Microsoft Certified System Engineer
Chapter 2: Managing Hardware Devices
Chapter 2: Managing Hardware Devices
Objectives:
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- Understand the importance of managing hardware
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- Understand the purpose of device drivers
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Input/Output Ranges:
- Configure hardware resource settings and resolve resource setting conflicts
- Configure driver signing options
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- Optimize server processor and memory usage
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- Create and configure hardware profiles
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- Configure server power options
Introduction to Managing Hardware
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- Managing and maintaining hardware is a primary responsibility of a network administrator
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- A wide variety of internal and external hardware components available
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- Key concepts to be discussed
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- Hardware compatibility
- Device drivers
- Device Manager
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- Server hardware must meet minimum system requirements for Windows Server 2003
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- Microsoft maintains information about compatible hardware
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- Previous Windows versions: Hardware Compatibility List
- Windows Server 2003: Windows Server Catalog
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Windows Server Catalog Web Site:
Understanding Device Drivers:
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- A device driver is a software interface between an operating system and a hardware device
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- Generally want to use the specific recommended driver for a device
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- Affects stability and performance
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- Driver updates are frequent and usually available from manufacturer
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- Driver signing is used to verify that a driver has been tested
Device Manager:
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- Primary tool for managing device drivers
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- Allows administrator to view and modify hardware device properties
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- Should be used soon after Windows Server 2003 installation to verify device detection and functioning
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- Accessible from Control Panel or Computer Management tool
Accessing Device Manager:
•Control Panel à System à Hardware Tab
•Computer Management à System Tools à Device Manager
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- Displays non-functioning devices
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- Yellow exclamation point
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- Displays manually disabled devices
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- Red x
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- Allows you to update drivers
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- Download driver and install through Device Manager
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- Use Hardware Update Wizard
The Hardware Update Wizard:
Activity 2-1: Exploring Device Manager:
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- Objective is to explore the use of Device Manager
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- View properties of existing hardware
- Explore different views of information
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- Start à My Computer à Properties à Hardware Tab à Device Manager
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- Follow directions in book to complete exercise
Adding New Devices:
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- Two main categories of devices
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- Plug and Play
- Legacy
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- Plug and Play devices typically installed and configured automatically
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- Legacy devices typically configured manually
Plug and Play Devices:
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- Windows Server 2003 is Plug and Play compliant
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- New hardware is usually Plug and Play
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- Installed devices detected automatically
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- Detected devices configured automatically
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- May need to locate or update device driver
Activity 2-2: Installing a Plug and Play Hardware Device:
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- Objective:
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- Uninstall device using Device Manager
- Reinstall using Add Hardware Wizard
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- Start à Run, type devmgmt.msc
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- New method for accessing device manager
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- Follow instructions in book to complete uninstall
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- Check uninstall completed
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- Reinstall using Add Hardware Wizard
Legacy Devices:
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- Many older devices not Plug and Play
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- Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus devices not Plug and Play
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- May or may not be detected by Windows Server 2003
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- Typically must be configured manually
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- Add Hardware Wizard used to install and/or configure
Hardware Resource Settings:
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- Four main types of resources
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- Direct Memory Access (DMA) channels
- Input/Output (I/O) ranges
- Memory address ranges
- Interrupt request (IRQ) lines
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- Resource settings configured from Resources tab of properties of hardware device in Device Manager
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- Manually configured resource settings may have conflicts
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- Resource conflicts can cause device malfunction
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- Conflicts determined using Device Manager
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- Resources tab for a device
Resources Tab for Network Adapter Card:
•Conflict list ð
Direct Memory Access Channels:
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- Allow hardware devices to access system memory (RAM) directly
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- Information transfer bypasses CPU
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- Common devices
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- Hard and floppy disk controllers
- Sound cards
- CD-ROM drives
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- DMA channel used by a device can be determined from Device Manager
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- Small dedicated memory areas
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- Allocated specifically for data transfer between computer and hardware device
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- Type of device dictates size of memory area
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- I/O ports can be determined from Device Manager
- Used to gain attention of the system processor to handle some event
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- Traditionally, each device had dedicated line
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- Trend is toward sharing lines, Windows Server 2003 supports sharing among some Plug and Play devices
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- IRQ lines can be viewed and managed from Device Manager
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- Used for communication between a hardware device and the operating system
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- Devices configured with dedicated, unique memory address ranges
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- Windows Server 2003 will automatically allocate memory addresses for Plug and Play devices
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- For legacy devices, address ranges usually specified in documentation
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- Objective is to use Device Manager to explore hardware resource settings
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- Open Device Manager in one of the ways described in earlier activities
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- Observe the resources on a display adapter, keyboard, and communications port
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- Configure settings and observe properties on communications port according to explanation in book
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- Manual configuration of devices can lead to resource conflicts (overlaps and duplication of assignments)
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- Two methods for checking for resource conflicts
