2025 COMP609_All_10_Weeks_Resources

Networks Connect Us

Communication is vital, like air, water, food, and shelter. Networks connect us more than ever.

No Boundaries

Networks create a world without boundaries, forming global communities and a human network.

Network Cablings

Characteristics of Copper Cabling

Copper cabling is common due to its low cost, easy installation, and low electrical resistance. However, it has limitations:

• Attenuation: Signals weaken over long distances.
• Interference: Susceptible to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), and Crosstalk, which can distort signals.

Mitigation strategies include:

• Adhering to cable length limits to reduce attenuation.
• Using metallic shielding and grounding to mitigate EMI and RFI.
• Twisting opposing circuit pair wires to mitigate crosstalk.

Types of Copper Cabling

• Unshielded Twisted-Pair (UTP) Cable
• Shielded Twisted-Pair (STP) Cable
• Coaxial Cable

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)

UTP is a common networking medium, terminated with RJ-45 connectors, and interconnects hosts with network devices. Key characteristics include:

• Outer jacket: Protects wires from physical damage.
• Twisted pairs: Protect the signal from interference.
• Color-coded plastic insulation: Electrically isolates wires and identifies pairs.

Shielded Twisted Pair (STP)

STP offers better noise protection than UTP but is more expensive and harder to install. It uses RJ-45 connectors to interconnect hosts with network devices. Key characteristics of STP include:

• Outer jacket: Protects the copper wires from physical damage.
• Braided or foil shield: provides EMI/RFI protection
• Foil shield for each pair of wires: Provides EMI/RFI protection
• Color-coded plastic insulation: Electrically isolates the wires from each other and identifies each pair

Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable consists of:

• Outer cable jacket: Prevents minor physical damage.
• Woven copper braid or metallic foil: Acts as the second wire and a shield.
• Flexible plastic insulation.
• Copper conductor: Transmits electronic signals.

It is used in wireless installations to attach antennas and in cable internet installations for customer premises wiring.

UTP Cabling Standards and Connectors

TIA/EIA-568 standardizes cable types, lengths, connectors, cable termination, and testing methods for UTP cables. IEEE establishes electrical standards, rating cables based on performance, such as Category 3, 5, 5e, 6, and 7.

UTP Cabling Standards and Connectors - Category 7

Category 7 Ethernet cable specs are defined in the ISO/IEC 11801:2002 standard and must:

• Deliver data reliably over a defined distance.
• Meet crosstalk and noise blocking criteria.
• Cope with problematic environmental hazards.
• Have a guaranteed lifespan in continual operation.
• Supports 10 Gbps Ethernet signals up to 100m.

UTP Cabling Standards and Connectors - RJ-45

RJ-45 Connectors, Sockets, and proper/poor termination of UTP Cables.

Straight-through and Crossover UTP Cables

Note: Ethernet Crossover is considered Legacy due to most NICs using Auto-MDIX to sense cable type and complete connection

Fiber-Optic Cabling

Properties of Fiber-Optic Cabling

Fiber-optic cabling transmits data over longer distances and at higher bandwidths than copper. It is less susceptible to attenuation and immune to EMI/RFI. It is made of thin strands of glass and uses lasers or LEDs to transmit light, acting as a waveguide with minimal signal loss.

Types of Fiber Media

Dispersion, the spreading of a light pulse over time, affects signal strength. Multimode Fiber (MMF) has greater dispersion and a maximum distance of 550 meters, while Single-Mode Fiber (SMF) has a very small core, uses expensive lasers and is used in long-distance applications. MMF uses less expensive LEDs, transmitting at different angles and supporting up to 10 Gbps over 550 meters.

Fiber-Optic Cabling Usage

Fiber-optic cabling is used in:

• Enterprise Networks: For backbone cabling and interconnecting infrastructure devices.
• Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH): For broadband services to homes and businesses.
• Long-Haul Networks: Connecting countries and cities.
• Submarine Cable Networks: Providing high-speed solutions in undersea environments.

Course focus: Fiber within the enterprise.

Fiber-Optic Connectors

• Lucent Connector (LC) Simplex Connectors
• Straight-Tip (ST) Connectors
• Subscriber Connector (SC) Connectors
• Duplex Multimode LC Connectors

Fiber Patch Cords

• SC-SC MM Patch Cord
• LC-LC SM Patch Cord
• ST-LC MM Patch Cord
• ST-SC SM Patch Cord

Note: A yellow jacket is for single-mode fiber cables, and orange (or aqua) is for multimode fiber cables.

