Senin, 11 November 2013

Xathrya Sabertooth

Xathrya Sabertooth

Install Drivers for Windows Server from Windows (Desktop Version)

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 12:14 PM PST

After installation of Windows Server, we should install appropriate drivers for it. In some case, we install Windows Server and Windows (desktop edition) in very same physical machine (for example, development phase). Instead of find and install all the drivers one by one, it is the best choice for us to install the driver from existing Windows desktop.

In this article, we will discuss about how to install drivers for Windows Server where the drivers are taken from existing Windows.

Note that I assume both Windows Server and Desktop are installed on same machine. A different machine might result in incompatibility of drivers or might result in not finding suitable drivers. Also, make sure that in Desktop version of Windows, all required drivers are installed and can running properly.

Matching Couple

Not all Windows version are perfectly matching with each other. Drivers for one version lower than other might have chance in incompatibility. We should choose the most compatible version as possible.

In my experience, there are some possible couple / match between Windows Server and Desktop:

  1. Windows Server 2008 <-> Windows 7
  2. Windows Server 2012 <-> Windows 8

Installation

It is not difficult to install the driver.

Go to Control Panel and search for Device Manager.

cpanel

You should see Device Manager. If you some component needs driver, you will see something like this:

devicemgmt

Theoretically, we can update driver manually. Just right click on device entry, click on “update Driver Software” and go to drive where our Windows desktop installed to. Navigate to \Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository. Remember that when our Windows Server is loaded, the C:\ partition would point to current partition / drive used by Windows Server. The same goes when running Windows desktop. We should find the correct drive where our Windows desktop reside.

Things You Need to Install After Windows Server

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 11:33 AM PST

You have install Windows Server, so what’s next? Of course we need some “arms”, in our context its utility software. In this article, we will discuss about some application that might be need.

We classified the application into some categories. They are:

  1. File Archiver & Compressor
  2. PDF Reader
  3. Browsers
  4. Text Editor
  5. Office Suite
  6. ISO Tool
  7. SSH Server
  8. VNC Server & Client

File Archiver & Compressor

A file archiver is a computer program that combines a number of files together into one archive file, or a series of archive files, for easier transportation or storage. File archivers may employ lossless data compression in their archive formats to reduce the size of the archive.

There are many archive formats, such as: zip, rar, 7z, tar.gz, tar.bz2, etc.

We need file archiver for to create, open, extract, and modify an archive file. There are many solutions out there but my choice would be 7-Zip.

7-Zip is an open source file archiver. 7-Zip operates with the 7z archive format, but can read and write several other archive formats. The program can be used from a command line interface, graphical user interface, or with a window-based shell integration.

For downloading 7-Zip, you can go to 7-Zip official site.

PDF Reader

PDF or Portable Document Format is a file format used to represent documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating system. Developed by Adobe Systems, PDF now evolved into most popular document format.

Having PDF reader on our server can benefit us as some document might end in PDF, such as: datasheet, documentation, etc.

There are many PDF reader out there. Anyone should be no problem.

Browsers

Browser, or web browser, is a application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. In other world, enable us surf the internet.

The major web browsers are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari.

Even though the Windows Server 2012 has shipped Internet Explorer as default web browser, but for some people, using some familiar web browser is comforting.

Text Editor

Windows Server has Notepad, so what’s wrong? No it’s not wrong, but it’s not enough!

We need some text editor, but not only a text editor. We need text editor with extra capability, for example: syntax highlighting. Why we need that? Sometimes we are working with configuration or script files. Some are written in a certain programming language. Reading hundred or thousand lines of text in plain text editor will sure give us pain.

My choice goes to Notepad++ or SublimeText.

Office Suite

Yes, office suite. The popular one is Microsoft Office, Open Office, Libre Office, etc.

Any office is no problem. However, for more compatibility I use Microsoft Office.

ISO Tool

An ISO image is an archive file of an optical disc, a type of disk image composed of the data contents of every written sector of an optical disc, including the optical disc file system. ISO image files usually have a file extension of .iso. The name ISO is taken from the ISO 9660 file system used with CD-ROM media, but what is known as an ISO image might also contain a UDF (ISO/IEC 13346) file system (commonly used by DVDs and Blu-ray Discs).

ISO Tool enables us to create and mount an ISO image.

My choice goes to PowerISO.

SSH Server

The old-school guy should know this thing.

Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic network protocol for secure data communication, remote command-line login, remote command execution, and other secure network services between two networked computers that connects, via a secure channel over an insecure network, a server and a client (running SSH server and SSH client programs, respectively).

As we know, Windows doesn’t ship SSH Server. Therefore we need third party application which will act as SSH daemon.

Like other softwares, there are many alternatives to SSH Server. But my choice goes to BitVise SSH Server or freeSSHd. BitVise SSH Server is a paid application, but it also offer free product for non-commercial personal use.

VNC Server & Client

VNC, or Virtual Network Computing, is a graphical desktop sharing system that uses the Remote Frame Buffer protocol (RFB) to remotely control another computer. It transmits the keyboard and mouse events from one computer to another, relaying the graphical screen updates back in the other direction, over a network.

In simple words: it is used for remote accessing our Server, graphically.

My choice goes to RealVNC.

Basic Storage and Dynamic Storage in Windows

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 05:33 AM PST

From Windows 2000 onwards, Microsoft started introduce the concept of dynamic disks. The counterpart, basic disk, is used from the era of DOS onward. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

In this article we will discuss about both disks concept. Our explanation would be as general as possible, in fact there is no instruction on specific platform.

Overview

Basic Disk

Basic Disk uses a partition table to manage all partitions on the disk on first sector of disk. It is supported by DOS and all Windows versions. A disk with installed OS would be default initialized to a basic one. A basic disk contains basic volumes, such as primary partitions, extended partition, and all logical partitions are contained in extended partition.

