Managing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment

Chapter 2:Managing Hardware

Devices

2

Objectives

• Understand the importance of managing hardware

• Understand the purpose of device drivers

• Configure hardware resource settings and resolve resource setting conflicts

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Objectives (continued)

• Configure driver signing options

• Optimize server processor and memory usage

• Create and configure hardware profiles

• Configure server power options

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Introduction to Managing Hardware

• Managing and maintaining hardware is a primary responsibility of a network administrator

• A wide variety of internal and external hardware components available

• Key concepts to be discussed• Hardware compatibility

• Device drivers

• Device Manager

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Hardware Compatibility

• Server hardware must meet minimum system requirements for Windows Server 2003

• Microsoft maintains information about compatible hardware• Previous Windows versions: Hardware Compatibility

List

• Windows Server 2003: Windows Server Catalog

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Windows Server Catalog Web Site

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Understanding Device Drivers• A device driver is a software interface between an

operating system and a hardware device• Generally want to use the specific recommended

driver for a device• Affects stability and performance

• Driver updates are frequent and usually available from manufacturer

• Driver signing is used to verify that a driver has been tested

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Device Manager

• Primary tool for managing device drivers• Allows administrator to view and modify

hardware device properties• Should be used soon after Windows Server 2003

installation to verify device detection and functioning

• Accessible from Control Panel or Computer Management tool

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Accessing Device Manager

• Control Panel System Hardware Tab

• Computer Management System Tools Device Manager

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Device Manager (continued)

• Displays non-functioning devices• Yellow exclamation point

• Displays manually disabled devices• Red x

• Allows you to update drivers• Download driver and install through Device Manager

• Use Hardware Update Wizard

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The Hardware Update Wizard

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Activity 2-1: Exploring Device Manager

• Objective is to explore the use of Device Manager• View properties of existing hardware

• Explore different views of information

• Start My Computer Properties Hardware Tab Device Manager

• Follow directions in book to complete exercise

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Adding New Devices

• Two main categories of devices• Plug and Play

• Legacy

• Plug and Play devices typically installed and configured automatically

• Legacy devices typically configured manually

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Plug and Play Devices

• Windows Server 2003 is Plug and Play compliant• New hardware is usually Plug and Play• Installed devices detected automatically• Detected devices configured automatically

• May need to locate or update device driver

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Activity 2-2: Installing a Plug and Play Hardware Device

• Objective:• Uninstall device using Device Manager

• Reinstall using Add Hardware Wizard

• Start Run, type devmgmt.msc• New method for accessing device manager

• Follow instructions in book to complete uninstall• Check uninstall completed• Reinstall using Add Hardware Wizard

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Legacy Devices

• Many older devices not Plug and Play• Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus devices

not Plug and Play• May or may not be detected by Windows Server

2003• Typically must be configured manually• Add Hardware Wizard used to install and/or

configure

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Hardware Resource Settings

• Four main types of resources• Direct Memory Access (DMA) channels

• Input/Output (I/O) ranges

• Memory address ranges

• Interrupt request (IRQ) lines

• Resource settings configured from Resources tab of properties of hardware device in Device Manager

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Hardware Resource Settings (continued)

• Manually configured resource settings may have conflicts

• Resource conflicts can cause device malfunction• Conflicts determined using Device Manager

• Resources tab for a device

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Resources Tab for Network Adapter Card

• Conflict list

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Direct Memory Access Channels

• Allow hardware devices to access system memory (RAM) directly

• Information transfer bypasses CPU• Common devices

• Hard and floppy disk controllers

• Sound cards

• CD-ROM drives

• DMA channel used by a device can be determined from Device Manager

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Input/Output Ranges

• Small dedicated memory areas• Allocated specifically for data transfer between

computer and hardware device• Type of device dictates size of memory area• I/O ports can be determined from Device Manager

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Interrupt Request Lines

• Used to gain attention of the system processor to handle some event

• Traditionally, each device had dedicated line• Trend is toward sharing lines, Windows Server

2003 supports sharing among some Plug and Play devices

• IRQ lines can be viewed and managed from Device Manager

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Memory Addresses

• Used for communication between a hardware device and the operating system

• Devices configured with dedicated, unique memory address ranges

• Windows Server 2003 will automatically allocate memory addresses for Plug and Play devices

• For legacy devices, address ranges usually specified in documentation

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Activity 2-3: Viewing Resource Settings Using Device Manager

• Objective is to use Device Manager to explore hardware resource settings

• Open Device Manager in one of the ways described in earlier activities

• Observe the resources on a display adapter, keyboard, and communications port

• Configure settings and observe properties on communications port according to explanation in book

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Troubleshooting Resource Setting Conflicts

• Manual configuration of devices can lead to resource conflicts (overlaps and duplication of assignments)

• Two methods for checking for resource conflicts• Resources tab in properties of device using Device

Manager

• System Information tool

• To open, type msinfo32.exe in Run command

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Troubleshooting Resource Setting Conflicts (continued)