Fiber versus Copper

Optical fiber is used for high-traffic, point-to-point connections and interconnection of buildings. Implementation issues:

Wireless Media

Properties of Wireless Media

Wireless media carries electromagnetic signals using radio or microwave frequencies, providing mobility. However, it has limitations:

• Coverage area: Impacted by physical characteristics.
• Interference: Susceptible to disruption.
• Security: Requires stringent security due to open access.
• Shared medium: Half-duplex operation reduces bandwidth when multiple users access the WLAN.

Types of Wireless Media

IEEE and telecommunications industry standards cover data link and physical layers, dictating data encoding, frequency, transmission power, signal reception, and antenna design. Wireless Standards include:

• Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11): Wireless LAN (WLAN) technology.
• Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15): Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) standard.
• WiMAX (IEEE 802.16): Point-to-multipoint topology for broadband wireless access.
• Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4): Low data-rate, low power communications for IoT.

Wireless LAN

WLAN requires Wireless Access Points (APs) to concentrate wireless signals and connect to copper-based network infrastructure, and Wireless NIC Adapters to provide communication capability. Network administrators must use stringent security policies to protect WLANs from unauthorized access and damage.

Network Components

Network Components - Host Roles

Every computer on a network is a host or end device. Servers provide information, such as email, web pages, and files, while clients request this information. Examples include Email Servers, Web Servers and File Servers.

Network Components - Peer-to-Peer

A Peer-to-Peer Network can have a device act as both client and server, but this is only recommended for very small networks. Advantages include ease of setup and lower cost, disadvantages include lack of centralized administration, security issues, scalability problems, and slower performance.

Network Components - End Devices

An end device is where a message originates or is received.

Network Components - Intermediary Network Devices

Intermediary devices such as switches, wireless access points, routers, and firewalls interconnect end devices. Management of data flow through the network including regenerate and retransmit data signals, maintaining routing information, and notifying other devices of errors/failures.

Network Components - Network Media

Communication across a network is carried through a medium, including:

• Metal wires: Use electrical impulses.
• Glass or plastic fibers: Uses pulses of light.
• Wireless transmission: Uses modulation of specific frequencies of electromagnetic waves.

Network Representations and Topologies

Network Representations

Network diagrams (topology diagrams) use symbols to represent devices. Important terms include:

• Network Interface Card (NIC)
• Physical Port
• Interface

Note: port and interface are used interchangeably.

Topology Diagrams

Physical topology diagrams illustrate the physical location of intermediary devices and cable installation. Logical topology diagrams illustrate devices, ports, and the addressing scheme of the network.

Common Types of Networks

Networks vary in size:

• Small Home Networks: Connect a few computers to each other and the Internet
• Small Office/Home Office (SOHO): Connects computers within a home or remote office to a corporate network
• Medium to Large Networks: Many locations with hundreds or thousands of interconnected computers
• World Wide Networks: Connects hundreds of millions of computers world-wide including the internet.

LANs and WANs

Network infrastructures vary in size, number of users, services, and responsibility. Two common types of networks:

• Local Area Network (LAN)
• Wide Area Network (WAN)

LANs and WANs (continued)

The Internet

The internet is a worldwide collection of interconnected LANs and WANs. LANs are connected using WANs, which may use copper, fiber, and wireless. It is not owned by any individual or group, but maintained through the work of: IETF, ICANN, IAB.

Intranets and Extranets

• An intranet is a private collection of LANs and WANs within an organization with limited access.
• An extranet provides secure access to an organization's network for external individuals (e.g., those working for a partner).

Internet Connections

Internet Access Technologies

• For home users and small offices: broadband cable, DSL, wireless WANs, and mobile services.
• For organizations: business DSL, leased lines, and Metro Ethernet.

Home and Small Office Internet Connections

Businesses Internet Connections

The Converging Network

Before converging networks, organizations used separate cabling for telephone, video, and data, each using different technologies, rules, and standards.

The Converging Network (continued)

Converged networks carry multiple services (data, voice, video) on one shared link, using the same set of rules and standards.

Reliable Networks

Reliable Network - Network Architecture

Network architecture supports infrastructure and data movement. Key characteristics include: Fault Tolerance, Scalability, Quality of Service (QoS), and Security.

