TTF Infrastructure Upgrade: Systems Monitoring Test Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of a systems monitoring test performed on a virtual environment for a medium-sized client named TTF. The objective was to test the implemented infrastructure upgrade before going live, ensuring no disruption to TTF's business operations. The report details the configuration of Active Directory with Server Manager and PowerShell, the implementation of Windows PowerShell Web Access, and the use of Mini-Shell and reduced GUI on Windows Server 2016. The analysis is divided into four sections, each focusing on individual tasks performed, documenting experiences and challenges. The first section covers the Active Directory service, which manages user accounts and passwords. Subsequent sections address joining servers to the domain, including the Domain Name System, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, file transfer, and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server roles. The design team opted for read-only domain controllers at branches and the process of joining Windows clients to the domain for domain-wide management is also discussed. The report highlights scalability issues and the lack of security mechanisms, recommending bash scripting for automation and firewall implementation. The report concludes with references to relevant research papers.

Running head: Information Technology 1
Information Technology
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Running head: Information Technology 2
This report provides an analysis report on the core steps and procedures used in
establishing the various server roles indicated in the task with a more critical analysis on the
general state of the server services and any difficult realized while implementing them. The
analysis is divided into four sections with each individual section focusing on the four individual
tasks performed with documenting experiences and challenges witnessed in each phrase.
To begin with, the first section of the technical work involved the active directory
service. This service provides the mechanisms with which the windows server operating system
manages the usernames and passwords of all the users and computers in the domain. The step
involved the addition of the core server service into the already installed Microsoft server 2012.
The procedure generally went successful and all the default passwords established for entry of
new users and computers into the domain (Zhang et al., 2019).
Once the key active directory service was installed, the next step involved the actual
joining of the critical servers to the domain so that the domain controller can provide the
administrators with centralized management of the servers. When the server is in a domain,
group policy can be developed and enforced to an array of servers making the maintenance
practices more sustainable. The server s joined in the domain played different roles as was
planned. Some server role included the Domain Name System server role, The Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol server roles, the file transfer server role, the simple mail transfer protocol
server role among other services (Xingguo Li, Junfeng Wang and Xiaosong Zhang, 2017).
Once the headquarters main controller is well established and now can authenticate users
to various resources, the branch had to be given a way to connect to the primary domain
controller. The first way was to use a reliable WAN link to the primary DC in headquarter so that
all the branches have some way of connecting to the DC. This method was deemed very
expensive to initialize and maintain. The second option which was at the table was to developed
a DC for each branch and make them sync with the primary DC. The approach although very
feasible, it was faced with many hurdles especially those emanating from security risks
associated with maintaining branch DC (Lidberg and Mannari, 2013). The branches could be a
target by adversaries who may use the unsophisticated security mechanism at the branch to
launch attacks at the DC.
The design team opted for reading only DC at the branches such that any changes the DC
makes in the branch, won't affect the operations at the HQ. The main DC and RODC shall,
therefore, form a meshwork of connection to each to process the request for authentication from
different RODC from various branches
Once the domain controllers were in place, the design team set up the procedure to join
the various windows clients into the domain for domain-wide management. This process was a
bit manually as currently; the window clients are in workgroup hence the team had to edit the
setting to match the Domain (Alenezi, Almustafa and Meerja, 2019).
From the above set, the following key things are noticeable, first, the design won’t be
able to scale well due to no configuration of automated services that scales as the network grows.
This will pose challenges to the maintenance team. The second issues noticeable is the lack of
security mechanism set up in the network to improve the resilience of the network to cyber-
attacks. The team has made the following recommendations to that effect;
i. Use bash scripting to automate some boring stuff like adding computer to domain
ii. Introduce firewall implemented both as a software or dedicated hardware up for the task
of first line of defense for the network

Running head: Information Technology 3
References
Alenezi, M., Almustafa, K. and Meerja, K.A., 2019. Cloud based SDN and NFV architectures
for IoT infrastructure. Egyptian Informatics Journal, 20(1), pp.1–10.
Lidberg, S. and Mannari, Y., 2013. Getting Started with SQL Server 2012 Cube Development :
Learn to Develop and Query Analysis Services Cubes and Models, with a Practical, Step-by-step
Approach. Professional Expertise Distilled. Birmingham: Packt Publishing.
Xingguo Li, Junfeng Wang and Xiaosong Zhang, 2017. Botnet Detection Technology Based on
DNS. Future Internet, 9(4), p.55.
Zhang, W., He, Z., Du, B., Luo, M. and Zheng, Q., 2019. Deploying external bandwidth
guaranteed media server clusters for real-time live streaming in media cloud. PLoS ONE, (4).