Every computer (host) on a network (even the Internet) must have a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. This address, when it’s configured as an IPv4 address, is a 32-bit number that is styled as four sets of octets. An example is 192.168.4.20. The IP address (combined with the proper subnet, something like 255.255.255.0) defines the network and the host. Because every resource on a network must have a defined address, you need to know how to configure those addresses. There are two ways to get an address to a resource: You can define it manually or it can be assigned by a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. When an address can’t be assigned this way, Windows will assign its own IP address using a technology called Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA).

Explore the Local Area Network Connections Properties dialog box

Figure 3-1 shows the Local Area Network Connections Properties dialog box for a Wi-Fi adapter, where you can configure networking. On the Networking tab you can access the available networking options, including TCP/IPv4, selected here.

Figure 3-1. You can configure networking using the the Local Area Network Connections Properties dialog box.

Exam Tip

You might be asked how to configure IPv4 or IPv6 addresses from the command line. The command to do this is Netsh. Make sure you understand the options associated with this command. You might be asked to select the proper command to apply a static address for a host, among other things. That command would look like this: “netsh interface ipv4 set address “Ethernet” static 192.168.5.12 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.10”. If you want the address to come from a DHCP server, the command would look more like this: “netsh interface ipv4 set address name=“Ethernet” source=dhcp”.

Explore the options available from the dialog boxes shown in Figure 3-1 as time allows. Make sure you understand the terms listed here before continuing:

• APIPA. This is a link-local (IP) address that is assigned by Windows when no other addressing mechanism can be found. This enables the host to function on the local network segment. Routers do not forward packets from these kinds of addresses.

• Default Gateway. This hardware or software device lets hosts connect to other networks. Often that network is the Internet, but it could also be another network segment in an enterprise domain.

• DHCP. DHCP is a networking protocol that dynamically configures IP addresses for hosts on a network. A DHCP server assigns these addresses. These IP addresses are generally granted for a specified interval and must be renewed when the interval is up.

  More Info: DHCP

  To learn more about DHCP, refer to this article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc726865(v=WS.10).aspx.

• DHCP Scope. A DHCP scope is a consecutive range of possible IP addresses that can be offered to hosts on a subnet (part of a network).

• DNS. DNS is a service that enables users to type the name of the host to which they want to connect instead of its IP address. A DNS server resolves the name.

• IPv4. This is an IP address that consists of 32 bits, notated by four 8-bit octets. It has two parts: the network ID and the host ID. The network ID describes the network, and the host ID defines the specific device on it. IPv4 addresses can be Unicast, Broadcast, or Multicast. See Subnet mask, next.

• Subnet mask. This 32-bit number, notated by four 8-bit octets that consist of a set of 1s followed by a set of 0s, is used to define which part of the IPv4 address is the network ID and which part is the host ID. The 1s denote the network; the 0s the host. The default subnet masks are in the form 255.0.0.0 for Class A addresses, 255.255.0.0 for Class B addresses, and 255.255.255.0 for Class C addresses. Translated to binary, 255.0.0.0 looks like this: 11111111 00000000 00000000 00000000.

• IPv6. The available IPv4 address combinations are dwindling, thus the need for a better option. IPv6 is that option. Instead of a 32-bit space, it’s a 128-bit space with 16-bit boundaries. This allows for many more addresses. An IPv6 address can look like this: 21DA:D3:0:2F3B:2AA:FF:FE28:9C5A.

Exam Tip

You install network support (Client For Microsoft Networks, QoS Scheduler, File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks, TCP/IPv4, TCP/IPv6, and others) from the Local Area Network Connections Properties dialog box. Know what is installed by default and how to install others.

Connect to a network

The first time you connect to a local network, you are prompted to choose from one of these options:

• No, Don’t Turn On Sharing Or Connect To Devices. This option is intended for public networks and hot spots (libraries, coffee shops). The user’s computer can’t be seen or accessed by others, and the user can’t see other computers also accessing the network.

