Microsoft Server 2003: Saturday, July 05, 2008

Monitoring Printers

You must monitor the printer to maintain the performance level of the printer. You can use the System Monitor and Performance log to monitor the printer.

You can monitor the factors, such as:

> Bytes Printed - Monitors the number of bytes the printer prints, If the counter for the numberof bytes printed is very low, then the printer is not being used properly.

> Job Errors - Monitors the number of errors, the printer encounters before, after or during printing. errors are caused commonly because the printer port is not configured properly.

Total Pages Printed - Monitors the number of pages the printer has printed. This information is useful because you can judge the capacity of the printer.

Installing Additional Drivers

The client computers in the network may be using different operating systems, such as, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Linux. The print drivers for Windows Server 2003 may not be compatible with other operating These operating systems will not be able to print without these drivers.

To install additional printer drivers:

t. Open the Printers and Faxes window.

2. Select File > Server Properties. The Print Server Properties dialog box appears.

3. Click the Drivers tab. The Drivers tab appears.

The different options available on the Drivers tab are:

> Installed printer drivers - Lists the printer drivers that are installed

> Add - Installs a new printer driver

> Remove - Deletes the selected printer driver

> Reinstall - Overwrites the existing printer driver with the new driver

> Properties - Displays the system files for the selected driver

4. Click Add. The Add Printer Driver Wizard appears.

5. Click Next. The Printer Driver Selection screen appears, as shown in Figure 3.24.

6. Select a manufacturer, for example, HP.

7. Select a printer, for example, HP DeskJet 640C1642C/648C.

8.Next. The Processor and Operating System Selection screen appears

9. Select Processor and Operating System Selection Screen Ct the processor and operating systems that will use this driver.

10. Click Next. The Completing the Add Printer Driver Wizard screen appears.

11. Click Finish. The wizard copies the driver files and adds the diver to the driver list on the driver tab.

Maintaining Printers

The administrator needs to maintain a printer, which includes tasks, such as, installing updated drivers, installing additional drivers and redirecting print jobs.

Printer Ports

Printers are normally installed on parallel and USB ports. Network printers are installed on standard TCF ports. A port is an interface through which the computer communicates with the hardware device.

To create a printer port:

1. Start the Add Printer Wizard. The Add Printer wizard appears.

2. Click Next. The Local or Network Printer screen appears.

3. Select the Local printer attached to this computer option.

4. Click Next. The Select a Printer Port screen appears.

5. Select the Create a new port option.

6. Select the Standard TCP/IP port from the Type of port drop down list box.

7. Click Next. The Add Standard TCP/IP Printer Port Wizard appears.

8. Click Next. The Add Port screen appears.

9. Enter the printer name in the Printer Name or IP Address text box, for example 10.0.0.51. The port name IP_10.0.0.51 automatically appears in the Port Name text box.

10. Click Next. The Additional Port Information Required screen appears.

11. Select a device, for example, Hewlett Packard Jet Direct from the Standard drop down list box.

12. Click Next. The Completing the Add Standard TCP/IP Printer Port Wizard appears.

13. Click Finish.

Windows returns to the Add Printer Wizard. The new port appears in the Use the following port drop down box You can use the newly created port to install the printer.

Configuring Printers

The Add Printer wizard installs the printer with the default settings. You can configure these settings as per the requirement. For example, in a network, you may have to restrict access to the printer for users. You can also setup a printer pool to enable faster printing of documents.

To setup Print Properties :

1. Open the printer Properties dialog box. The Properties dialog box appears.

2. Click the Ports tab. The Ports tab appears.

3. Select the Enable printer pooling check box.

To configure the availability of the printer:

1. Open the Printers and Faxes folder. The Printers and Faxes window appears.

2. Select the printer to configure.

3.Select File 4 Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.