• System Information tool• Reporting rather configuration

• Hardware Resources section displays summary info

• Conflicts display conflicts

• Forced Hardware allows identification of manually configured devices

• Components displays resource settings plus driver info

• Problem Devices shows devices with known problems

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Viewing Problem Devices using the System Information tool

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Configuring Device Driver Signing

• Every built-in driver in Windows Server 2003 is digitally signed by Microsoft

• Signing ensures compatibility, quality, authenticity, verified to work with hardware

• Three possible driver signing verification options• Ignore: install any driver whether signed or not

• Warn: show warning if attempt is made to install unsigned driver

• Block: don’t allow installation of unsigned driver

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Configuring Driver Signing Options

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Activity 2-4: Configuring Driver Signing Options

• Objective is to explore and configure settings for device drivers using Device Manager

• Start My Computer Properties Hardware tab Driver Signing

• Explore help topics on driver signing• Complete assignment to explore and configure

settings using Device Manager

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Activity 2-5: Using the File Signature Verification Utility

• Objective is to use the File Signature Verification utility to ensure that all installed system files and device drivers have been digitally signed

• Start Run sigverif.exe Advanced Logging

• Scan files and log results following directions• View log

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Advanced File Signature Verification Settings

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Roll Back Driver Feature

• Common for vendors to release new or updated drivers for hardware devices• Fix known issues, take advantage of updated features

• Driver updates sometimes result in system stability problems

• When update causes problems, roll back allows going back to a previous version

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Activity 2-6: Using the Roll Back Driver Feature

• Objective is to use Roll Back Driver feature to return to a previous version of a device driver

• Start My Computer Properties Hardware Device Manager

• Follow directions to change to a new driver and then roll back to previous driver for display adapter

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The Driver Tab in the Properties of a Display Adapter

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Configuring Processor and Memory Settings

• Three basic areas to configure for optimal performance• Processor scheduling and memory usage

• Virtual memory

• Memory for network performance

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Processor Scheduling

• Allows you to configure how processor resources are allocated to programs

• Default is Background services (all running applications receive equal processor time)

• Can set to Programs (foreground application receives priority processor time)

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Processor Scheduling (continued)

• Memory usage options used to configure amount of system memory allocated to executing programs versus other server functions

• Default is System cache option• Computer is acting as network server• Running programs that require considerable memory

• Programs option• Computer is acting as workstation• Running programs at console

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Virtual Memory

• Disk storage used to expand RAM capacity• Slower than RAM• Uses paging technique

• Blocks (pages) of information moved from RAM to virtual memory on disk

• On Pentium, pages are 4KB

• Paged out when not in use, reloaded into RAM when needed

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Virtual Memory (continued)

• Area allocated is called paging file• Default amount allocated when operating system

installed but should be tuned by administrator• Name of paging file is pagefile.sys• Location of paging file important• Two important parameters: initial and maximum

size

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Activity 2-7: Viewing and Configuring Virtual Memory

Settings

• Objective is to explore and configure virtual memory settings

• Move the paging file to a new drive• Start My Computer Properties Advanced

tab • Follow instructions to move the paging file

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Memory for Network Performance

• Memory used for both server functions and network connectivity functions

• Server functions use RAM and memory• Network connectivity uses only memory• If performance is poor, may need to tune network

memory parameters

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Configuring Server Memory for Network Optimization

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Hardware Profiles

• Set of instructions defining which devices to start and drivers to load when computer starts

• Profile 1 created when Windows Server 2003 installed, every device enabled

• Portable computers change set of hardware device available at different times

• Can create additional profiles to match situation

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Activity 2-8: Creating a Hardware Profile

• Objective is to create a new hardware profile for a set of hardware devices

• Start My Computer Properties Hardware tab Hardware Profiles

• Follow directions to create a new profile with no CD-ROM drive or floppy drive

• Test that devices are disabled when using new profile

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Configuring Power Options

• Default power scheme is Always On (monitor off after 20 minutes, hard disks never off)• Can select other predefined schemes or create custom

scheme

• Standby mode• Components shut down and memory is not written to

disk (if power goes out, memory information is lost)

• Power supply and CPU remain active

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Configuring Power Options (continued)

• Hibernate mode• Memory contents saved before shutting down disks

• Can restart with previous applications running

• Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)• Battery backup device

• Best fault-tolerance method to prevent damage with power loss

• Can only sustain power for a limited time

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Activity 2-9: Defining a Power Scheme

• Objective is to configure a new power scheme• Start Control Panel Power Options• Follow directions to create a power scheme to

supplied specifications• Also explore configuring UPS (uninterruptible

power supply) to provide battery backup for critical equipment

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Summary

• Device drivers• Driver signing

• Driver roll back

• Device Manager tool• Primary tool for device management

• Plug and play versus legacy devices• Installation and configuration

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Summary (continued)• Hardware Resource Settings

• Direct Memory Access (DMA) channels

• Input/Output (I/O) ranges

• Memory address ranges

• Interrupt request (IRQ) lines

• Processor Scheduling and Memory Usage

• Virtual memory

• Network memory

• Hardware Profiles

• Power Options