• Yes, Turn On Sharing And Connect To Devices. This option is intended for private, trusted networks (home, work) and homegroups. Computers sit behind a trusted router and do not connect to the Internet directly.

These two options do not appear when you connect to an Active Directory Domain Services domain. However, when they do appear and when you choose an option, settings are configured automatically for network discovery, file and printer sharing, the state of the firewall, apps that can accept incoming connections, and so on. (Computers configured as Private or Domain have network discovery enabled; Public networks do not.)

If, for whatever reason, you are not prompted to connect to a known network, you can connect manually. To connect to a network manually, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows key+I to open the Settings charm.

2. Click the Network icon.

3. Select the network from the list and click Connect.

4. If prompted, type the password or passcode to join the network.

If you need to connect to a network that’s hidden and not broadcasting its Service Set Identifier (SSID), follow these steps:

1. Open the Network And Sharing Center.

2. Click Set Up A New Connection Or Network.

3. Click Manually Connect To A Wireless Network. Click Next.

4. Input the network name (SSID), the security type, the encryption type, and the security key as applicable and enable other options as desired (see Figure 3-2).

5. Click Next. The connection should be enabled.

Figure 3-2. Connect to a network manually.

More Info: Connect to a workplace

One of the options in the Network And Sharing Wizard that walks you through connecting to a hidden network is Connect To A Workplace. You’d choose this option to set up a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs are covered in Chapter 5.

Resolve connectivity issues

When a host can’t reach a network, that host has connectivity issues. The issue might be isolated to only that device; perhaps the computer’s Ethernet cable has come unplugged or the computer’s wireless features have been disabled. Maybe there is an IP address conflict on the network and the user’s IP address needs to be released and renewed. Often, using the troubleshooting tools in the Network And Sharing Center can uncover the problem and offer a solution. If the issue isn’t isolated, though, you have larger problems. A network server, gateway, or other necessary resource might be down, a network segment or physical backbone might be damaged, or there could be an issue that is caused by the ISP, cloud services, or other technologies that are out of your control. In this section you’ll learn three ways to troubleshoot a connectivity problem. You can use the Network And Sharing Center, the Action Center, or command-line tools.

Note: Viewing connection status

To view the status of any connection, open the Network And Sharing Center, then click Change Adapter Settings. Double-click the icon that represents the connected network and click Details. In the dialog box that appears, you can view the physical address, DHCP information, and IP addresses. You can even see the IP address of the DNS server, default gateway, and DHCP server, along with when the DHCP lease was obtained and when it must be renewed.

Network and sharing center

The Network And Sharing Center enables you to view the status of your active networks. If there’s a problem, you can click Troubleshoot Problems to see if the Network And Sharing Center can resolve it. Sometimes it can, by releasing and renewing the IP address, resetting adapter settings, or uncovering a simple problem such as a disconnected Ethernet cable (which you can then reconnect).

If a problem exists but can’t be resolved automatically, you can choose from a list of troubleshooting options that include solving problems connecting to websites, accessing shared folders, finding computers or files in a homegroup, finding and fixing problems with wireless adapters, and troubleshooting incoming connections. Figure 3-4 shows this. When you select any option and start the troubleshooter, it generally finds the problem and performs the repair or prompts you to authorize the repair. It might also require you to do something first, like insert an Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port on the computer.

Figure 3-4. Use the Network And Sharing Center to troubleshoot a connectivity problem.

Action Center troubleshooting tools

If the Network And Sharing Center can’t help you determine or resolve the problem, you can check the Action Center. Again you’ll see a troubleshooting option. Here you can troubleshoot problems related to the network and to other things like hardware and sound or system and security. However, you might find something more valuable. Perhaps the network interface card’s driver needs to be updated. Action Center will alert you to this in most instances. You can also review problems with the network firewall, virus protection, Internet security settings, network access protection, and the user’s Microsoft Account, among other things. Sometimes you can resolve odd connectivity problems here.