The Properties dialog box has seven tabs. They are:

> General - Displays the features of the printer

> Sharing - Provides options to share the printer on the network

>Ports - Specifies the port on which the printer is installed

> Advanced - Provides complex printing options

> Color Management - Provides options to use colors for the printer

> Security - Specifies permissions for the printer on the network

> About - Provides printer information

4. Click the Advanced tab. The Advanced tab appears.

In the Advanced tab, the options are:

> Always available - Specifies that the printer is always available

> Available from - Specifies the time for which the printer will be available

> Priority - Specifies the importance level. 1 is the lowest and 99 is the highest value.

> Driver - Specifies the driver used

> New Driver - Installs a new driver for the printer

> Spool print documents so program finishes printing faster - Loads the print documents into the memory and then prints them

> Start printing after the last page is spooled - Prints the document after the last page is loaded into the memory

> Start printing immediately - Prints the documents when we give the print command

> Print directly to the printer - Sends the print documents directly to the printer

> Hold mismatch documents - Compares the printer and the document setup and prevents documents from printing if the setup information does not match

> Print spooled documents first - Prints the documents from the memory Keep printed documents - Maintains a history of printed documents

> Enable advanced printing features - Allows complex printing features, such as printing in grayscale mode and automatic image enhancement

5. Select Available from option.

6. Specify the time in the spin box.

7. Click OK

To install a network printer

1. Open the Printers and Faxes window. The Printers and Faxes window appears.

2. Start the Add Printer wizard. The Add Printer wizard appears.

3. Click Next. The Local or Network Printer screen appears.

4. Select the A network printer, or a printer attached to another printer option.

5. Click Next. The Specify a Printer screen appears.

The options available in the Specify a Printer screen are:

> Find a printer in the directory - Searches for a printer in the active directory

> Connect to this printer - Specifies the printer to install

> Connect to a printer on the internet or on a home or office network - Specifies to connect to a remote printer.

6. Select the Connect to this printer option.

7. Click Next The Browse for Printer screen appears

8.Expand the Shared printers to find a printer.

9. Click Next, The Add Printer Wizard screen appears.

10. Click Finish.

Installing Printers

Windows Server 2003 enables you to install printers locally and on the network. You can enable users and applications on the network to access the printer. Windows Server 2003 enables applications running on different platforms, such as, Netware, UNIX and Macintosh, access to the printer. You can enable the users on the network to access a printer by installing a network printer. You can assign permissions for the users on the network to access the printer after you install the printer.

You can install printers in two ways, such as:

a)Local printer - Includes the printers attached locally to a physical port by using parallel port or Universal Serial Bus (USB). Local printers support Plug-and-Play as Windows Server 2003 automatically detects the device and install the driver.

b) Network printer -Enables all the computers in a network to access it. In large organizations, it is not feasible to install a printer on every machine. Therefore, network printer provides greater flexibility for the users to access the printer from any location.

To install a local printer on a LPT port:

1. Select Start > Control Panel. The Control Panel window appears.

2. Double-click Printers and Faxes. The Printers and Faxes window appears.

3.Double- click Add printer. The Add Printer Wizard appears.

4.Click Next. The Local Network Printer screen appears.

The different options on the Local or Network Printer dialog box are:

Local printer attached to this computer - Installs the printer on the computer on which you run the wizard.
Automatically detect and install my plug and play printer - Searches and installs the printer.

A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer - Installs the printer, attached to another computer, on your computer.

5. Select the Local printer attached to this computer option.

6. Clear the Automatically detect and install my plug and play printer check box.

10. Click Next. The Select a Printer Port screen appears.

The different options available on the Select a Printer Port screen are:

Use the following port - Installs the printer to the selected port

Create a new port - Creates a new port using the Printer Port wizard.

8.Select Use the following port option.

