Administering Windows Server 2012 Case Studies & Practical Application 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A server administrator needs to run a PowerShell script on 50 remote servers simultaneously to collect event log data. Which approach is most efficient?
- RDP to each server and run the script manually
- Use Invoke-Command with the -ComputerName parameter and an array of server names (Correct answer)
- Schedule a task on each server via Group Policy
- Use the Server Manager multi-server console to run scripts
Correct answer: Use Invoke-Command with the -ComputerName parameter and an array of server names
Invoke-Command with WinRM runs a script block concurrently on multiple remote computers, returning results to the local session.
Question 2: During a security review, it is discovered that the Guest account is enabled on several domain controllers. What is the immediate recommended action?
- Rename the Guest account to obscure it
- Disable the Guest account via Default Domain Controllers Policy (Correct answer)
- Set a strong password on the Guest account
- Remove the Guest account from the Guests group
Correct answer: Disable the Guest account via Default Domain Controllers Policy
The Guest account should be disabled on domain controllers through GPO to prevent unauthenticated access to sensitive resources.
Question 3: An administrator configures a Windows Server 2012 NIC team (LBFO) with two adapters. After configuration, only one adapter shows traffic. What is the expected behavior for the default teaming mode?
- This indicates a misconfiguration — both adapters should always carry traffic equally
- In Switch Independent mode with Dynamic load balancing, traffic is distributed per flow, so one adapter may appear idle (Correct answer)
- Both adapters carry traffic simultaneously only in LACP mode
- Only the primary adapter carries traffic; the secondary is standby in all modes
Correct answer: In Switch Independent mode with Dynamic load balancing, traffic is distributed per flow, so one adapter may appear idle
With Switch Independent mode and Address Hash distribution, traffic per individual flow typically uses one adapter; a single active session may not show both adapters loaded.
Question 4: A company's IT policy requires that all administrator actions on servers be recorded for compliance. Which Windows Server 2012 feature provides session recording for privileged access?
- Enhanced Session Mode in Hyper-V
- Just Enough Administration (JEA)
- Privileged Access Workstations (PAW)
- PowerShell Script Block Logging and Module Logging via GPO (Correct answer)
Correct answer: PowerShell Script Block Logging and Module Logging via GPO
PowerShell Script Block Logging records the content of all executed script blocks to the Security event log, providing an audit trail of administrator actions.
Question 5: After promoting a new domain controller, replication is failing with error 8453 'Replication access was denied.' What is the most likely cause?
- The new DC's DNS is pointing to an external DNS server
- The account used during DCPromo lacks 'Manage Replication Topology' permissions (Correct answer)
- Active Directory Sites and Services has no site link configured
- The replication schedule is set to manual only
Correct answer: The account used during DCPromo lacks 'Manage Replication Topology' permissions
Error 8453 indicates the account performing replication lacks the necessary AD replication permissions, often because it is not in the appropriate security group.
Question 6: A Windows Server 2012 Failover Cluster node fails and the cluster resources do not move to the surviving node. Cluster Validation passes on both nodes. What should you check first?
- Whether the Cluster service is set to Automatic start on both nodes
- The failover policy — maximum failures and period settings on the cluster role (Correct answer)
- Whether Windows Firewall is blocking cluster heartbeat traffic
- Whether both nodes are in the same Active Directory site
Correct answer: The failover policy — maximum failures and period settings on the cluster role
If the maximum failures threshold has been exceeded within the configured period, the cluster role will not fail over and will remain offline to prevent a failover loop.
Question 7: An organization needs to allow a specific vendor remote access to one server for support purposes with minimal exposure. Which approach follows the principle of least privilege?
- Create a domain admin account for the vendor and delete it when done
- Create a limited local account on the target server with only the required permissions and time-limited access (Correct answer)
- Give the vendor VPN access to the entire internal network
- Share the built-in Administrator credentials temporarily
Correct answer: Create a limited local account on the target server with only the required permissions and time-limited access
Creating a scoped local account with only the necessary permissions limits the blast radius if credentials are compromised and ensures access expires.
Administering Windows Server 2012 Case Studies & Practical Application 5
A server administrator needs to run a PowerShell script on 50 remote servers simultaneously to collect event log data.
Which approach is most efficient?