Command-line tools

When the Network And Sharing Center and the Action Center can’t help resolve a connectivity problem, it’s likely a more complex issue. Perhaps a domain’s (or network segment’s) gateway is offline. Perhaps a router failed. Perhaps the DNS server isn’t available or has been incorrectly configured on the host. Perhaps the unique, corporate, IP address of the computer has been changed to an APIPA address because of a currently unresolved network issue. When these kinds of problems exist, you can use command-line tools to resolve them.

Here are some of the tools you can use:

• Ping. This tool verifies IP-level connectivity to another TCP/IP computer. To do this, it sends Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request messages to the recipient. The receipt of these messages is displayed, along with round-trip times, if the connection is successful. Ping is the primary command used to troubleshoot connectivity, reachability, and name resolution.

• Ipconfig and Ipconfig /all. This displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values. It can also refresh DHCP and DNS settings. Used without the /all parameter, Ipconfig displays IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, the subnet mask, and the default gateway for all adapters installed on the host. Common parameters are /release, /renew, and /flushdns.

• Tracert. This tool determines the path taken to a destination and shows information about each hop a packet takes to get to where it’s going. A hop is a pass through a router. You can use this information to see where the transmission fails.

• Netstat. This displays a list of active TCP connections and the ports on which the computer is listening. It also displays Ethernet statistics, the IP routing table, and IPv4 and IPv6 statistics.

• Netsh. This enables you to make changes to the network configuration of the current computer at the command line.

• Nslookup. This tool displays information that you can use to diagnose problems with DNS.

Exam Tip

You should review as many command-line tools as time allows. You will see these on the exam, and they might include more obscure tools such as Icacls, Attrib, Cipher, Fsutil, Auditpol, and others, along with associated parameters. (You might also see commands associated with deployment outlined in Chapter 2, including DISM, DiskPart, Fdisk, BCDboot, and more.) Visit this page on TechNet to see a list of common command-line tools and their uses: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754340.aspx#BKMK_a.

Thought experiment: Troubleshooting network connections

In this thought experiment, apply what you’ve learned about this objective. You can find answers to these questions in the “Answers” section at the end of this chapter.

You are troubleshooting connectivity problems on a new laptop that has been added to a local, small business network that already includes eight other computers. Three of these eight are laptops that have always connected without issues. The new laptop can connect when plugged in directly to the router with an Ethernet cable, but it cannot connect wirelessly.

Answer the following questions related to how you would troubleshoot this issue:

1. What do you suspect is causing this problem?

2. Do you think that the troubleshooter in the Network And Sharing Center can resolve this problem?

3. If the Internet Connection troubleshooter uncovers the issue but can’t resolve it, where would you turn next and why?

Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of the information in this objective. You can find the answers to these questions and explanations of why each answer choice is correct or incorrect in the “Answers” section at the end of this chapter.

When a wireless network is available, you will likely be prompted to join it. This is especially true of mobile devices, although the prompt might not appear until you try to connect to the Internet. When you opt to connect, the process is often as simple as typing the password, if applicable. You learned in the previous section that you can connect to a network using the Set Up A New Connection Or Network option as well, by working through the wizard provided. When you connect this way, you are prompted to type the network name (SSID) and password and select the applicable security settings. There is another way not yet discussed, and that’s the simplest option of all: connecting to a network from the Settings charm.

To connect to a network from the Settings charm, follow these steps:

Windows 8.1 keeps track of all of the networks to which you connect and prioritizes them automatically. When you have more than one connection option, Windows 8.1 determines which type it will connect to in this order: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and then mobile broadband. To be clear, when all of these exist, it selects Ethernet. Otherwise, it selects Wi-Fi. If both become unavailable, then it connects with broadband (and will do so automatically if you’ve configured it to). With regard to the wireless networks to which you’ve connected in the past, when more than one of those is available at a given time, Windows 8.1 connects to the last one you used.