9. Select LPT1: (Recommended Printer Port) from the Use the following port drop down list box.

10. Click Next. The Install Printer Software screen appears.

The options available in the Install Printer Software screen are:
> Manufacturer - Specifies the manufacturer for the printer

> Printers - Specifies the printer model for the manufacturer

> Windows Update - Connects to the Microsoft website to download the latest driver

> Have Disk - Searches for the file containing information about the printer in the location specified

11. Select the manufacturer from the Manufacturers list.

12. Select the printer model from the Printers list.

13. Click Next. The Use Existing Driver screen appears.

The options on the Use Existing Driver screen are:

> Keep existing driver (recommended) - Uses the existing printer driver

> Replace existing driver - Overwrites the existing printer driver

14. Select Keep existing driver (recommended) option.

15. Click Next. The Name Your Printer screen appears.

16. Enter a name for the printer in the Printer Name text box.

17.Click Next. The Printer Sharing screen appears.

In the Printer Sharing screen, me options are:

> Do not share this printer - Installs a printer that is not shared

> Share name - Specifies a share name for the printer

18. Select Share name option.

19. Specify a name for the printer.

20. Click Next. The Location and Comment screen appears.

In the Location and Comment screen, the options are:

> Location - Specifies the computer name where the printer is installed

> Comment - Specifies a comment

21. Enter the location in the Location text box.

22. Enter the comment in the Comment text box.

23. Click Next. The Print Test Page Screen appears, as shown in Figure 3.10.

24. Select Yes to print a test page.

25. Click Next. The Completing the Add Printer Wizard screen appears.

26.Click Finish to close the wizard.

MANAGING SYSTEM UPDATES AND PRINTERS

You can install a local printer or network printer. You can also create a port where you can install the printer. In addition, you can configure the printer by applying restriction for the availability of the printer. You can also redirect a print to another printer, using printer pooling.

Windows Server 2003 provides updates to the operating system. The updates contain patches that are identified and fixed. Your server can be at a great security risk if you do not update the server by applying updates. Windows provides manual and automatic updates. In manual updates, you manually connect the server to the Microsoft website and install the necessary patches. In automatic updates, the server is configured to connect to the Microsoft website at regular intervals, to download and install the patches.

Also read:

Troubleshoot Hardware Devices and Drivers

you may come across problems while installing hardware devices and drivers. You use the device manager to solve hardware problems, such as, installing devices, drivers, and enabling and disabling devices. Windows server 2003 provides a hardware troubleshooter to fix hardware problems. The hardware problems can arise due to conflicts between the hardware and drivers.

the hardware conflicts occur when more than one hardware device tries to occupy the same resource on the system.The system resources include interrupt request lines, and direct memory access channels. For example, consider a Windows Server 2003 computer that has the mouse and the modem installed on the COM1 port. The computer communicates with the devices using ports. A conflict occurs when there is a single port and more then one device trying to communicate through the same port. A driver conflict occurs when a device has more then one driver installed. The computer fails to communicate to the device because the computer does not know which driver to use.

windows Server 2003 provides utilities to recover from the hardware failures, such as:
> Corrupt device driver - Replaces the faulty device drivers
> Unsigned device driver - Searches and replaces signed device drivers
> Physical damage to the device - Alerts about damages to the devices, it any
> Faulty hardware device - Alerts about devices attached to the computer that are not functioning

To troubleshoot a device:
1. open Device Manager.
2. Select the device you want to troubleshoot.
3. Select Action -> Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
4. Click Troubleshoot. The Help and Support Center console appears as shown in Figure 2.8.

The Help and Support Center provides instructions to troubleshoot devices and drivers. You must follow the instructions provided to reconfigure and install devices and drivers.

Windows Server 2003 provides driver recovery tools to troubleshoot drivers. They are driver rollback, last known good configuration, safe mode, and recovery console and hardware profile.

-> Driver Rollback - Enables you to delete faulty device drivers. Using the roll back feature you can remove the updated or new driver if the device does not work properly after installing it.

