Unit 2: Performing Basic Server Configuration, Administering the Server & Implementing Storage Solutions

1. Configuring Local Server Properties

Before a server can fulfill its role in a network, specific local properties must be configured to ensure identity, connectivity, and security.

Key Configuration Elements

• Computer Name (Hostname): A unique identifier for the server on the network. Best practice involves using a standard naming convention (e.g., US-NY-WEB-01 indicating Country-City-Role-Number).
• Time Zone and NTP: Servers must have synchronized time for log accuracy and authentication protocols (like Kerberos). Configuration usually points to an internal NTP server or a public pool (e.g., pool.ntp.org).
• Remote Management: Enabling protocols to allow administration without physical access.
  • RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol): For Windows Servers (Port 3389).
  • SSH (Secure Shell): For Linux/Unix Servers (Port 22).
• Firewall Configuration: Configuring inbound/outbound rules to permit traffic only for specific services hosted on the server.

Network Interface Configuration

Static IP addressing is preferred for servers to ensure reliable connectivity.

• IPv4 Properties: IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and Preferred/Alternate DNS Servers.
• NIC Teaming (Bonding): Grouping multiple physical network adapters into a single logical interface to provide redundancy (failover) and increased bandwidth (load balancing).

2. Server Roles and IP Addressing Service Roles

A Server Role is a set of software programs that, when installed, allows a computer to perform a specific function for multiple users or other computers within a network.

Common Server Roles

• File and Storage Services: Manages shared folders and storage capabilities.
• Web Server (IIS/Apache/Nginx): Hosts websites and applications.
• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS): Handles authentication and authorization.

IP Addressing Service Roles

Two critical infrastructure roles manage network connectivity: DHCP and DNS.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

Automates the assignment of IP addresses to network devices.

• DORA Process: The 4-step handshake used to assign IPs.
  1. Discover: Client broadcasts to find a DHCP server.
  2. Offer: Server offers an available IP.
  3. Request: Client requests to lease the offered IP.
  4. Acknowledge: Server finalizes the lease.
• Scope: A range of valid IP addresses available for lease.
• Reservation: Ensuring a specific MAC address always receives the same IP address (useful for printers/servers).

DNS (Domain Name System)

Translates human-readable domain names (www.example.com) into IP addresses (192.0.2.1).

• Forward Lookup Zone: Maps Hostnames to IP addresses.
• Reverse Lookup Zone: Maps IP addresses to Hostnames.
• Record Types:
  • A Record: IPv4 address mapping.
  • AAAA Record: IPv6 address mapping.
  • CNAME: Alias (canonical name) for another hostname.
  • MX: Mail Exchange (for email delivery).

3. Server Administration: Access and Control

Access Methods

Administrators rarely work directly at the server console (local login). Remote management is standard.

1. In-Band Management: Managing the server through the OS network connection.
   • Windows Admin Center / Server Manager.
   • PowerShell Remoting / WinRM.
   • SSH/Terminal.
2. Out-of-Band (OOB) Management: Managing the hardware directly, independent of the OS. Essential if the OS crashes.
   • Technologies: IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface), Dell iDRAC, HP iLO.
   • Capabilities: Remote power on/off, BIOS configuration, mounting virtual ISOs.

Server Updates (Patch Management)

Regular updates are critical for security and stability.

• WSUS (Windows Server Update Services): Allows admins to approve/decline updates before they are deployed to servers.
• Best Practices:
  • Never patch all servers at once.
  • Test patches in a staging environment.
  • Schedule maintenance windows to minimize downtime.

4. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) & Monitoring

Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

A contract between a service provider (IT department) and the customer (business unit) defining the level of service expected.

• Key Metrics:
  • Uptime/Availability: Often expressed as "nines" (e.g., 99.999% availability).
  • MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures): The average time a system runs before failing.
  • MTTR (Mean Time To Repair): The average time required to fix a failed component.
  • RPO (Recovery Point Objective): How much data loss is acceptable?
  • RTO (Recovery Time Objective): How fast must the system be back online?

Monitoring Server Performance

Proactive monitoring prevents outages.

• Bottlenecks: The resource that limits the performance of the entire system.
• Key Counters to Monitor:
  • CPU Usage: Sustained usage >80% indicates a processor bottleneck.
  • Memory (RAM): High "Pages/sec" indicates reliance on the slower swap file (disk).
  • Disk I/O: High "Queue Length" means requests are waiting to be written/read.
  • Network Utilization: Bandwidth saturation or high error rates.

Capacity Planning

The process of determining future resource requirements.

• Baselining: Establishing known performance levels during normal operations to identify anomalies later.
• Trend Analysis: Using historical data to predict when resources (disk space, RAM) will run out.

5. Implementing Storage Solutions

Primary Storage Devices

• HDD (Hard Disk Drive): Uses spinning magnetic platters and read/write heads. Lower cost per GB, higher latency. Ideal for archival or bulk storage.
• SSD (Solid State Drive): Uses NAND Flash memory. No moving parts. High speed, low latency. Ideal for OS drives and high-performance databases.
• Interfaces:
  • SATA: Consumer grade, slower.
  • SAS (Serial Attached SCSI): Enterprise grade, full-duplex (read/write simultaneously).
  • NVMe: Connects via PCIe bus for extreme speed.

Storage Technologies: DAS, NAS, SAN

1. DAS (Direct Attached Storage):
   • Storage is physically connected to a single server (internal drives or external enclosure).
   • Pros: Simple, low cost.
   • Cons: Storage is not shared; if the server fails, storage is inaccessible.
2. NAS (Network Attached Storage):
   • File-level storage connected to the Ethernet LAN. Appears as shared folders (NFS, SMB/CIFS).
   • Pros: easy to share data between clients.
   • Cons: Performance depends on LAN traffic.
3. SAN (Storage Area Network):
   • Block-level storage. A dedicated high-speed network (Fibre Channel or iSCSI) connecting servers to storage arrays. The server sees the storage as a local disk, not a shared folder.
   • Pros: High performance, high redundancy.
   • Cons: Expensive, complex setup.

6. Configuring RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)

RAID combines multiple physical disk drives into a single logical unit to improve data redundancy, performance, or both.

Common RAID Levels

Software vs. Hardware RAID

• Hardware RAID: Managed by a dedicated controller card. Does not use the server's CPU. Better performance and reliability.
• Software RAID: Managed by the OS (e.g., Windows Storage Spaces). Cheaper but consumes server CPU cycles.