Windows admin interview questions

By admin | September 3, 2004

1. Describe how the DHCP lease is obtained. It’s a four-step process consisting of (a) IP request, (b) IP
offer, © IP selection and (d) acknowledgement.
2. I can’t seem to access the Internet, don’t have any access to the corporate network and on
ipconfig my address is 169.254.*.*. What happened? The 169.254.*.* netmask is assigned to
Windows machines running 98/2000/XP if the DHCP server is not available. The name for the technology
is APIPA (Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing).
3. We’ve installed a new Windows-based DHCP server, however, the users do not seem to be
getting DHCP leases off of it. The server must be authorized first with the Active Directory.
4. How can you force the client to give up the dhcp lease if you have access to the client PC?
ipconfig /release
5. What authentication options do Windows 2000 Servers have for remote clients? PAP, SPAP,
CHAP, MS-CHAP and EAP.
6. What are the networking protocol options for the Windows clients if for some reason you do
not want to use TCP/IP? NWLink (Novell), NetBEUI, AppleTalk (Apple).
7. What is data link layer in the OSI reference model responsible for? Data link layer is located
above the physical layer, but below the network layer. Taking raw data bits and packaging them
into frames. The network layer will be responsible for addressing the frames, while the physical layer is
reponsible for retrieving and sending raw data bits.
8. What is binding order? The order by which the network protocols are used for client-server
communications. The most frequently used protocols should be at the top.
9. How do cryptography-based keys ensure the validity of data transferred across the network? 
Each IP packet is assigned a checksum, so if the checksums do not match on both receiving and
transmitting ends, the data was modified or corrupted.
10. Should we deploy IPSEC-based security or certificate-based security? They are really two
different technologies. IPSec secures the TCP/IP communication and protects the integrity of the packets.
Certificate-based security ensures the validity of authenticated clients and servers.
11.What is LMHOSTS file? It’s a file stored on a host machine that is used to resolve NetBIOS to specific IP
addresses.
12. What’s the difference between forward lookup and reverse lookup in DNS? Forward lookup is
name-to-address, the reverse lookup is address-to-name.
13. How can you recover a file encrypted using EFS? Use the domain recovery agent.
10 mistakes managers make during job
interviews
Hiring is oneof the hardest parts of managing a team. A lot is riding on the initialmeeting, and if
you're nervous or ill-prepared -- or both -- it can make you dostrange things. The following
mistakes are all too common, but they're easy toavoid with some advance preparation.

#1: You talk too much

When giving companybackground, watch out for the tendency to prattle on about your own
job,personal feelings about the company, or life story. At the end of theconversation, you'll be
aflutter with self-satisfaction, and you'll see thecandidate in a rosy light -- but you still won't
know anything about his or herability to do the job.

#2: You gossip or swap war stories

Curb your desire toask for dirt on the candidate's current employer or trash talk other people
inthe industry. Not only does it cast a bad light on you and your company, butit's a waste of time.

#3: You're afraid to ask tough questions

Interviews areawkward for everyone, and it's easy to over-empathize with a nervous
candidate.It's also common to throw softball questions at someone whom you like or whomakes
you feel comfortable. You're better off asking everyone the same set ofchallenging questions --
you might be surprised what they reveal. Often aNervous Nellie will spring to life when given
the chance to solve a problem orelaborate on a past success.

#4: You fall prey to the halo effect (or the horns effect)

If a candidatearrives dressed to kill, gives a firm handshake, and answers the first
questionperfectly, you might be tempted to check the imaginary "Hired!" boxin your mind. But
make sure you pay attention to all the answers and don't beswayed by a first impression. Ditto
for the reverse: The mumblerwith the tattoos might have super powers that go undetected at first
glance.

#5: You ask leading questions

Watch out forquestions that telegraph to the applicant the answer you're looking for. Youwon't
get honest responses from questions like, "You are familiar withExcel macros, aren't you?"
#6: You invade their privacy

First of all, it'sillegal to delve too deeply into personal or lifestyle details. Second, itdoesn't help
you find the best person for the job. Nix all questions about homelife ("Do you have children?"
"Do you think you'd quit if yougot married?"), gender bias or sexual preference ("Do you get
alongwell with other men?"), ethnic background ("That's an unusual name,what nationality are
you?"), age ("What year did you graduate fromhigh school?"), and financials ("Do you own your
home?")

#7: You stress the candidate out

Some interviewersuse high-pressure techniques designed to trap or fluster the applicant.

Whileyou do want to know how a candidate performs in a pinch, it's almost impossibleto re-
create the same type of stressors an employee will encounter in theworkplace. Moreover, if you
do hire the person, he or she may not trust youbecause you launched the relationship on a rocky
foundation.

#8: You cut it short

A series ofinterviews can eat up your whole day, so it's tempting to keep them brief. Buta quick
meeting just doesn't give you enough time to gauge a candidate'sresponses and behavior. Judging
candidates is nuanced work, and it relies ontracking lots of subtle inputs. An interview that runs
45 minutes to an hourincreases your chances of getting a meaningful sample.

#9: You gravitate toward the center

If everyone youtalk to feels like a "maybe," that probably means you aren't gettingenough useful
information -- or you're not assessing candidates honestlyenough. Most "maybes" are really "no,
thank yous."(Face it: The candidate didn't knock your socks off.) Likewise, if you thinkthe
person might be good for some role at some point in the future, he orshe is really a "no."

#10: You rate candidates against each other

Mediocre candidatesmay look like superstars when they follow a dud, but that doesn't mean
they'rethe most qualified for the job. The person who comes in tomorrow may smoke all ofthem,
but you won't be able to tell if you rated mediocre candidates too highlyin your notes. Evaluate
each applicant on your established criteria -- don'tgrade on a curve.