-> Last Known Good Configuration - Enables you to restore the correct registry entry for a device driver. Windows Server 2003 stores the updated driver information in the HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet in the registry. When you restart the computer after a driver installation, you can navigate to the Last Known Good Configuration by pressing the F8 key at boot. The Last Known Good Configuration, replaces the registry key of new driver with the old driver. Therefore, you can solve driver problems using the last known good configuration.

-> Sate Mode - Enables you to solve driver and device problems. You can start safe mode by pressing the F8 key at boot and selecting safe mode from the menu that appears. Windows Igads a minimal set of drivers, when you boot the system into safe mode. Safe mode enables you to access the device manager console to troubleshoot devices arid drivers.

> Recovery Console - Enables access to the Windows installation folder of the file system. You can disable the device driver that made the system crash from the recovery console.

> Hardware Profile - Saves the current hardware configuration in a set called as the hardware profile. You can choose the hardware profile that you want to load at system startup.

To access hardware profiles:

1. Open System Properties dialog box.

2. Click the Hardware tab. The Hardware tab appears as shown in Figure 2.9.

3. Click Hardware Profiles. The Hardware Profiles dialog box appears as shown in Figure 2.10.

In the Hardware Profiles dialog box, the options are:

>- Properties - Specifies the settings for the hardware profile

Copy - Creates a hardware profile similar to the existing profile

- Rename - Specifies a new name for the profile

Delete - Removes the selected profile

Wait until I select a hardware profile - Prompfs the user fo select a hardware profile

Select the first profile listed if I don’t select a profile in - Specifies the time limit to load the first profile if the user fails to select a hardware profile.

File Signature Verification

As a system administrator, you must maintain system integrity. You must ensure that critical system files, such as system state data are digitally signed. Digital signature ensures that the files meet the requirements of Windows Server 2003. Windows uses code encryption to provide digital signatures that protect the system files. You can determine changes to system files using the File Signature Verification utility.

To verify the file signatures:

1. Select Start > Run. The Run dialog box appears.

2. Enter sigverif in the Open text box.

3. Click OK. The File Signature Verification dialog box appears

4. Click the Start button. Windows scans and displays the Signature Verification Results dialog box .

5. Click Close.

To set the search options for File Signature Verification:

1. Open the File Signature Verification dialog box. The File Signature Verification dialog box appears.

2. Click the Advanced button. The Advanced File Signature Verification Settings dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 2.6.

The options available in the Search tab of the File Signature Verification dialog box are:

> Notify me if any system files are not signed - Lists the system files that do not contain digital signatures.

> Look for other files that are not digitally signed - Searches for normal files that do not contain digital signatures.

Search options - Provides three options:

Scan this file type - Searches for files of the specified category

Look in this folder - Searches for files in the specified folder

Include sub folders - Searches the folders under the folder specified

3. Select the Notify me if any system tiles are not signed option.

4. Click OK.

To set the log for File Signature Verifications:

1. Open the File Signature Verification dialog box. The File Signature Verification dialog box appears.

2. Click the Advanced button. The Advanced File Signature Verification Settings dialog box appears.

3. Click the Logging tab. The Logging tab appears as shown in Figure 2.7.

The options available in the Logging tab are:

Save the file signature verification results to a log file - Records the results by creating a new file

>Append to existing log file - Adds the results to the existing log file.

>Overwrite - Replaces the old results with the new results in the log file.

>Log file name - Specifies a name for the log file.

>View Log - Opens the log file.

4. Select the Save the file signature verification results to a log file check box.

5. Click OK.

Driver Signing

You must update all device drivers so that they become compatible with the operating system. Driver signing ensures that the device driver is tested for compatibility with Windows Server 2003 and it contains a digital signature. The digital signature ensures that the device driver is tested to meet the standards for Windows Server 2003.