If you’re connected to a network automatically but want to choose another, click it from the list of networks. You can access this list by clicking the Network icon in the taskbar’s system tray on the desktop or by clicking the Network icon from the Settings charm. See Figure 3-7.

Figure 3-7. Switch networks from the Network list.

When you want to manage your list of wireless networks, you no longer have the option of using the Wireless Profile Manager you might have used in Windows 7, and there’s no longer an option to right-click a network and opt to forget it from the Networks list shown in Figure 3-7, as you could in Windows 8. Now you must use the Netsh command to remove network profiles.

To use the Netsh command to forget a network, at a command prompt, follow these steps:

Users are becoming more and more mobile, which means that they’ll likely need to access printers from various locations. Those printers can be available on any kind of network, including a network at home, at the office, or even at a company kiosk. Having to choose a printer every time they connect to a new network can annoy users, thus the need for location-aware printing. With location-aware printing, a default printer can be set for each location from which the user prints. This also keeps the user from accidentally printing to the wrong printer, which poses a security issue if the printed data is confidential.

To configure location-aware printing, follow these steps:

A network adapter is a NIC. Depending on the type, it can transmit data via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or both. You access the available adapters from the Network And Sharing Center by clicking Change Adapter Settings in the task pane on the left. From there it’s easy to tell which network adapter is being used. Figure 3-10 shows that the Wi-Fi adapter is connected. You can right-click an entry to access the options available for it.

Figure 3-10. The Network Connections window shows the available adapters.

When you right-click an adapter in the Network Connections window, you can do any of the following:

Explore the options available from the adapters on a computer to which you have access. Make sure to click Configure in any Wi-Fi Properties dialog box to view the advanced options. You can, for instance, configure the computer to turn off that device to conserve power or to allow the device to wake up the computer (on the Power Management tab). You can also view events (Events tab), see adapter and driver details (Details, Driver, and General tabs), and view advanced configuration options (Advanced tab).

Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of the information in this objective. You can find the answers to these questions and explanations of why each answer choice is correct or incorrect in the “Answers” section at the end of this chapter.

By default, Network Discovery is enabled for private and domain networks and disabled for public ones. Network Discovery enables a computer to locate other computers on a network and allows computers on the network to see it as well. This is fine when the network is trusted, but it isn’t a good idea when the network is not. By having these settings and others already configured for the various network types, along with the applicable settings for ports and protocols, the network administrator does not have to configure every aspect of a connection manually. There is one caveat. Even if Network Discovery is disabled, a Windows 8.1 computer can still access network resources if the user knows the names and locations of those resources (because they can’t be discovered by browsing).

It is possible to make changes to how Network Discovery is configured. You do this from the Network And Sharing Center by following this procedure:

Figure 3-11. Enable and disable Network Discovery for a network type from the Network And Sharing Center.

Windows Firewall is a software solution that comes with Windows 8.1 that creates a virtual barrier between a computer and the network to which it is connected for the purpose of protecting the computer from unwanted incoming traffic (data) and protecting the network from unwanted outgoing traffic (data). The firewall allows specific types of data to enter and exit the computer and blocks others, and settings are configured by default (but they can be changed). This type of protection is called filtering. The filters are generally based on IP addresses, ports, and protocols.

Although there are plenty of rules already configured for the firewall, you can create your own inbound and outbound rules based on ports, protocols, programs, and more to configure the firewall to suit your exact needs. You’ll learn how later in this chapter.

Allow an app through the Windows Firewall

Some data generated with and by specific apps is already allowed to pass through the Windows Firewall. You can see which apps are allowed by clicking Allow Apps To Communicate Through Windows Firewall in the left pane of the Windows Firewall window in Control Panel. As you scroll through the list, you’ll see many apps you recognize, including Bing Food & Drink, Games, Maps, Music, Windows Media Player, and so on. See Figure 3-12. (Once you click Change Settings and give administrator approval, the Change Settings option will appear unavailable and the options in this list will be editable, as you see here.) You will also notice that some apps are not enabled by default, including Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service (Internet), Windows Remote Management, Remote Shutdown, Connect To A Network Projector, and so on.