Basic Disks provide a simple storage solution that can accommodate a useful array of changing storage requirement scenarios. Basic Disks also support clustered disks, IEEE 1394 disks, and USB removable drives.

Basic Disks also use the same Master Boot Record (MBR) partition style as the disks used by Microsoft MS-DOS operating system. It can also support GUID Partition Table (GPT) partitions on systems that support it.

The following operations can be performed only on Basic Disk:

  • Create and delete primary and extended partitions.
  • Create and delete logical drives within an extended partition.
  • Format a partition and mark it as active.

Dynamic Disk

Dynamic Disk is supported in Windows 2000 and later operating system. Dynamic disks do not use a partition table to track all partitions, but use a hidden database (LDM) to track information about dynamic volumes or dynamic partitions on the disk. With dynamic disks we can create volumes that span multiple disks such as spanned and striped volumes, and can also create fault-tolerant volumes such as mirrored volumes and RAID 5 volumes. Compared to a Basic Disk, Dynamic Disk offers greater flexibility.

What is LDM database? LDM or Logical Disk Manager, is a hidden database which size is 1 MB at the end of Dynamic Disk. This space records all the information of the volumes on a single disk, and also holds some related information on each dynamic disk. The information including Drive Letter, Volume Label, the begin sector of Volume, Volume size, the file system of volume.

All disks are interrelated and will hold information mentioned above if there are several dynamic disk on computer. The relevance of each dynamic disk let we will see a "Missing" disk which is shown in Windows Disk Management if we remove a dynamic disk from your system. All this is saved in LDM database, so LDM database is vary important the same as Partition Table of Basic Disk.

Clearly, we can illustrate the Dynamic disk as following:

dynamic-disk

The blue area at the beginning of Dynamic Disk is the MBR which sabes the information of the Partition Table on the disk. However, this partition table is not the same as one of Basic Disk. Its main function is to make Windows and Other Disk Manager can know the disk is a dynamic disk instead of empty disk. The red one at the end of disk is the LDM database.

If you are familiar with Linux, Dynamic Disks system is similar to Logical Volume Manager (LVM).

The following operations can be performed only on dynamic disks:

  • Create and delete simple, spanned, striped, mirrored, and RAID-5 volumes.
  • Extend a simple or spanned volume.
  • Remove a mirror from a mirrored volume or break the mirrored volume into two volumes.
  • Repair mirrored or RAID-5 volumes.
  • Reactivate a missing or offline disk.

Differences

  1. Capacity – Once Basic Disk create a partition, its capacity cannot be change unless we modify the partition table (using gpart, fdisk, or similar software). Dynamic Disk however can expand the capacity of volumes without data loss.
  2. Disk space limitation – On Basic Disk, the maximum capacity of a partition (volume) can be limited to 2 TB. Dynamic Disks can well handle the large partition of more than 2 TB.
  3. Number of partitions – Basic Disk is using primitive MBR disk layout, so it support only 4 primary partition. At best, it use 3 primary partition and use the last primary partition as extended partition. In Dynamic disks, unlimited number of partition can be created.
  4. Volumes type – Basic Disks only can create any primary or logical partition. Dynamic disks can create simple volume, spanned volume, stripped volume, mirrored volume, and RAID-5 volume (software-based RAID).

Similarity

  1. Supported file systems – Basic Disks and Dynamic Disks support FAT, FAT32, and NTFS file systems.
  2. Have a partition table – Dynamic Disks have a partition table too, however this partition table is different from Basic Disks Its main function is to let Windows and other partition manager know the disk is a dynamic disk instead of an empty disk.
  3. Label and Drive Letter – On both Basic Disks and Dynamic Disks, every partition (volume) can be assigned to a unique drive letter (in operating system perspective). such as “System C:”
  4. Disk Layout Supported – Both Basic Disks and Dynamic Disks support MBR and GPT partition styles.

Volume on Dynamic Disk

On Dynamic Disk, the volumes are divided into several categories: Simple Volume, Spanned Volume, Mirrored Volume, and RAID 5 Volume. They have drive letter and volume label to differentiate.

Simple Volume

Simple volume only can be created on the single disk. This volume is similar as partition of Basic Disk, but its space can be inconsecutive.

Spanned Volume

It is created from free space that is linked together from multiple disks (up to 32 disks). The sequence of writing data for Spanned Volume is that the volume on the first disk is filled full and then turn to fill the next dynamic disk. Spanned Volume can allow the fragmentary free space of multiple disks is recomposed as one volume, so it can fully utilize the resources of multi-disk. However, it can not be fault-tolerant volume and can not improve performance of the disk.

Stripped Volume

It’s similar with Spanned Volume, and consists of two and more disks. However, the difference is that it can improve the efficiency and performance of disk, because when operating system writes data to Striped Volume, this data will be separated into many pieces of 64KB, and then concurrent writes a different data block to each disk. A striped volume cannot be mirrored or extended and is not fault-tolerant. The screenshot is below:

Mirrored Volume

We can simply understand that Mirrored Volume is a duplicate of Simple Volume. It needs two disks; one stores the data which is being used, and another keep a copy of previous one. When a disk fails, the other one can be used immediately.

RAID-5 Volume

A RAID-5 requires three disks at least; it not only can enhance the efficiency of the disk but also provide the best fault-tolerant. You could simply consider RAID-5 is a combination of Striped and Mirrored Volume. A RAID-5 volume is a fault-tolerant volume whose data is striped across an array of three or more disks. Parity (a calculated value that can be used to reconstruct data after a failure) is also striped across the disk array. If a physical disk fails, the portion of the RAID-5 volume that was on that failed disk can be recreated from the remaining data and the parity.
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