Active Directory Interview Question & Answer

1.         What is Active Directory schema?

Answer:  The schema is the Active Directory component that defines all the objects and attributes that the directory service uses to store data.

2.         What is global catalog server?

Answer: The global catalog is the set of all objects in an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) forest. A global catalog server is a domain controller that stores a full copy of all objects in the directory for its host domain and a partial, read-only copy of all objects for all other domains in the forest.

3.         Which is the default protocol used in directory services?

Answer: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)

4.         What is IPv6?

Answer: IPv6 is short for "Internet Protocol Version 6". IPv6 is the Internet's next-generation protocol, designed to replace the current Internet Protocol, IP Version 4. IPv4 allows to connect 4.3 billion IP address, where as IPv6 allows 340 trillion IP addresses to be used.

5.         What is the default domain functional level in Windows Server 2003?

Answer: Mixed mode functional level

6.         What are the physical & logical components of ADS?

Answer: The physical component of Active directory contain all the physical subnet present   in your network like domain controllers and replication between domain controllers.

      The logical structures of active directory include forest, domains, tree, OUs and global catalogs.

7.         What is multimaster replication?

Answer: Multi-master replication is a method of database replication which allows data to be stored by a group of computers, and updated by any member of the group

8.         What is a site?

Answer:  Sites in Active Directory® represent the physical structure, or topology, of your network. Active Directory uses topology information, stored as site and site link objects in the directory, to build the most efficient replication topology. You use Active Directory Sites and Services to define sites and site links. A site is a set of well-connected subnets. Sites differ from domains; sites represent the physical structure of your network, while domains represent the logical structure of your organization.

9.         Which is the command used to remove active directory from a domain controller?

Answer: Dcpromo /forceremoval

10.       What is trust?

Answer: To allow users in one domain to access resources in another, Active Directory uses trusts.

Trusts inside a forest are automatically created when domains are created. The forest sets the default boundaries of trust, and implicit, transitive trust is automatic for all domains within a forest.

11.       What is the file that’s responsible for keep all Active Directory database?

ANSWER: 1. ntds.dit : This is the main database file for active directory.

2. edb.log : When a transaction performed to ad database, like writing some data first the data will be stored to this file. And after that it will be sent to database. So the system performance will be depends on how this data from edb.log file will be written to ntds.dit

3. res1.log : Used as reserve space in the case when drive had low space. It is basically 10MB in size and creted when we run dcpromo.

4. res2.log : Same as res1.log. It is also 10MB in size and the purspose also same.

5. edb.chk : This file records the transactions committed to ad database. During shutdown, shutdown statement is written to this file. If it is not found when the system rebooted, the ad database tries to check with edb.log for the updated information.

12.       What is the SYSVOL folder?

Answer: All active directory data base security related information store in SYSVOL folder and its only created on NTFS partition.

13.       What are application partitions? When do I use them?

Answer: Application directory partitions: These are specific to Windows Server 2003 domains.

An application directory partition is a directory partition that is replicated only to specific domain controllers. A domain controller that participates in the replication of a particular application directory partition hosts a replica of that partition. Only Domain controllers running Windows Server 2003 can host a replica of an application directory partition.

14.       What is the Global Catalog?

The global catalog contains a complete replica of all objects in Active Directory for its Host domain, and contains a partial replica of all objects in Active Directory for every other domain in the forest.

15.       Feature of AD?

Answer: Fully Integrated Security, integration with DNS, Policy Based Administration, Scalable, Flexible, Extensible, inter operability with other directory services.

16.       What is structure of AD?

Logical & Physical

17.       What is the Component of AD?

Logical Structure: Domains, Tress, Forests and OU.

Physical Structure: Sites and Domain Controllers.

18.       What is a Domain?

Domain is collection of computers connected together with a server and users.

19.       What is a Tree?

Tree is a logical component of AD, is a collection of domains which share contiguous.

20.       What is a Forest?

Collection of trees which contain domains

21.       What is a child DC?

CDC is a sub domain controller under root domain controller which share name space.

22.       What is a roll of ADC?

It maintains backup of AD to provide fault tolerance and network load balancing.

23.       What are the tools found after installing a DC?

Active Directory User and Computers,

Active Directory Sites and Services,

Active Directory Domain & Trust,

Domain Controller Security Policy,

Domain Security Policy

24.       What is the diff. functional level of 2003?

Domain functional level & Forest functional level

25.       What is a standalone server?

Server which is not a part of domain

26.       What is a Schema?

Schema is design of AD, defines objects and classes, set of rules.

27.       What is an FSMO?

Flexible Single Master Operation

28.       What is the diff. operation master of 2003?

Schema Master, Domain Naming Master, PDC Emulator, Infrastructure Master, RID Masters.

29.       What is a Schema Master?

Is responsible for overall management, structure and design of schema Only one schema master in entire forest

30.       What is domain naming master?

Is responsible for addition or removal of domains and maintaining unique domain names only one domain naming master in entire forest

31.       What is a PDC Emulator?

Is responsible for providing backup compatibility for NT BDCs, in mixed mode it acts like a PDC for BDCs. It updates the password changes, synchronizes time between DCs. Only one PDC Emulator per domain.

32.       What is infrastructure Master?

Is responsible for updating user and group information and updating Global Catalog Only one infrastructure master per domain

33.       What is RID Master?

Relative identifier is responsible for assigning unique IDs to the object s created in the AD. Only one RID Master per domain.