Reliable Network - Fault Tolerance

A fault-tolerant network limits failure impact. Redundancy via packet switching splits traffic into packets routed independently, unlike circuit-switched networks with dedicated circuits.

Reliable Network - Scalability

A scalable network can expand to support new users and applications without affecting performance, achieved through adherence to standards and protocols.

Reliable Network - Quality of Service

Quality of Service (QoS) ensures reliable delivery of voice and video by managing data and voice traffic flow effectively.

Reliable Network - Network Security

Two main types of network security:

• Network infrastructure security: physical security and prevention of unauthorized access to devices.
• Information security: protection of data transmitted.

Three goals of network security: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

Network Trends

Network Trends - Recent Trends

Networks are continually transforming to keep up with new technologies:

• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
• Online collaboration
• Video communications
• Cloud computing

Network Trends - Bring Your Own Device

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) allows users to use their own devices to access information and communicate, including laptops, netbooks, tablets, smartphones, and e-readers.

Network Trends - Online Collaboration

Online collaboration tools, such as Cisco WebEx, enable users to connect and interact. Cisco Webex Teams allows sending instant messages, posting images, videos, and links.

Network Trends - Video Communication

Video calls and conferencing are critical for effective collaboration. Cisco TelePresence enables virtual presence.

Network Trends - Cloud Computing

Cloud computing allows storing files or backing up data on servers over the internet and accessing applications. It is made possible by data centers, which smaller companies can lease services from.

Network Trends - Cloud Computing (continued)

Four types of Clouds:

• Public Clouds: Available to the general public through a pay-per-use model or for free.
• Private Clouds: Intended for a specific organization or entity such as the government.
• Hybrid Clouds: Made up of two or more Cloud types – for example, part custom and part public.
• Custom Clouds: Built to meet the needs of a specific industry, such as healthcare or media.

Network Trends - Technology Trends in the Home

Smart home technology integrates technology into everyday appliances, allowing them to interconnect.

Network Trends - Powerline Networking

Powerline networking allows devices to connect to a LAN using electrical outlets.

Network Trends - Wireless Broadband

Wireless broadband offers internet connectivity via Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) in rural environments, using cellular technology and antennas.

Network Security

Network Security - Security Threats

Network security is integral regardless of network size and must account for the environment while securing data and maintaining QoS. It involves many protocols, technologies, devices, tools, and techniques.

Network Security - Security Threats (continued)

External Threats:

• Viruses, worms, and Trojan horses
• Spyware and adware
• Zero-day attacks
• Threat Actor attacks
• Denial of service attacks
• Data interception and theft
• Identity theft

Internal Threats:

• Lost or stolen devices
• Accidental misuse by employees
• Malicious employees

Network Security - Security Solutions

Security must be implemented in multiple layers using more than one security solution. Network security components for home or small office network:

• Antivirus and antispyware software should be installed on end devices.
• Firewall filtering used to block unauthorized access to the network.

Network Security - Security Solutions (continued)

Larger networks have additional security requirements:

• Dedicated firewall system
• Access control lists (ACL)
• Intrusion prevention systems (IPS)
• Virtual private networks (VPN)

The study of network security starts with a clear understanding of the underlying switching and routing infrastructure.

What You Have Learned

• Through the use of networks, we are connected like never before.
• All computers that are connected to a network and participate directly in network communication are classified as hosts.
• Diagrams of networks often use symbols to represent the different devices and connections that make up a network.
• A diagram provides an easy way to understand how devices connect in a large network.
• The two types of network infrastructures are Local Area Networks (LANs), and Wide Area Networks (WANs).
• SOHO internet connections include cable, DSL, Cellular, Satellite, and Dial-up telephone.
• Business internet connections include Dedicated Leased Line, Metro Ethernet, Business DSL, and Satellite.

What You Have Learned (continued)

• Network architecture refers to the technologies that support the infrastructure and the programmed services and rules, or protocols, that move data across the network.
• There are four basic characteristics of network architecture: Fault Tolerance, Scalability, Quality of Service (QoS), and Security.
• Recent networking trends that affect organizations and consumers: Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), online collaboration, video communications, and cloud computing.
• There are several common external and internal threats to networks.
• Larger networks and corporate networks use antivirus, antispyware, and firewall filtering, but they also have other security requirements: Dedicated firewall systems, Access control lists (ACL), Intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and Virtual private networks (VPN)
• The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification demonstrates your knowledge of foundational technologies.