To view and set Driver Signing options:

1. Open the System Properties dialog box.

2. Click the Hardware tab. The Hardware tab appears.

3. Click the Driver Signing button. The Driver Signing Options dialog box appears,

The options available in the Driver Signing Options dialog box are:

Ignore - Installs the device drivers on the computer irrespective of whether the drivers are digitall signed or not.
Warn - Displays a warning message before installing any unsigned driver. You can select to continue the installation or cancel it.

Block - Prevents the installation of any unsigned device driver. An error message is displayed indicating that you cannot continue with the installation of the device driver.

Make this action the system default - Applies the settings when installing all devices on the computer.

4. Select the Warn option.

5. Click OK.

Working with the Device Manager

Device Manager is a console that enables you to view and monitor the status of devices and drivers. Using Device Manager, you can automatically install the drivers, and modify the properties of a driver. The Device Manager enables you to manually scan and install devices. In addition, you can enable or disable a hardware device using the Device Manager. The device manager reports the device error with a yellow colored exclamation icon next to the device. Device manager has error codes for every event of device failure.

To scan and install devices automatically:

1. Open the Device Manager Console.

2. Select the name of the computer.

3. Select Action - Scan for hardware changes. Windows displays a Scanning Plug and Play compliant hardware message and starts the appropriate wizard to install or update devices.

To disable a device:

1. Open Device Manager.

2. Select the device that you need to disable.

3. Select Action -> Disable. A message box appears,

4. Click the Yes button. Windows disables the device and displays a red cross against the device in the Device Manager Console,

To enable a device:

1. Open Device Manager.

2. Select the device that is disabled.

3. Select Action -> Enable. Windows Server 2003 enables the device and deletes the red cross simbol against the device.

The Device Manager Console also allows you to view devices in two views. They are:

Devices by type - Sorts the devices by category, such as, modems, network adapters and printers

Devices by connection - Sorts the devices as per their connections to the computer

WORKING WITH WINDOWS 2003 DEVICES AND DRIVERS

Windows Server 2003 provides the Device Manager to configure devices and drivers. It also supports Driver Signing to ensure that the driver for the device is tested and compatible for use with Windows Server 2003. Windows Server 2003 also verifies the digital signatures on the system files using File Signature Verification. In addition, Windows 2003 also provides you with utilities to solve hardware problems.

Also Read:

Resource Configuration

The devices and drivers use the system resource to communicate with the computer. When you install the operating system, Windows Server 2003 sets the resources for the devices and drivers. You may need to set the resource for a device or a driver manually because of communication problems with the device.

configure the resource for the LPT1 port:

1. Open Device Manager.

2. Expand Ports (COM & LPT).

3. Select Printer Port (LPT1).

4. Select Action > Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.

5. Click the Resources tab. The Resource tab appears,

In the Resources tab, the options are:

Use automatic settings - Sets the resources automatically

Change Setting - Specifies to modify the resource settings

6. Clear the Use automatic settings check box.

7. Click Change Setting. The Edit Interrupt Request dialog box appears

8. Enter the required value in the Value spin box.

9. Click OK.

More Tutorials:

Roll Back Driver

Windows Server 2003 enables you to restore a previously nstaHed driver in case the upgraded driver does no work properly. For example, you have updated the previously installed device driver but the device stop functioning with the updated device driver. Then, you can rollback to the previous device driver.

To roll back the driver:

1. Open Device Manager.

2. Expand Network Adapters.

3. Right click the device to roll back the driver. The shortcut menu appears.

4. Select Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.

5. Click the Driver tab. The Driver tab appears.

6. Click Roll Back Driver. A Message Box appears,

7. Click No.

More Tutorials:

Updating Device Drivers

The drivers for a device can get outdated when the device manufacturer releases a new version of the driver New versions of application softwares may not be compatible with the existing device driver. Therefore, you mu update the driver by installing a new version of the device driver, if any.