Figure 3-12. By default, some apps are already allowed through Windows Firewall.

To allow an app through the firewall or stop one from getting through, select the check box under the appropriate network profile for which it should be configured. As shown in Figure 3-12, there are two options for each: Private and Public. If you don’t see the app you want to allow or block, click Allow Another App. You can then select the desired app from the Add An App dialog box.

Although you can configure a few options in the main Windows Firewall window, the real power lies with Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, shown in Figure 3-13. You can open this window in various ways, one of which is to click Advanced Settings in the Windows Firewall window shown in Figure 3-13.

Figure 3-13. Windows Firewall with Advanced Security offers many more options than Windows Firewall.

Once opened, there are several options and terms with which you need to be familiar.

When you opt to create your own inbound or outbound rule, you can choose from four rule types. A wizard walks you through the process, and the process changes depending on the type of rule you want to create. The four types of rules are as follows:

There are other areas to explore. With Windows Firewall With Advanced Security selected in the left pane and using the Overview section of the middle pane, click Windows Firewall Properties to see the dialog box shown in Figure 3-15. From there you can make changes to the firewall and the profiles, even if you aren’t connected to the type of network you want to configure.

Figure 3-15. Use the Windows Firewall With Advanced Security dialog box to configure settings for specific profiles.

In Figure 3-15, the Domain Profile tab is selected. If you want to, you can configure the firewall to be turned off when connected to a domain network. Additionally, you can strengthen the settings for the Public profile and customize settings for the Private profile. Finally, you can customize IPsec defaults, exemptions, and tunnel authorization on the IPsec Settings tab. Make sure to explore all areas of this dialog box and research any terms you are not familiar with.

You can create your own connection security rules in the Windows Firewall With Advanced Security window. When you do, you can create inbound and outbound rules that use the settings you’ve configured when you opt to create a rule that will allow the connection only if it is secured with IPsec. To begin, right-click Connection Security Rules (located just below Outbound Rules) in the shortcut list and click New Rule. See Figure 3-16.

Figure 3-16. Create a new Connection Security rule.

There are several steps involved in creating a rule, and there is a wizard to guide you. The wizard pages that appear depend on the choices you make on the prior page. For instance, if on the first page where you choose a rule type, you choose Isolation, there are four additional steps to work through: Set the requirements, choose the authentication method, choose the profiles to which to apply the rule, and name the rule. However, if you choose to create an authentication exemption rule, you’ll be prompted to add the remote computers for which you want to configure authentication requirements before you can continue.

Because there are numerous combinations of rule types and options, we can’t possibly go through every scenario. However, you should be familiar with the options and the rule types.

When you configure a rule to allow traffic only when the connection between the communicating computers is secured using IPsec, you are creating an authenticated exception. You configure this option from the application Action page of the Rule Wizard when creating an inbound or outbound rule. When you choose the Allow The Connection If It Is Secure option on the Action page, you are configuring the rule to allow the connection using the settings in IPsec properties and rules in the Connection Security Rule node.

To create an inbound rule that applies to a single TCP port (Telnet, port 23) and create an authenticated exception for it, follow these steps:

Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of the information in this objective. You can find the answers to these questions and explanations of why each answer choice is correct or incorrect in the “Answers” section at the end of this chapter.

There are two technologies both you and end users can employ to remotely access and manage a computer. Remote Assistance is one of those, and it enables a technician to take control of a computer to troubleshoot and perform maintenance tasks without having to physically travel to the problematic machine. This enables the technician to resolve problems without leaving his home or office. The end user must be there to authorize this, and the user can end the session at any time. This technology is generally used only to troubleshoot remote computers and is not used for telecommuting or accessing files or folders.