Domain Name System (DNS) - The Beginning

The ARPANET'S HOSTS.TXT file mapped every ARPANET host's name to its IP address. The format of an entry looked like:

• HOST:
  :
• e.g.,: HOST: 10.2.0.52 USC-ISIF, ISIF: DEC-1090T: TOPS20:TCP/TELNET, TCP/SMTP, TCP/FTP, TCP/FINGER, UDP/TFTP:
  With this simple format, mapping from name to
  address ("forward mapping") and from address
  to name ("reverse mapping") is easy

On Unix systems, the HOSTS.TXT file was converted to /etc/hosts format

HOSTS.TXT - Characteristics

• Easily implemented and understood
• Everybody (in theory) had the same version of the file
• The file was maintained by the SRI Network Information Center (the "NIC")
• All file edits done by hand
• Network administrators sent updates via the net
• Initially via electronic mail
• Later via FTP
• The NIC released updated versions of the file twice a week

HOSTS.TXT - Problems

Consistency:

• The network changed more quickly than the file was updated

Name collisions:

• No two hosts could have the same name
• "Good" names quickly exhausted
• There was no good method to prevent duplicate names

Human intervention was required

Traffic and load:

• The traffic generated by downloading the file became significant
• Download time sometimes longer than update period
• The model didn't scale well

Solving the Problem - DNS's creation

ARPANET launched an investigation into replacement for HOSTS.TXT based on these goals:

• Solve the problems inherent in a monolithic host table system
• Have a consistent naming structure
• Create a generic solution that can be used for multiple purposes

The Advent of DNS

Paul Mockapetris, then of USC's Information Sciences Institute, designed the architecture of the new system, called the Domain Name System, or DNS. The initial DNS RFCs were released in 1984: RFC 882, "Domain Names - Concepts and Facilities" RFC 883, "Domain Names - Implementation and Specification" The transition plan was initially released in November, 1983, transition to be completed by May, 1984

The Name Space

The name space is the structure of the DNS database. It's an inverted tree of nodes with the root at the top. Each node has a label.
The root node has a null label, written as "".

Domain

A domain is a node in the name space and all its descendants. That is, a subtree of the name space
A domain's domain name is the same as the name of the node at the root (top) of the subtree

Subdomains

One domain is a subdomain of another if its root node is a descendant of the other's root node. More simply, one domain is a subdomain of another if its domain name ends in the other's domain name
So sales.acmebw.com is a subdomain of
acmebw.com. Also of .com, but that isn't usually stated
acmebw.com is a subdomain of com

The Root - DNS's foundation

The DNS provides a coherent, consistent namespace via a singly rooted hierarchical tree structure. This root holds the definition of all top level domains that are guaranteed to be unique in that DNS tree. THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!
Violation of this rule results in inconsistencies in the namespace, that is, a name can translate to different addresses depending on where you ask the question
Due to protocol limitations there are 13 nameservers that serve the root zone. a-m.root-server.net a.root-server.net is the primary
The root nameservers are provided in a configuration file Control of this file is becoming an issue

TLD Structure

In 1983 (RFC 881), the idea was to have TLDs correspond to network service providers e.g., .ARPA, .DDN, .CSNET, etc.
Bad idea - if your network changes, your email address changes
By October, 1984 (RFC 920), the concept of functional domains
e.g., .GOV for Government, .COM for commercial, .EDU for education, etc.) was established.
"The motivation is to provide an organization name that is free of
undesirable semantics."
RFC 920 also provided for Country domains and Multiorganizations. The RFC 920 TLD structure remained stable until 1997 or so

Current TLDs

DNS Components

The DNS is divided into three main components:

• DNS Namespace: The global and hierarchical organisation of zones and the records contained therein. Each zone is a portion of the DNS Namespace delegated to some administrator(s).
• Authoritative DNS servers (ADNS): DNS servers that serve records for some zone.
• DNS Resolvers: Actors that query zones’ ADNS as needed to resolve names in the namespace.

DNS Resolution Process

DNS Basic Name Resolution Techniques: Iterative & Recursive. Conventional name resolution transforms a DNS name into an IP address. This process can be considered to have two phases:

• Locate a DNS name server that has the information we need: the address that goes with a particular name.
• We need that server a request containing the name we want to resolve, and it sends back the address required.

