1.What’s the difference between local, global and universal 
groups? 
Domain local groups assign access permissions to global 
domain groups for local domain resources. Global groups 
provide access to resources in other trusted domains. 
Universal groups grant access to resources in all trusted 
domains. 

2.I am trying to create a new universal user group. Why 
can’t I? 
Universal groups are allowed only in native-mode Windows 
Server 2003 environments. Native mode requires that all 
domain controllers be promoted to Windows Server 2003 
Active Directory. 

3.What is LSDOU? It’s group policy inheritance model, where 
the policies are applied to Local machines, Sites, Domains 
and Organizational Units. 
Why doesn’t LSDOU work under Windows NT? If the 
NTConfig.pol file exist, it has the highest priority among 
the numerous policies. 
4.Where are group policies stored?
 %SystemRoot%System32\GroupPolicy 

5.What is GPT and GPC?
 Group policy template and group policy container. 

6.Where is GPT stored?
 %SystemRoot%\SYSVOL\sysvol\domainname\Policies\GUID 

7.You change the group policies, and now the computer and 
user settings are in conflict. Which one has the highest 
priority?
 The computer settings take priority. 

8.You want to set up remote installation procedure, but do 
not want the user to gain access over it. What do you do?
 gponame–> User Configuration–> Windows Settings–> Remote 
Installation Services–> Choice Options is your friend. 

9.What’s contained in administrative template conf.adm?
Microsoft NetMeeting policies 

10.How can you restrict running certain applications on a 
machine?
 Via group policy, security settings for the group, then 
Software Restriction Policies. 

11.You need to automatically install an app, but MSI file 
is not available. What do you do?
 A .zap text file can be used to add applications using the 
Software Installer, rather than the Windows Installer. 

12.What’s the difference between Software Installer and 
Windows Installer?
 The former has fewer privileges and will probably require 
user intervention. Plus, it uses .zap files. 

13.What can be restricted on Windows Server 2003 that 
wasn’t there in previous products?
 Group Policy in Windows Server 2003 determines a users 
right to modify network and dial-up TCP/IP properties. 
Users may be selectively restricted from modifying their IP 
address and other network configuration parameters. 

14.How frequently is the client policy refreshed?
 90 minutes give or take. 

15.Where is secedit?
 It’s now gpupdate. 

16.You want to create a new group policy but do not wish to 
inherit.
 Make sure you check Block inheritance among the options 
when creating the policy. 

17.What is "tattooing" the Registry? 
The user can view and modify user preferences that are not 
stored in maintained portions of the Registry. If the group 
policy is removed or changed, the user preference will 
persist in the Registry. 

18.How do you fight tattooing in NT/2000 installations? 
You can’t. 

19.How do you fight tattooing in 2003 installations?
 User Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - 
Group Policy - enable - Enforce Show Policies Only. 

20.What does IntelliMirror do?
 It helps to reconcile desktop settings, applications, and 
stored files for users, particularly those who move between 
workstations or those who must periodically work offline. 

21.What’s the major difference between FAT and NTFS on a 
local machine?
 FAT and FAT32 provide no security over locally logged-on 
users. Only native NTFS provides extensive permission 
control on both remote and local files. 

23.How do FAT and NTFS differ in approach to user shares?
 They don’t, both have support for sharing. 
24.Explan the List Folder Contents permission on the folder 
in NTFS.
 Same as Read & Execute, but not inherited by files within 
a folder. However, newly created subfolders will inherit 
this permission. 

25.I have a file to which the user has access, but he has 
no folder permission to read it. Can he access it?
 It is possible for a user to navigate to a file for which 
he does not have folder permission. This involves simply 
knowing the path of the file object. Even if the user can’t 
drill down the file/folder tree using My Computer, he can 
still gain access to the file using the Universal Naming 
Convention (UNC). The best way to start would be to type 
the full path of a file into Run… window. 
26.For a user in several groups, are Allow permissions 
restrictive or permissive?
 Permissive, if at least one group has Allow permission for 
the file/folder, user will have the same permission. 

27.For a user in several groups, are Deny permissions 
restrictive or permissive?
 Restrictive, if at least one group has Deny permission for 
the file/folder, user will be denied access, regardless of 
other group permissions. 

28.What hidden shares exist on Windows Server 2003 
installation?
 Admin$, Drive$, IPC$, NETLOGON, print$ and SYSVOL. 

29.What’s the difference between standalone and fault-
tolerant DFS (Distributed File System) installations?
 The standalone server stores the Dfs directory tree 
structure or topology locally. Thus, if a shared folder is 
inaccessible or if the Dfs root server is down, users are 
left with no link to the shared resources. A fault-tolerant 
root node stores the Dfs topology in the Active Directory, 
which is replicated to other domain controllers. Thus, 
redundant root nodes may include multiple connections to 
the same data residing in different shared folders. 

30.We’re using the DFS fault-tolerant installation, but 
cannot access it from a Win98 box.
 Use the UNC path, not client, only 2000 and 2003 clients 
can access Server 2003 fault-tolerant shares. 

31.Where exactly do fault-tolerant DFS shares store 
information in Active Directory? 
In Partition Knowledge Table, which is then replicated to 
other domain controllers. 

32.Can you use Start->Search with DFS shares? 
Yes. 

33.What problems can you have with DFS installed?
 Two users opening the redundant copies of the file at the 
same time, with no file-locking involved in DFS, changing 
the contents and then saving. Only one file will be 
propagated through DFS. 

