Managing a Microsoft Windows

Server 2003 Environment

Chapter 2:
Managing Hardware
Devices
 Objectives

• Understand the importance of managing hardware

• Understand the purpose of device drivers

• Configure hardware resource settings and resolve

resource setting conflicts

2
 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

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