Iterative Resolution Process

Follow each step in the diagram: Iterative DNS Query.

Recursive Resolution Process

Follow each step in the diagram: Recursive DNS Query.

DNS, DHCP & IPAM Servers

DNS and DHCP servers are a part of all networks’ core infrastructure. It doesn’t matter if the hosts are running on Windows, Linux, Mac OS, or on Internet of Things (IoT) devices. DHCP and DNS are likely managing the name and address information for those hosts.

DNS, DHCP & IPAM Servers

The core functionality of Windows Server’s DHCP and DNS server services hasn’t changed much since the release of Windows 2000. What did change with the release of Windows Server 2012, however, was the inclusion of the IPAM feature.

IP Address Management Server (IPAM)

IPAM allows you to centrally manage all of the DNS and DHCP infrastructure. Instead of managing scopes and zones on individual DHCP and DNS servers. After you deploy IPAM, you can manage all of your organisation’s zones and scopes from a single console.

DNS Zone Types

Domain Name System Server (DNS)

DNS servers translate host names to IP addresses and IP addresses to host names. By querying special records on DNS servers, it’s possible to locate mail servers, name servers, verify domain ownership, and locate servers such as domain controllers. While DNS servers are usually deployed on a domain controller on a Windows Server network, it’s also possible to deploy them on stand-alone computers

DNS Zone Types

Zones store DNS resource record information. The DNS Server service in Windows Server 2016 supports several zone types, each of which is appropriate for a different set of circumstances. These zone types include primary, secondary, stub, and GlobalNames zones. You can integrate zones into Active Directory, or you can use the traditional primary or secondary architecture.

Active Directory Integrated Zones

You can create an Active Directory integrated zone only on a writable domain controller. You can also configure primary and stub zones as Active Directory integrated zones. Active Directory integrated zones can be replicated to all domain controllers in a domain, all domain controllers in a forest, or all domain controllers enrolled in a specific Active Directory partition.

Active Directory Integrated Zones

Domain controllers with DNS servers that host Active Directory integrated zones can process updates to those zones. You can configure the zone to be replicated so that it is present on all domain controllers in the domain. When determining the appropriate replication scope, consider which clients need regular, direct access to the zone and which clients only require occasional, indirect access.

Three Dynamic Update Configuration Options

• Allow only secure dynamic updates. You can use this option only with Active Directory integrated zones. Only authenticated clients can update DNS records.
• Allow both non-secure and secure dynamic updates. With this option, any client can update a record. Although this option is convenient, it is also insecure because any client can update the DNS zone, which could potentially redirect clients that trust the quality of the information stored on the DNS server.

Three Dynamic Update Configuration Options

• Do not allow dynamic updates. When you choose this option, all DNS updates must be performed manually. This option is very secure, but it is also labour-intensive.
• An Active Directory integrated zone can replicate to a read-only domain controller (RODC).
• A few things to keep in mind with this configuration are that the RODC hosted zone is read-only and that the RODC cannot process updates to the zone.

Primary & Secondary Zones

In traditional DNS implementations, a single server hosts a primary zone, which processes all zone updates, and a collection of secondary servers replicate zone data from the primary zone. One drawback to this model is that if the primary server fails, no zone updates can occur until the primary zone is restored.

Two Types of Primary Zones

Active Directory integrated zones and standard primary zones.
Active Directory integrated zones can only be hosted on computers that also function as domain controllers. When you create a primary zone on a computer that is not a domain controller, the wizard does not enable you to specify a replication scope for the zone.

All Zone Types on a Domain Controller

The DNS server service on a domain controller supports all zone types. This means that you can choose to deploy a standard or Active Directory integrated primary zone, a stub zone, a reverse lookup zone, or a secondary zone on a domain controller.

DNS Secondary Zone

A secondary zone is a read-only copy of a primary zone. Secondary zones cannot process updates and can only retrieve updates from a primary zone. Secondary zones cannot be Active Directory integrated zones. Prior to configuring a secondary zone, you need to configure the primary zone that you want it to replicate from to enable transfers to that zone. You can do this on the Zone Transfers tab of the Zone Properties dialog box.