34.I run Microsoft Cluster Server and cannot install fault-
tolerant DFS.
 Yeah, you can’t. Install a standalone one. 

35.Is Kerberos encryption symmetric or asymmetric?
 Symmetric. 

36.How does Windows 2003 Server try to prevent a middle-man 
attack on encrypted line?
 Time stamp is attached to the initial client request, 
encrypted with the shared key. 

37.What hashing algorithms are used in Windows 2003 Server?
 RSA Data Security’s Message Digest 5 (MD5), produces a 128-
bit hash, and the Secure Hash Algorithm 1 (SHA-1), produces 
a 160-bit hash. 

38.What third-party certificate exchange protocols are used 
by Windows 2003 Server?
 Windows Server 2003 uses the industry standard PKCS-10 
certificate request and PKCS-7 certificate response to 
exchange CA certificates with third-party certificate 
authorities. 

39.What’s the number of permitted unsuccessful logons on 
Administrator account?
 Unlimited. Remember, though, that it’s the Administrator 
account, not any account that’s part of the Administrators 
group. 

40.If hashing is one-way function and Windows Server uses 
hashing for storing passwords, how is it possible to attack 
the password lists, specifically the ones using NTLMv1? 
A cracker would launch a dictionary attack by hashing every 
imaginable term used for password and then compare the 
hashes. 

41.What’s the difference between guest accounts in Server 
2003 and other editions? 
More restrictive in Windows Server 2003. 

42.How many passwords by default are remembered when you 
check "Enforce Password History Remembered"?
 User’s last 6 passwords.

1.	How would you troubleshoot AD Replication ( 
Intersite & Intrasite ) and what are the tools which you 
would use -  Event Viewer / RPC / Repadmin / DcDiag / 
Replmon / Subnet Information – Event ID 1311 / 1290 / 1586.

Senario -  There are 4 Sites – Site A – Site B – Site C – 
Site D. Site A connected to Site B, Site B connected to 
Site C, Site C connected to Site D, but Site D is not 
connected to Site A. So how long would replication take 
from Site A to Site D.

Answer – Site to Site replication takes 15 min in Windows 
2003 Domain, so it would take 45 min for an object to be 
replicated from Site A to Site D.

2.	What are the various Attributes for an Object – 
Answer – Address, E-Mail, 

3.	Which are the different Naming Context in AD –
Answer – Domain / Configuration / Schema / Application / 
Domain DNS / Forest DNS 

4.	How would you Force Replication in AD & FRS –
Answer – AD Replication can be forced using Replmon, FRS 
Replication can be forced by a relevant D2 or D4.

5.	Senario Based – A User in Site A changes his 
Password and then tries  to Login in Site B, so would he be 
able to login with his new Password or would require to 
Login with Cached Credentials.
Answer – Yes, the User would be able to Login to Site B 
with the new password as password replications are Urgent 
Replications and are triggered in 15 Sec.

6.	What is FRS ? Why is it Used and what are the tools 
to monitor FRS ?
Answer – FRS is used to replicate GPO’s and Scripts b/w 
DC’s and also used to Replicate DFS Data. Tools to monitor 
FRS are – FRSDiag / Ultrasound / Sonar / Event Viewer. 

7.	What are Morphed Folders and what are they created 
and what is the way to Troubleshoot them.
Answer – Morphed folders are duplicate folders with same 
name created due to Replication Link Failure or Forced 
Traffic in DFS & FRS. 

8.	What is Sharing Voilation ?
Answer – Sharing Voilation is multiple user accessing the 
same file while that file is Replicating through FRS or DFS 
and fails replication cause User are using the File and it 
is in use. Sharing Voilation can be troubleshot by doing a 
D2 on the Server.

9.	What is Backlog Issue in FRS ? 
Answer – Backlog issue is when Server A is replicating 
files to Server B and Server B is not accepting those files 
then the files are accumulating and creating a Backlog on 
Server B. Troubleshooting step is D2 on Server B.

10.	How would you flush and register a DNS Record –
Answer – Ipconfig /flushdns & ipconfig /registerdns.

11.	What are the Various Records for a DC in DNS ?
Answer – Host A / GUID / Kerberos / GC Record / _MSDCS 
Record. 

12.	What is the difference b/w Primary Zone / AD 
Integrated Zone  and Secondary Zone in terms of Usage and 
Replication.
Answer – Primary Zone is a editable copy but replicated 
through DNS Replication. AD integrated zone is AD 
integrated and is replicated through AD. Secondary zone is 
a readonly copy of either Primary or AD Integrated Zone.

13.	How would you troubleshoot disappeared DNS Records 
and what is the use of C Name Record ? 

14.	What is Scavenging and what are Stale Records in 
DNS ?

Answer – Scavenging is automatic removal of Stale Records 
in DNS, default period is 7 days.

15.	What are the tools to monitor GPO Replication –
Answer – GPResult / Userenv / RSOP / GpoTool.


16.	There are 1000 Users in an OU and you would like to 
apply a Policy to only 200 Users in that OU. How is that 
possible ?
Answer – GPO Filtering. User and Computer part of a Policy 
can also be filtered if required.

There is only 1 Password Policy per Domain no matter what.

17.	How would you recover a deleted User / GPO or OU
Answer – Study the KB 840001 and NTDSUtil Tool.

18.	What are FSMO Roles – 
Answer – Study all the roles properly cause he might ask 
you to describe any one.