To update the driver for a Network Adapter:

1. Open Device Manager.

2. Expand Network Adapters.

3. Right-click the network adapter. A shortcut menu appears.

4. Select Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.

5. Select the Driver tab. The Driver tab appears.

6. Click Update Driver. The Hardware Update Wizard appears,

7. Click Next. The wizard searches for new drivers ...

8. Click Next. The Cannot Continue the Hardware Update Wizard screen appears if the wizard fails to finds a new version of the driver,

9. Click Finish.

More Tutorials:

View Driver Files

You can view the driver files for a device. The list of driver files enables you to identify the files used by the operating system to communicate with the device. The hardware device may stop functioning if a driver file deleted accidentally. You can fix device problems if you determine which driver file is deleted.

To view the driver files for a network adapter: -

1. Open Device Manager.

2. Expand Network Adapters.

3. Select the network adapter that is installed.

4. Right-click the network adapter. A shortcut menu appears.

5. Select Properties. The Properties dialog box appears,

6.Click the Driver tab. The Driver tab appears.

7. Click Driver Details. The Driver File Details appears,

8. Click OK.

More Tutorials:

Configuring Drivers

Sometimes, the operating system fails to identify the correct hardware and install the proper drivers. You car manually install the drivers for a hardware device. You can also configure the device drivers to enable Window Server 2003 to communicate with the hardware device.
Windows Server 2003 provides driver configuration options, such as:

Viewing driver files - Enables you to view the list of driver files for the device. Windows Server 20l uses these files to communicate with the device.

Updating Driver - Enables you to install a new version of the driver for the hardware device.

Switching Drivers - Enables you to deletes the updated driver if the new version does not support th device.

Deleting Drivers - Enables you to deletes driver files for a device.

More Tutorials:

Add Hardware Wizard

In addition to the Device Manager Console, you can install devices using the Add Hardware wizard.

To install a network adapter:

1. Open Control Panel.

2. Double-click Add Hardware. The Add Hardware Wizard appears,

3. Click Next The Wizard searches for hardware devices. the hardware connected scree appears,

4.Select the Yes, I have already connected the hardware option.

5.Click Next. The Hardware List dialog box appears, as shown

6.Scroll down the list and select the Add a new hardware device option.

7.Click Next. The Hardware screens appears,

8.Select the Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced) option.

9. Click Next. The Common Hardware Types Screen appears,

10.Select Network Adapters.

11.Click Next. The Select Network Adapter Screen appears,

12. Select Microsoft from the Manufacturer list.

13. Select Microsoft Loop back Adapter from the network Adapter list.

14. Click Next. The Hardware to Install Screen appears,

15. Click Next. Windows installs the device and displays the Finish Screen appears,

16. Click Finish.

More Tutorials:

Introducing Device Manager

Using Device Manager, you can install the drivers, modify the properties of the driver, as well as retrieve the
information about the status of the devices. The Device Manager has specific colors and symbols to identify
devices. These symbols appear next to the device in Device Manager. The symbols and colors are:
Yellow color question mark - Indicates that the device is detected but not configured

Yellow color exclamation mark - Indicates that the device has a conflict with another device. A conflict occurs when one or more devices access the same system resources.

> Red color cross mark - Indicates that the device is disabled.

To open the Device Manager Console:

1. Select Start - Control Panel. The Control Panel window appears.

2. Double-click System. The System Properties dialog box appears,

3. Click the Hardware tab. the Hardware tab appears,

4. Click Device Manager. The Device Manger console appears,

The Device Manger console in Windows Server 2003 allows you to manually scan and install devices.

More Tutorials:

Installing and Configuring Devices

A network consists of computers connected to each other. The users on the network share the files and folders on a network. You must install devices, such as, network adapters to allow users to connect to other computers in the network. The computer communicates with the devices using a program called driver.

