Top 50 MCSA Interview Questions and Answers
MCSA is an important certification-oriented skill for applicants who want to enter jobs related to Microsoft Application and Products Maintenance. Getting MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) certification may seem like a daunting task. But it is worth it as a diamond and it requires deep digging. We are here to help you with popular and frequently asked MCSA Interview Questions and Answers for improving your MCSA skills to ace the interviews easily. Develop your knowledge with hands-on exposure in our MCSA Training Institute in Chennai.
1.Define MCSA
MCSA stands for Microsoft Certified Solution Associate and it is a certification program that validates the candidate’s skills to obtain entry-level jobs in Information Technology (IT) domain. It holds significant value in top companies to perform installation, storage, and features of the latest operating system delivered by Microsoft. This MCSA Certification also provides knowledge to identify features and fundamental networking of Windows Servers.
2.What is the importance of MCSA Server 2016?
Windows Server 2016 is very important as it helps in decreasing the costing part and increasing the business value for global companies. Windows Server is the product name and it is the best brand of the operating systems of Microsoft.
3.What is the primary goal of MCSA Windows Server 2012?
The primary goal of MCSA Windows Server 2012 is to equip the professionals in the usage of Windows Server 2012 which ensures success in computer administration.
4.Define Active Directory
Active Directory is a directory service for the Windows Server of Microsoft and it has exclusive work of functioning of locator service.
5.What is Domain Controller?
A domain controller is a controller that responds to the security authentication requests that comes always within the domain server. It is the masterpiece for Windows Active Directory Service.
6.Explain the process of IntelliMirror
IntelliMirror helps in reconciling the desktop settings, stored files, and developed applications for users who move between workstations or those who work offline.
7.What are the types of installation that can be done through remote installation?
We can install the following services with the RIS server or on the other servers through network availability.
- Domain Name System (DNS Service)
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
- Active Directory Service
8.How will you set up a remote installation procedure without giving user access permission?
The path for setting up remote installation procedure without giving access to the user is as follows
Gponame 🡪 User Configuration 🡪 Windows Settings🡪 Remote Installation Services 🡪 Choice Options.
9.How many types of queries that DNS does do?
DNS does the following types of queries
- Iterative Query
- Recursive Query
10.Define a tree in MCSA
A tree in MCSA is a set of one or more Windows domains that are connected with DNS domains.
11. Define OU
OU is the acronym for Organizational Unit and it is the subpart of Microsoft’s Active Directory
12. Explain Schema in MCSA
The schema in MCSA are objects, attributes, rules, and classes in the Active Directory
13. What are the important things to configure TCP/IP on Windows Server?
We have to provide the IP Address and the Subnet Mask for configuring a TCP/IP client for an IPv4 client on Windows Server.
14. Define LDAP
LDAP stands for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol which allows looking up the information from the server, e-mail, and other programs that follow the internet protocol.
15. Define INODE
INODE is the thing that holds the metadata of files and it is the pointer to block on the disk. INODE is unique and in simple words, it is the number that is allocated to a file in a UNIX-like operating system.
16. What are the two command-line utilities that are used to check TCP/IP configuration and IP connectivity?
IPConfig: The command called ‘ipconfig’ is used to check the computer’s IP configuration and it is also used to renew the client’s IP address if it is given by a DHCP server.
Ping: Ping is another command to check the connection between the local computer and any of the other computer device that is connected to the network.
17. Where is the AD database is held?
AD database is stored in %systemroot%/ntds. Following are the AD structure that control files are,
>> ntds.dit
>> edb.log
>> res1.log
>> res2.log
>> edn.chk
18. Define Global Catalogue Server
The Global Catalogue Server is the domain controller that has distributed data storage. The objects can be found in Active Directory with the help of the Global Catalogue Server.
19. Which Windows Server 2008 service is used to install the client operating system across the network?
WDE stands for Windows Deployment Services) that enables the user to install client and server operating systems over the network to any computer with PXE enabled network interface.
20. Define RD Gateway
The RD Gateway is a remote-desktop gateway that has an access point to the internet. The remote-desktop gateway enables users from a private network to connect it through the RD-Gateway using the remote desktop connection.
21. Explain the essence of Application Partitions
The application partitions are directory partitions that are replicated to domain controllers and they are part of the Active Directory System. The domain controllers that are in the process of directory partitions hold a copy of that directory partition. The values and attributes of the application partitions can be replicated to any particular domain controller in a forest means that it could lessen replication traffic. When the domain directory partitions transfer all the data to all of the domains, the application partitions can focus on only one in the domain area. This makes more availability of application partitions by redundancy.
