Kernel Mode

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Kernel Mode

• Combination of hardware abstraction layer (HAL)
  and executive services

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Executive Services Portion of Kernel Mode
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Windows NT Memory Model
4
Processes and Threads

• Process
• A program or group of programs that is running,
  together with the system resources assigned to
  it, such as memory addresses, environmental
  variables, and other resources
• Thread
• A single task that the process requests from the
  kernel, such as the task of printing a file

5
Virtual DOS Machine

• Isolates an application from the rest of the
  system by providing the entire DOS-like
  environment to the application
• Components of a NTVDM
• Ntvdm.exe
• Ntio.sys
• Ntdos.sys
• An instruction execution unit

6
Windows NT Networking

• Workgroup
• Logical group of computers and users that share
  resources
• Control of administration, resources, and
  security is distributed throughout the network
• Domain
• A group of networked computers that share a
  centralized directory database of user account
  information and security for the entire set of
  computers

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A Windows NT Workgroup
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A Windows NT Domain
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Using Workgroups and Domains

• Primary domain controller (PDC) stores and
  controls a database of
• User accounts
• Group accounts
• Computer accounts
• Also called the directory database or the
  security accounts manager (SAM) database

10
User Accounts

• Control who has access to what programs, files,
  and other resources
• Are stored in the SAM database that defines the
  NT user, including username, password,
  memberships, and rights

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Administering a Network

• Control access to the network, permissions
  granted to a user and the OS environment that the
  user has
• Create user groups assign restrictions and
  rights to entire group that apply to all users
• User profile
• Record of information about an authorized user
  that is used for security and other reasons
• Can include desktop configuration, sound, color,
  and resources
• Kept in a file with a .usr file extension

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Creating a User Account
13
Creating a User Account
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Creating a User Account
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Creating a User Account
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Creating a User Account
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Creating a User Account
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Installing and Customizing Windows NT

• Preparing for the installation
• Step-by-step installation

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Preparing for the Installation

• Preparing for Windows NT
• Determine if hardware can support Windows NT by
  searching the HCL or using the NT Hardware
  Qualifier (NTHQ)
• Choosing the right file system (FAT16 vs. NTFS)

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NT Hardware Qualifier
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Step-by-Step Installation

• Installing Windows NT as the only OS
• Installing Windows NT as a second OS on a system
  that already has Windows 9x, creating a dual boot
• Installing a local printer

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Installing Windows NT as the Only OS

• Begin by booting from the three Windows NT disks
  that contain a simplified version of Windows NT
• After Windows NT has loaded these three disks, it
  can access the CD-ROM drive, and installation
  continues from the CD

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Installing Windows NT as the Second OS on the
Hard Drive

• Begins differently, but is otherwise the same as
  installing Windows NT as the only OS
• Copy the contents of the \I386 directory and its
  subdirectories to the hard drive and perform the
  installation from there

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Installing Windows NT as the Second OS on the
Hard Drive
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Installing a Local Printer
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Installing a Local Printer
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Supporting Windows NT and Applications

• Common procedures that apply to supporting a
  standalone NT PC using both 16-bit and 32-bit
  applications
• How the boot process works
• Troubleshooting problems during booting

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The Windows NT Boot Process
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The Windows NT Boot Process
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What Happens During the Boot Sequence

• BIOS executes POST
• BIOS executes the MBR program
• MBR program executes the OS boot program
• The boot program executes Ntldr
• Ntldr changes the processor mode and loads a file
  system

continued