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Configuring Power Options:
Activity 2-9: Defining a Power Scheme:
- Resources tab in properties of device using Device Manager
- System Information tool
- To open, type msinfo32.exe in Run command
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- System Information tool
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Configuring Device Driver Signing:
- 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
Viewing Problem Devices using the System Information tool:
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- Every built-in driver in Windows Server 2003 is digitally signed by Microsoft
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- Signing ensures compatibility, quality, authenticity, verified to work with hardware
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- Three possible driver signing verification options
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- 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:
Activity 2-4: Configuring Driver Signing Options:
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- Objective is to explore and configure settings for device drivers using Device Manager
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- Start à My Computer à Properties à Hardware tab à Driver Signing
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- Explore help topics on driver signing
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- Complete assignment to explore and configure settings using Device Manager
Activity 2-5: Using the File Signature Verification Utility:
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- Objective is to use the File Signature Verification utility to ensure that all installed system files and device drivers have been digitally signed
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- Start à Run à sigverif.exe à Advanced à Logging
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- Scan files and log results following directions
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- View log
Advanced File Signature Verification Settings:
Roll Back Driver Feature:
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- Common for vendors to release new or updated drivers for hardware devices
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- Fix known issues, take advantage of updated features
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- Driver updates sometimes result in system stability problems
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- 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:
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- Objective is to use Roll Back Driver feature to return to a previous version of a device driver
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- Start à My Computer à Properties à Hardware à Device Manager
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- 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;
Configuring Processor and Memory Settings:
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- Three basic areas to configure for optimal performance
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- Processor scheduling and memory usage
- Virtual memory
- Memory for network performance
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- Allows you to configure how processor resources are allocated to programs
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- Default is Background services (all running applications receive equal processor time)
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- Can set to Programs (foreground application receives priority processor time)
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- Memory usage options used to configure amount of system memory allocated to executing programs versus other server functions
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- Default is System cache option
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- Computer is acting as network server
- Running programs that require considerable memory
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- Programs option
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- Computer is acting as workstation
- Running programs at console
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Virtual Memory:
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- Disk storage used to expand RAM capacity
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- Slower than RAM
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- Uses paging technique
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- 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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- Area allocated is called paging file
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- Default amount allocated when operating system installed but should be tuned by administrator
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- Name of paging file is pagefile.sys
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- Location of paging file important
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- Two important parameters: initial and maximum size
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Activity 2-7: Viewing and Configuring Virtual Memory Settings:
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- Objective is to explore and configure virtual memory settings
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- Move the paging file to a new drive
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- Start à My Computer à Properties à Advanced tab
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- Follow instructions to move the paging file
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Memory for Network Performance:
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- Memory used for both server functions and network connectivity functions
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- Server functions use RAM and memory
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- Network connectivity uses only memory
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- If performance is poor, may need to tune network memory parameters
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Configuring Server Memory for Network Optimization:
Hardware Profiles:
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- Set of instructions defining which devices to start and drivers to load when computer starts
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- Profile 1 created when Windows Server 2003 installed, every device enabled
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- Portable computers change set of hardware device available at different times
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- Can create additional profiles to match situation
Activity 2-8: Creating a Hardware Profile:
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- Objective is to create a new hardware profile for a set of hardware devices
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- Start à My Computer à Properties à Hardware tab à Hardware Profiles
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- Follow directions to create a new profile with no CD-ROM drive or floppy drive
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- Test that devices are disabled when using new profile
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- Default power scheme is Always On (monitor off after 20 minutes, hard disks never off)
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- Can select other predefined schemes or create custom scheme
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- Standby mode
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- 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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- Hibernate mode
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- Memory contents saved before shutting down disks
- Can restart with previous applications running
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- Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
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- 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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- Objective is to configure a new power scheme
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- Start à Control Panel à Power Options
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- Follow directions to create a power scheme to supplied specifications
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- Also explore configuring UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to provide battery backup for critical equipment
Summary:
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- Device drivers
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- Driver signing
- Driver roll back
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- Device Manager tool
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- Primary tool for device management
- Plug and play versus legacy devices
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- Installation and configuration
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- Hardware Resource Settings
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- Direct Memory Access (DMA) channels
- Input/Output (I/O) ranges
- Memory address ranges
- Interrupt request (IRQ) lines
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- Processor Scheduling and Memory Usage
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- Virtual memory
- Network memory
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- Hardware Profiles
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- Power Options
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