You can install two types of devices:

Plug-and-Play - Includes devices that you can add or remove from the computer with little or no intervention. In addition, you need not manually change the hardware configuration of the computer for adding or removing a Plug and Play device. For example, for adding a plug and play device, you need not change the motherboard jumper settings to make the device compatible with the computer. Plug and Play devices come with hardware and software support that enables a computer to recognize and install the device. You can install several Plug and Play devices by just plugging the device to the computer. Most of the devices manufactured since 1995 are Plug and Play. You can install hot swapping devices to a computer. Hot swapping devices are devices that you can attach and detach without switching off the computer. This indicates that you can use a hot swapping device by just attaching the device to a running computer.

Non Plug-and-Play devices - Includes devices whose drivers are not installed by Windows Server 2003 automatically. You need to provide the vendor-supplied drivers for installing Non Plug-and-Play devices.

Also read:

1. Add Hardware Wizard

2. Configuring Drivers

3. View Driver Files

4. Updating Device Drivers

Configuring Windows Server 2003

Windows setup installs the operating system by using the default settings. You can set the different roles for the server, such as:

Domain Controller - Manages the logon process of users and computers in the network.

File Server - Manages the access to files and folders across the network.

Print Server - Manages the print services across the network.

Application Server - Manages the applications in a network.

You must install Active Directory Services to enable users to access the server across the network.

To configure a Windows 2003 server as a File server:

1. Select Start - Programs - Administrative Tools - Manage Your Server. The Manage Your Server Window appears.

2. Click add or remove a role. The configure your Server Wizard appears.

3. Click Next. The Server Role Screen appears.

4. Select file server from the server role list.

5. Click Next. The file server Disk Quotas Screen appears.

6. Click Next. The file server indexing Service screen appears.

7. Click Next. The Summary Screen appears.

8. Click Next. The Share a Folder wizard appears.

9. Click Next. The folder path screen appears.

10. Specify the name of the Folder to share in the Folder path text box .

11. Click Next. The Name , Description and settings screen appears.

12. Enter the share name in the Share name text box.

13. Enter a description in the Description text box.

14. Click Next . The Permission screen appears.

15. Select the required share permissions.

16. Click Finish. The Sharing was Successful screen appears.

17. Click Close. The final screen appears.

18.Click Finish .

Also Read :

1. Installing and Configuring Devices

2. Introducing Device Manager

3. Configuring Drivers

4. Troubleshoot Printers

5. Managing System Updates

6. Windows Update

7. Automatic Updates

8. Troubleshoot Hardware Devices and Drivers

9. To install a network printer

10. Configuring Printers

Installing Windows Server 2003

The servers are responsible for the task of managing resources, applications, and print jobs. Therefore, the requirements for the server operating system are much higher. You must ensure that your system meets the requirements before installing Windows Server 2003.

After checking the hardware requirements, you must perform some pre-installation checks, such as:

Hardware requirements are met.

Hard disk has at least 3.0 GB of disk space.

Decide a name for the server.

Decide the password for the administrator account.

To install Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition:

1. Insert the Windows Server 2003 CD in the CD-ROM.

2. Restart the computer. The computer displays a message

3. Press Enter. The Setup Screen appears.

4. Press Enter. The Welcome Screen appears.

5. Press Enter.The windows Licensing agreement screen appears.

6. Press F8. The Partition Screen appears.

7. Press C. The create partition screen appears.

8. Enter the size of partition, for example 4000, in the create partition of size text box.

9. Press enter.

10. select the Format the partition using the file system option.

11. Press enter

Windows Server 2003 automatically restarts the computer after formatting the partition. It checks the disk space and copies the installation files to the hard disk. After the files are copied, the Regional and Language Options dialog box appears.

12. Click Next. The Personalize Your Software dialog box appears

13. Enter a name in the Name text box.

14. Enter the organization name in the Organization text box.

15. Click Next. The Your Product Key dialog box appears

16. Enter the product key in the Product Key text box.

17. Click Next. The Licensing Modes dialog box appears.

In the Licensing Modes dialog box the options are:

Per server. Number of concurrent connections - Specifies the number of connections the server can accept at a time.

