Network Administration

Windows Server 2003

Determining the cause of Windows server hang

Previously in this series, we talked about why Windows server hangs occur and how to prepare to resolve the problem using a tool called the Windows Kernel Debugger, or Windbg. In this article, we'll finish up by learning how to analyze the crash dump and fixing the issue....

Preparing to troubleshoot a hung Windows server

Previously in this series, we looked at some of the reasons why server hangs occur in a network. Now that you have a little background, let's look at the preparation process for resolving the problem using a tool called the Windows Kernel Debugger, or Windbg....

Windows 2003 Troubleshooting: Why do Windows servers hang?

Troubleshooting a hung or nonresponsive Windows server can be a challenging endeavor. Simply hitting the reset button is no longer a tolerated option as more companies use these servers for business-critical operations. This three-part series will explore the reasons why a Windows server may hang and provide a cookbook approach...

10 ways to benchmark your Active Directory environment

Active Directory Services is the going standard for account provisioning, basic system management, and DNS authority in most environments. But having some accountability to determine what has changed over time can be a challenge. Here are some strategies for achieving accountability in your Active Directory environment. They'll help supplement your...

Active Directory: Questions and Answers

What is the difference between Windows 2000 Active Directory and Windows 2003 Active Directory? Is there any difference in 2000 Group Polices and 2003 Group Polices? What is meant by ADS and ADS services in Windows 2003? Windows 2003 Active Directory introduced a number of new security features, as well...

Define server roles, counterattack zero-day threats

Zero-day exploits are an unsettling issue for any administrator who is concerned with security. A zero-day exploit is an exploit against a previously undiscovered and undocumented vulnerability. The problem with zero-day exploits is that you are trying to protect the system against security holes that may or may not even...

Harden your network services and contain zero-day threats

We all dread the thought of zero-day threats; they arrive and you have no vaccine for them. These exploits are all too common in recent months and years. Fortunately, there are some common sense steps you can take to harden your network layer against these threats....

Eliminate zero-day threats with virtual server technology

One solution when fighting zero-day attacks is to take advantage of virtual server technology. If you have several server roles that require a minimal amount of system resources, you could consolidate those roles onto a single physical server that is hosting multiple virtual servers. Doing so provides better security than...

Permitting Ping: ICMP Exceptions

When Windows Firewall first appeared in XP SP2, I started getting odd questions on email. They all went something like, "Hey, something's weird on my system now that I'm running SP2. I've got two computers, A and B. A can ping B, but B can't ping A. What's going on?"...

Network Load Balancing: Economical means to scalability, fault tolerance

One way to make a network server both scalable and fault-tolerant is to implement clustering, which allows a server's workload to be distributed across multiple servers. This provides fault tolerance in that if one server fails, the remaining servers in the cluster will continue to service requests....