22. Explain the Licensing Grace Period
The server will provide licensing grace period to offer some time for the deployment and realization of the terminal license server. It means that the users don’t require to have a license server if they acquire the licensing grace period. The licensing grace period enables the user to accept unlicensed clients without the need for further permission from the licensed server. This grace period automatically starts once the user receives his first client and the licensing period will be extended until the user gets a licensing server. When a licensing period ends, the licensing server will accept new clients and store their information on the server and this is known as the CAL or the Client’s Access License.
23. Explain Windows Server Backup
Windows Server Backup is an important feature launched for Windows 2008 that offers several solutions for backing up the data on your computer at the time of a system failure or any other problems. Windows Server Backup will backup files to a whole server. The server backup is available through command lines and a management console.
24. Define Synthetic Drivers
Synthetic drivers are better than emulation in their functions. They are different and they don’t imitate another program but they create another hardware complex device on a virtual platform.
25. Define DAC
DAC is the acronym for Dynamic Access Control that is a data governance tool in Windows Server 2012 and it allows administrators to control the access settings. It utilizes centralized policies to allow administrators to review who has access to individual files. These files will be classified manually or automatically.
26. Explain Direct Access
Direct Access allows users to access the websites, internal network files, and application shares securely without the need of connecting to a virtual private network (VPN). An internal network is also known as a private network or intranet. Direct access sets up bi-directional connectivity with an internal network even if this happens before the user logs on and every time a direct access-enabled computer connects to the internet. Users will not have to rely on the intranet connection. The remote computers will be managed outside the office by the IT admins even if the computers are not connected to the VPN (Virtual Private Network).
27. Explain Pass-Through Discs
A pass-through disc is a physical disc used for storing virtual discs with a format and file systems for storing discs.
28. Define Desktop Virtualization
Desktop Virtualization is a logical procedure that isolates and extracts the operating system from the client which is ready for accessing it. There are numerous types of desktop virtualizations that include a virtual machine. If the operating system is locally controlled, users have to access their desktop via a network relating to a remote display protocol. The processing of the desktop virtualization is done in a data center and the applications like tablets can connect to the Host Virtual Machine. It can be accessed by an individual and can be personalized the way he wants it. This is a common and simple way to access and use desktop virtualization.
29. Define Branch Cache
BranchCacheTM is developed to enhance application responsiveness by reducing WAN link utilization for the servers to be accessed from remote locations easily. The remote systems will use a cache of data that is maintained locally to reduce traffic over a LAN link. The cache will be stored on a server in the branch (Hosted Cache Mode) or will be distributed over client computers (Distributed Cache Mode).
30. Is it possible to have more than one RID master in the domain?
We can’t have more than one RID master per domain. RID master is primary by default whereas if primary fails, the user can transfer FSMO roles to another DC in the domain.
31. Explain group types and group scope
Once the users create a group, they are supposed to define the type and scope of the group. The type will be defined as whether a group can be used to allocate permissions on resources or not. They can create a group of type security and distributed where the security group can be used to allocate permission and distributed group used for listing purposes.
32. When should we use authoritative and non-authoritative restoration?
The user takes backups to provide fault tolerance. There are two various ways to restore active directory backup such as authoritative and non-authoritative. When there is a hardware or software failure we can restore and backup to allow other DCs to copy the restored one. This is a non-authoritative backup and is a default one. If some objects get removed by mistake and the changes will not yet be propagated to all DCs then the user picks one DC where the user can still find this object. This DC makes as authoritative for the user by allowing other DCs to be replicated from this DC. But here not the whole directory is not restored instead specific objects can be made authoritative.
33. Describe lingering objects
If the user deletes objects and the domain controller is offline, then it will not receive any replication as in which the object persists in offline DC. If the server is down for the period of the tombstone’s lifetime, it will be termed as the lingering object.
34. List out the commands related to active directory replication
- Microsoft’s Repadmin tool is used to check replication between domain controllers
- Repadmin / replsummary to check current replication health and summary state for DCs
- Repadmin / showrepl to check the display of the last replication for specific domain control
- Repadmin / syncall to initiate replication forcefully to sync with other DCs. (More careful as it causes a lot of traffic)
- Repadmin / replicate is used to replicate directory partition immediately from source to destination.
35. Define Active Directory Defragmentation
Active Directory Database is stored in ntds.dit to optimize data storage, active directory automatically performs defragmentation every 12 hours and that will allow reclaiming space to store new objects.
36. Explain ADSIEDIT
ADSIEDIT is a tool that provides access to active directory objects and their attributes to be managed properly.
37. Describe superseded updates
Microsoft offers a complete replacement for various updates called superseded updates that may require updates once the user installs a new PC and wanted to pitch it with the latest updates. WSUS doesn’t by default decline superseded updates. The user requires to ensure that superseded updates are no longer required by their machines and that they can decline them.