Per Device or Per User - Specifies the licenses for the number of users. Every user must possess a valid access license.

18. Select the Per server. Number of concurrent connections option.

19. Click Next. The Computer Name and Administrator password dialog box appears.

20.Enter the computer name in the Computer name text box, for example, Server.

21.Enter the administrator password in the Administrator password text box.

22.Re-enter the administrator password in the Confirm password text box.

23.Click Next. The Date and Time Settings dialog box appears,

24. Select the time zone from the Time Zone drop down list box.

25. Select the date and time from the Date and Time group box.

26. Click Next. The Network Settings dialog box appears,

In the Network Settings dialog box, the options are:

Typical Settings - Specifies to install the operating system using the default settings.

Custom Settings - Specifies to install the operating system using the selected network options.

27. Select Typical settings option.

28. Click Next. The Work group or Computer Domain dialog box appears,

29. Click Next. The Progress Bar appears.

Windows Server 2003 setup automatically restarts the computer, after copying the files, to complete the installation. After the computer restarts, the Welcome to Windows Screen appears.

30. Press Ctrl-Alt-Del to login. The Log On to Windows dialog box appears.

31. Enter the administrator password.

32. Press Enter. The Desktop appears with the Manage Your Server window.

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Windows Server 2003 Web Edition

Windows Server 2003 Web Edition is designed to meet the web hosting needs. This edition provides the best performance for Internet service providers, Web developers, and programmers. The Web edition provides features, such as the Internet Information Services 6.0(IIS 6.0), ASP.Net, and built in .Net framework. Web Edition supports 2 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and two-way Symmetric Processing (SMP).

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Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition

The Windows Server 2003 Data center Edition is available only as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) version. This edition of Windows Server 2003 is designed for high-end database solutions.

The Data center Edition of Windows Server 2003 provides the Physical Address Extension (PAE) feature that supports up to 64 GB of RAM. This edition also supports Intel’s Hyper Threading (HT) technology that enables multiple threads to be executed simultaneously by a single processor. The HT technology provides greater performance and increases the system stability.

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Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition

Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition provides features for medium to large sized business. It is the preferred operating system for file and print servers and work group servers. Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition provides support for eight-way symmetric multiprocessing, eight-node-clustering server, and up to 32 GB RAM.
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition also supports Microsoft Metadirectory Services to integrate files and databases to Active Directory. It also allows you to add memory and hardware without a restart using the Hot Add Memory feature. In addition, the enterprise edition supports Windows System Resource Manager to allocate processor and memory resources.

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Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition

Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition provides directory, file, print, application, and Web services. The standard edition of Windows Server 2003 is more suitable for small and medium sized business. It also provides support for Internet Authentication Service, Network Bridge, and Internet Connection Sharing.

In addition, the Standard Edition supports up to five concurrent connections. This edition of Windows Server 2003 supports the Network Load Balancing tool. It also supports four-way symmetric multiprocessing and 4 GB of RAM.

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Editions of Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 is a secure, reliable, and easy to administer operating system. It is available in 32-bit and 64-bit editions. Windows Server 2003 supports, Active Directory, NTFS file system, IIS v6, and volume shadow copy.

The Windows Server 2003 family comprises of the following:

1.Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition

2.Windows Server 2003 Web Edition

3.Windows Server 2003 Data center Edition

4.Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition

WINDOWS SERVER 2003 INTRODUCTION

Windows Server 2003 is available in four editions, Standard, Enterprise, Data Center, and Web edition. You can use Windows Server 2003 to control a group of computers on a network. You can also set the Windows Server 2003 computer as a domain controller, file server, or print server. Windows Server 2003 provides automatic installation of basic devices and drivers. It automatically scans and installs the device driver. You can also view, update, roll back, and delete driver files for a device.

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