Week 5 Managing disks and file systems

virtual hard disk (VHD)

A file that is internally structured to store data like a file system. You attach a VHD file in Windows 10 to access its contents.

net command-line utility

A legacy command-line utility used to manage a variety of network settings, including network shares, printers, and users.

Encrypting File System (EFS)

A feature of the NTFS file system that allows users to encrypt files and folders for additional security

Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path

A UNC path specifies how to locate a resource, such as a shared folder, on a network.

cipher

A command-line utility to manage encryption attributes for files and folders in the NTFS file system.

volumes

Regions of disk space reserved to store file data. The term is used to generically refer to both dynamic disk volumes and basic disk partitions.

Dynamic disks

A method for organizing disks that was introduced in Windows 2000 as a replacement for basic disks but was never very popular. Dynamic disks can have a large number of volumes and also support some fault-tolerant disk configurations.

MBR2GPT

A utility to convert a disk from Master Boot Record (MBR) to the GUID Partition Table (GPT) partition style without modifying or deleting data on the disk.

GUID Partition Table (GPT)

A partition style that supports up to 128 partitions on a disk in Windows 10. Windows 10 can boot from GPT disks when using UEFI firmware.

Volume mount points

Empty folders in an NTFS-formatted file system that are used to point to other FAT, FAT32, or NTFS partitions.

symbolic link

A file that contains a reference to another file in the file system, using an absolute or relative path as a shortcut.

mklink

A command-line utility to create symbolic links or hard links for files and folders in the NTFS file system.

Foreign Disk

A dynamic disk moved to another computer is flagged as a foreign disk in Disk Management.

takeown

A legacy command-line utility that allows the administrator to take over ownership of a file by making the administrator the owner of the file.

Master Boot Record (MBR)

The legacy partition style required to start Windows 10 when using BIOS firmware. Disk size is limited to 2 TB with a maximum of four partitions.

access control entry (ACE)

A specific entry in a file or folder’s ACL that uniquely identifies a user or group by its security identifier and the action it is allowed or denied to take on that file or folder.

icacls

A command-line utility capable of displaying and updating NTFS permissions for files and folders.

basic disk

A storage type that supports dividing a hard disk into multiple partitions, but doesn’t support advanced features such as fault tolerance.

partition table

The data structure on a basic disk that contains information about where partitions are located.

hard link

A directory entry that associates with a different file on a file system, in addition to the file’s original directory entry

Resilient File System (ReFS)

A file system that supports basic NTFS-like features but is optimized for very large volumes. Windows 10 supports ReFS only with Storage Spaces technology.

Disk quotas

A system of tracking owners for file data within an NTFS-formatted partition or volume and the total disk space consumed by each owner. Limits or warnings can be established to restrict disk space usage.

Storage Spaces

A Microsoft software-based disk pooling technology that allows for different levels of resiliency to disk failure and provides virtualized volume storage within the disk pool.

New Technology File System (NTFS)

The most commonly used file system for Windows 10. NTFS supports advanced features to add reliability, security, and flexibility that file systems such as FAT do not have.

storage pool

A logical collection of disks that have been allocated to Storage Spaces. Disks must be assigned to a storage pool before Storage Spaces can use them.

fsutil

A command-line utility to perform tasks related to managing FAT and NTFS file systems

access control list (ACL)

A collection of ACE items that explicitly defines what actions are allowed to be taken on the file or folder to which it is attached.

attrib

A command-line utility to manage attributes for files and folders.

File Allocation Table (FAT)

A file system used to organize files and folders in a partition or volume. FAT doesn’t include security permissions.

virtual hard disk (VHD)

A file that is internally structured to store data like a file system. You attach a VHD file in Windows 10 to access its contents.

Server Message Block (SMB)

A network sharing protocol implemented in Windows to share resources between a client and server.

Disk Management console

An MMC console snap-in used to administer hard disks in Windows 10.

compact

A command-line utility to manage compression attributes for files and folders in the NTFS file system.

DiskPart

A command-line tool for managing disks that allows you to perform advanced operations that are not available in Disk Management.

initialize

A process that prepares a new disk for use with Windows by configuring the MBR or GPT partition style. If the disk is already initialized, initializing it again will erase all previous partitions and their data.

junction point

A special type of symbolic link that points to another directory in the NTFS file system.

