

After that, select the profile.

Then, select the server and choose the path for this share.

Enter the share name.

Then, configure the share settings.

Here, specify the permission to control the access and set the management properties.

Here, apply a quota to a folder.

The below window displays the confirmation for file sharing so click on the create button.

The share was successfully created.

Group policy is one of the infrastructure which is used to enable and manage the configurations of the user and computer. Group policy settings and Preferences are used to set the policies. It can be only used in the local system of the user. It also has local policy group editor. The policies can be managed by the group policy settings. The preferences of the group policy are saved in the active directory of the domain service. GPMC (Group policy Management Console and tools are included in the server administration tools. It gives the way for the policies in the administration group. The installation procedures of server manager are as given below:

• Open the start screen and select the apps.
• In the apps screen, enter server manager and click on the server manager.
• In the server manager main page, select the add roles and features option.
• In the add roles and features option select the Features menu.
• From the list of available features select the Group policy management.
• Now click on the install option and follow the steps.

Once the installation is completed, open gpmc and click ok.

IPV6 Support for GPMC

The features of windows server 2012 R2 is expanded to support the IPV6 group policies. This expanded support of the printers is based on the target of the item level and VPN network. The following steps give the support to expand the features:

Printer

• In the user configurations window, click on the preferences and expand the settings of the control panel.
• Click printer and right click on new and select the TIP/IP printer.
• Select the IPV6 address checkbox and also enter the corresponding IPV6 address.

Policy Definition

The policy definition folder in windows 2012 R2 is shown below.

It doesn’t have default central store. To add the store manually, do the following steps. Log on the system, open windows explorer and copy the policy definitions folder. Then paste the policy definition folder in the domain controller folder.

If the folder is pasted then open the group policy folder and edit it based on the task.

Hyper-V server is used in windows server to create visualized environment for computing. Here, it is possible to create and manage the virtual machines. Multiple operating systems can be used in the system for isolation. It is also used to improve the efficiency of the system resources and cleanup the hardware resources. Most of the topics in the system are based on the computation of the system. It is initially released for the windows 2008 server. It is also available for the client operating system and windows servers. It is available in Xbox One and it will be launched in Windows 10 operating system (Regan, & Regan, n.d.). But, there is no need to use the Virtual machine.

AD DS: Read-Only Domain Controllers. (2017). Technet.microsoft.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017, from https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732801%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

Clercq, J. (2017). Fault-Tolerance Options for Windows DHCP Servers. Windowsitpro.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017, from http://windowsitpro.com/windows-server/fault-tolerance-options-windows-dhcp-servers

Design Options for DHCP Scopes. (2017). Technet.microsoft.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017, from https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd296693%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

Design Your DNS Infrastructure for DirectAccess. (2017). Technet.microsoft.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017, from https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee382323%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

Determining the Number of Domains Required. (2017). Technet.microsoft.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017, from https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732201%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

How to configure a DNS Secondary Zone in Windows Server 2008 & 2012. (2017). Interface Technical Training. Retrieved 27 April 2017, from https://www.interfacett.com/blogs/how-to-configure-a-dns-secondary-zone-in-windows-server-2008-2012/

Kowalski, D., Dymora, P., & Mazurek, M. (2016). Failover clustering in Microsoft Windows Server 2012. Scientific Journals Of Rzeszów University Of Technology, Series: Electrotechnics, 57-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.7862/re.2016.10

Manage Network Discovery, File and Printer Sharing. (2017). Technet.microsoft.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017, from https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg252577%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

Minasi, M. (2014). Mastering Windows server 2012 R2 (1st ed.). Indianapolis [Ind.]: Sybex/Wiley.

Panek, W. MCSA Windows Server 2012 R2 (1st ed.).

Regan, P., & Regan, P. Administering windows server 2012 R2 exam 70-411 (1st ed.).

Simple Step : Implementing DNS Security in Windows Server 2012 R2. (2017). Just a random "Microsoft Server / Client Tech" info... Retrieved 27 April 2017, from https://mizitechinfo.wordpress.com/2014/11/28/simple-step-implementing-dns-security-in-windows-server-2012-r2/

Stanek, W. (2014). Windows server 2012 R2 (1st ed.). Redmond (Wash.): Microsoft Press.

Thomas, O. (2014). Administering Windows Server 2012 R2 (1st ed.). Redmond: Microsoft Press.

Tulloch, M. (2013). Introducing Windows Server 2012 R2 technical overview (1st ed.). [Redmond, Wash.?]: Microsoft Press.

Tulloch, M. (2017). Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 Training Guide: Network Administration | Microsoft Press Store. Microsoftpressstore.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017, from https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2224359&seqNum=2

twitter., F. (2017). Configure Quotas with File Server Resource Manager (FSRM). RootUsers. Retrieved 27 April 2017, from https://www.rootusers.com/configure-quotas-with-file-server-resource-manager-fsrm/

US, D. (2017). Windows Server: DHCP Reservations vs. Exclusions | Dell US. Dell.com. Retrieved 27 April 2017, from http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/SLN290628/windows-server--dhcp-reservations-vs-exclusions?lang=EN