38. Explain express updates
Once the user allows express updates it will only be downloaded the changes between current and previous month’s updates. The express updates feature is used in reducing bandwidth while downloading updates.
39. Explain Cumulative updates
Cumulative updates contain previously released updates that are in the bundle. If cumulative updates are installed the user will not require to install previous updates as they are now part of Cumulative Updates.
40. Explain USN
USN stands for Update Sequence Number in which the user can make changes to the object to USN increments and during AD replication higher version only will retain.
41. Explain the blue screen error
A blue screen error is an error that occurred in the system for indicating some kernel module failure or fault. It can be caused by an unexpected shutdown or unnecessary restart of the system over and over again. It can also happen to wrong device drivers or malfunctioning hardware elements.
42. Define RAID
RAID is an abbreviation for Redundant Array of Independent Disk that is one of the fault tolerance techniques to provide redundancy which ultimately offers protection from data loss. The users have various RAID levels that they have to achieve fault tolerance. The two types of RAID configuration there such Hardware RAID in which we require a RAID card and can be configured with BOIS and Software RAID in which RAID configuration can be done with the help of an operating system.
43. What is the Sysprep tool?
Sysprep tool is used to capture an image of a machine that will be deployed on various machines without creating duplicate SIDs.
44. Explain about break mirror and remove mirror option in RAID
If the user wants to stop mirroring on the selected volume, then they should say Break Mirror and it will erase data on the volume. If the user wants to get extra space, then simply use the remove mirror option as it flushes data on the selected disk.
45. Explain tombstone object
Once the user deletes an object from the active directory, it still remains in the database for 180 days and it will be easily restored before getting deleted permanently.
46. Differentiate FSMO Role Transfer and Seize Role
We perform seize roles on ADC at forcefully transferring FSMO roles once the PDC fails. But if PDC is alive, it should be an isolated server for some reason. We transfer FSMO roles from PDC to ADC. This operation will be performed on PDC.
47. List out the various types of files in HyperV
The HyperV Virtual Machine file formats are as below
- VHD/VHDX – Virtual Hard Disk File
- BIN: HyperV machine saved state file (Preserver 2016 HyperV)
- AVHD/AVHDX: They are different disk format and created when a checkpoint (snapshot) is taken for a virtual machine
- VSV: It is a saved state file which is available in win 2016
- VMCX: Virtual Machine Configuration File that is available in win 2016. It replaces the XML file used in the pre-server 2016 HyperV
- VMRS: Virtual Machine state file that replaces the pre-server 2016 Bin and VSV files.
48. What is known as Nano Server?
Nano Server is the smallest version of Windows developed by Microsoft and it will be used for cloud applications and containers.
49. What is GPO?
GPO stands for Group Policy Objects. Group Policy is the hierarchical development infrastructure built in a way that an administrator can access from the Active Directory System and it will be change settings for various users and configurations also set for the computers, and so on. With this group policy, a network admin set limits or selects users or computers that can access and utilize the network.
It will be applied to files and folders. If the network admin wants to have control of both the user’s web browsing and set up the computer settings to connect with the network, it will be done through the Group Policy Management Console, and with this console, the user can have control over all the objects that are known as Group Policy Objects (GPO).
50. Explain about Intra and Inter Sites Replications
Intra-site replication is the process of copying that takes place between controllers inside a single site and all of the subnets within the site should be linked by high-speed network cables.
Inter-site Replication is the process of copying between sites and they should be set up by an admin. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) should be used for replication of inter-sites.
List of the exams offered by the MCSA Certification Program
MCSA Windows Server 2012 : To validate the knowledge in configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services, Administration on Windows Server 2012, and Installation of Windows Server 2012.
MCSA Windows Server 2008 : To validate the knowledge on Server Administrator, Network Infrastructure, Configuring MCSA Windows Server 2008, and Active Directory.
MCSA Windows 10: To validate the knowledge of Configuration of Window Devices
MCSA Windows 8 : To validate the knowledge of Windows 8.1 and Support Windows 8.1
MCSA SQL Server : To validate the knowledge of querying SQL Server 2012, Administrating Databases, and Implementation of Datawarehouse with SQL Server 2012
MCSA Azure or Linux : To validate the knowledge of Azure Infrastructure Solutions and System Administrator for Linux Founder Certifications.
Conclusion
MCSA Certification is used to validate the expertise of Windows Server 2012 and the primary objective of our MCSA Course in Chennai is to make you excel in computer system administration and computer networks. Our MCSA Interview Questions and Answers given here are prepared by experts and they will definitely improve your skill level and confidence. Join us to learn the concepts with practical understanding in our MCSA Training Institute in Chennai at Softlogic.