Reverse Lookup Zones

Reverse lookup zones translate IP addresses into FQDNs. You can create IPv4 or IPv6 reverse lookup zones. You can also configure reverse lookup zones as Active Directory integrated zones, standard primary zones, secondary zones, or stub zones. The domain controller promotion process automatically creates a reverse lookup zone based on the IP address of the first domain controller. Reverse DNS lookups are used to verify the legitimacy of a sender's IP address, commonly used in email spam prevention

Forwarders and Conditional Forwarders

Forwarders and conditional forwarders enable your DNS server to forward traffic to specific DNS servers when a lookup request cannot be handled locally. For example, you might configure a conditional forwarder to forward all traffic for resource records for the tailspintoys.com zone to a DNS server at a specific IP address. If you don’t configure a forwarder, or if a configured forwarder can’t be contacted, the DNS Server service forwards the request to a DNS root server and the request is resolved normally.

Conditional Forwarders Sample Diagram

Go to diagram in slides to see an example of a DNS Management window.

Forwarders

You are likely to use a DNS forwarder, rather than have your DNS server use the root server. You want to have a specific DNS server on the Internet handle your organisation’s DNS resolution traffic. Most organisations configure their ISP’s DNS server as a forwarder.

Conditional Forwarders

Conditional forwarders only forward address requests from specific domains rather than forwarding all requests that can’t be resolved by the DNS server. A conditional forwarder takes precedence over a forwarder. Conditional forwarders are useful when your organisation has a trust relationship or partnership with another organisation.

Conditional Forwarders

You can configure a conditional forwarder that directs all traffic to host names within that organisation instead of having to resolve those host names through the standard DNS-resolution process. You can create conditional forwarders using the Add-DnsServerConditionalForwarderZone

Stub Zones

A stub zone is a special zone that stores authoritative name server records for a target zone. Stub zones have an advantage over forwarders when the address of a target zone’s authoritative DNS server changes on a regular basis. Stub zones are often used to host the records for authoritative DNS servers in delegated zones. Using stub zones in this way ensures that delegated zone information is up to date.

Stub Zones

If you create the stub zone on a writable domain controller, it can be stored with Active Directory and replicated to other domain controllers in the domain or forest.

Global Names Zones

You can use GlobalNames zones as long as your organisation’s DNS servers are running Windows Server 2008 or later. Your organisation should consider deploying GlobalNames zones instead of WINS. Entries in the GlobalNames zones must be populated manually. GlobalNames zone entries are alias (CNAME) records to existing DNS A or AAAA records.

Host Records

Host records are the most common form of record and can be used to map Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) to IP addresses. There are two types of host records:

• A record, which is used to map FQDNs to IPv4 addresses.
• AAAA records, which are used to map FQDNs to IPv6 addresses.

Alias (CNAME)

An alias, or CNAME, record enables you to provide an alternate name when there is an existing host record. You can create as many aliases for a particular record as you need. To create a new alias in a zone, right-click the zone in DNS Manager and then click New Alias (CNAME). When you create an alias, you must point the alias to an existing host record.

DNSSEC

Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) add security to DNS by enabling DNS servers to validate the responses given by other DNS servers. DNSSEC enables digital signatures to be used with DNS zones.

DNSSEC

When the DNS resolver issues a query for a record in a signed zone, the authoritative DNS server provides both the record and a digital signature, enabling validation of that record.

DNSSEC

To configure DNSSEC, perform the following steps:

• Right-click the zone in DNS manager, click DNSSEC, and then click Sign the Zone.
• On the Signing Options page, select Use Default Settings To Sign The Zone.

DHCP Basic

DHCP is a network service that most administrators barely pay attention to after they’ve configured it. The main concern that most administrators have with DHCP is that, up until the release of Windows Server 2012, it has been difficult to configure as a highly available service. Windows Server 2012 introduced highly available DHCP servers, allowing two servers to share a scope, rather than having to split them according to the old 80/20 rule.

DHCP Scopes

A DHCP scope is a collection of IP address settings that a client uses to determine its IP address configuration. You configure a DHCP scope for every separate IPv4 subnet that you want the DHCP servers to provide IP address configuration information to.

DHCP Scopes - Configuration

When configuring an IPv4 scope, specify the following information:

• Scope name - The name of the scope. The name should be descriptive enough that you recognize which hosts the scope applies to. For example, Level 2, Old Arts Building.
• IP address range - This is the range of IP addresses encompassed by the scope. Should be a logical subnet.
• IP address exclusions - This includes which IP addresses within the IP address range you do not want the DHCP server to lease. For example, you could configure exclusions for several computers that have statically assigned IP addresses.

DHCP Scopes -