Storage Spaces volume

A virtual disk created from the space made available by a storage pool in Storage Spaces. Also referred to as a storage space.

Internal disks

• electromechanical drives

• solid state drives (SSD)

• custom embedded chip memory

external disk

used to connect removable portable disk storage

Virtual Hard Disk (VHD)

all file data stored in a single file on the file system of a real disk drive

logical disk

multiple disks as one disk drive

storage spaces

combine multiple disks in one logical disk that is more enhanced

when a blank disk is first configured for use by windows, choose one of two styles:

• GUID Parititon Table (GPT)

• Master Boot Record (MBR)

windows recover use command line tool ____ to upgrade BIOS/MBR to UEFI/GPT

MBR2GPT

GPT boots only from

UEFI firmware

GPT max TB

18 million

GPT max partitions

128

MBR boots from

BIOS or UEFI firmware

MBR max TB

2

MBR max partitions

4

empty space disk types:

• Basic disks

• Dynamic disks

• Storage Spaces

Basic disk

hard disk initialized to use basic storage technology

Basic disks can have space organized into one or more define areas of storage called

partitions

partition table

partition attributes stored in data table of disk part of MBR or GPT specifications

Storage Spaces

combine storage of multiple physical disk drives

Storage spaces also can provide fault

tolerance with data redundancy across multiple disks

storage spaces is software

based technology that does not need storage hardware

storage pool

combined individual disks into a managed logical group, acts as a container for data storage and can grow or shrink as physical disks are added or removed

3 disk management tools:

• Disk management

• DiskPart

• Storage Cmdlets in windows powershell

Disk management console

• MMC console snap-in

Disk management console allows

member of admin group to observe and make changes of computers disk configuration

Diskpart

command that allows disk, partition, and virtual hard disk management operations to be performed

T or F: A basic disk can be removed from one computer to another, and it will remain a basic disk

True

if you move a dynamic disk to another computer, you need

to import it

To import a disk you must use

Import foreign disk from disk management

in storage spaces or dynamic disk moved from one computer to another, all disk members

of the pool should be moved at the same time

Creating VHD on windows 10 is created as a single

file on attached physical disk drive

2 Storage space fault tolerance types:

• Simple (no resilience)

• Two-way mirror

two-way mirror requires __ drives minimum

2

two-way mirror volume data must be copied to at least 2 disks in the

pool, and each disk holds a copy of the volume data

simple only requires __ drive in the pool

1

simple is good for __ data and where

temporary, performance is more important than resilience

but, if simple fails, the __

drive in the pool fails and volume is not available for end user

T or F: if two way fails it is still operational

True

three-way mirror requires __ drives minimum

5

parity

needs 3 drives minimum to handle 1 drive fail

needs 7 drives minimum to handle 2 drive fails

parity is best used when low data needs

fault tolerance but not high performance, such as archive data

types of windows 10 file systems:

• File Allocation Table (FAT)

• NT File System (NTFS)

• Resilent File System (ReFS)

• Universal Disk Format (UDF)

File Allocation Table (FAT)

earliest file system used for hard disks on MS-DOS os

FAT does not provide

file system security

Fat is mostly used on

usb memory sticks and digital cameras

NTFS (new technology file system)

file and folder permission, audit controls, encrypt file systems, disk quotas

disk quotas

amount of limiteddisk space used by a user

ReFS (resilent file system)

verify and autocorrect data faults on the volume without bringing volume down for maintenance

ReFS cannot remove

media

UDF (Universal disk format)

allows file interchange between different operating systems

UDF used for

CD’s and DVD’s

UDF supports both

reading and writing of files on windows 10

drive letters

used by applications and users as a quick reference to locate files

convert FAT to NTFS

• Back up data on partition

• ensure free space remains on partition

• convert partition using convert command

ReFS or NTFS to FAT

• Back up data on partition

• reformat partition with FAT32

• restore data originally from NTFS

a copied file receives

new attributes in NTFS permissions folder

a moved file receives the

same attributes from NTFS permissions folder