Remote Desktop is another remote option. Remote Desktop enables users to connect to their office computer from home for the purpose of telecommuting and accessing files and folders remotely. Once the connection is made, the remote computer is locked so that no one else can access it. The user can do anything that would be possible while sitting in front of the computer (short of pressing physical buttons or picking up print jobs), including running desktop programs and accessing files and folders. In another scenario, network administrators use this technology to service file servers, print servers, domain controllers, and so on without having to physically travel to the machine.

Remote Access and Remote Desktop are built-in, user-friendly tools. However, there are a few settings to take note of before sitting for the exam. You need to know how to enable or disable these features on an end user’s computer; you need to understand what options are available when configuring a remote desktop session; and you need to know how to configure and hold a remote assistance session.

Enable or disable remote features

By default, Remote Assistance connections are enabled for a Windows 8.1 computer and Remote Desktop connections are disabled. You can change both in the System Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 3-17. You can open this dialog box in many ways. One is to type System on the Start screen and click System in the results. In the System dialog box, click Advanced System Settings or Remote Settings in the left pane. The options you want to configure are on the Remote tab. (If you plan to access this computer via Remote Desktop, enable the option now.)

Figure 3-17. Use the System Properties dialog box to allow or disallow Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop sessions.

Exam Tip

You can’t access a computer remotely using Remote Desktop if the computer is in sleep or hibernation mode. Thus, if asked about why a Remote Desktop session can’t be enabled, even though the technology has worked before, consider this as an answer option. (You might also want to make changes to the Power Options in Control Panel to overcome this issue.)

Explore Remote Desktop options

You and your end users can access the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box by typing Remote on the Start screen and clicking Remote Desktop Connection in the results. When the dialog box opens, click Show Options to access all of the options shown in Figure 3-18.

Figure 3-18. The Remote Desktop Connection dialog box offers several options.

The available tabs offer the options you need to configure your Remote Desktop connection:

• General. Use the settings on this tab to specify the computer name and, optionally, the user name and to save connection settings.

• Display. Use the settings on this tab to choose the size of the remote desktop, which is set to Large by default. You can also choose the color depth. If your user is connecting over a free and fast network, these default settings are fine. However, for users who access their desktop over metered mobile broadband, you should opt for more bandwidth-friendly settings.

• Local Resources. Use this tab to configure settings for audio (perhaps to disable audio altogether), whether access to printers and the Clipboard should be enabled, and when to enable Windows key combinations, among other things.

• Programs. Use this tab to name a program that should start when the connection is made.

• Experience. Use the settings on this tab to configure how the network should be configured to optimize performance. By default, Windows automatically detects the settings, but in the case of metered connections, you might want to change this to a specific setting such as low-speed broadband. When you manually configure this setting, you can configure what options you want to allow, including but not limited to the desktop background and menu and window animation. By default, Reconnect If The Connection Is Dropped is enabled, but it can be changed if desired.

• Advanced. Use this tab to configure authentication options. Authentication is what verifies that the user is connecting to the intended remote computer. Options are Warn Me, Connect And Don’t Warn Me, and Do Not Connect. You can also configure the Connect From Anywhere setting, where you can specify that the user must connect to a dedicated remote desktop gateway server.

With the desired configuration set, you can now use the General tab to connect. You need to know the name of the computer to which to connect, though, and in a domain this can be a bit complicated. As you can see in Figure 3-18, that computer name looks something like this: computername.domainname.com. On a local area connection, the name is simply the computer name. Whatever the case, you also need to have the credentials to log on. In the case of Remote Desktop, that’s the user name and password. Take note, though, that the user name will have to be something like \computernameusername. You can’t just type the user name and get connected. To disconnect while in an active session, just click the X in the upper-right corner.

Configure and use Remote Assistance

To use Remote Assistance, the user must be at the problematic computer. A Remote Assistance session must be initiated by that user, and the user must approve the connection before it can be made. The key word to search for from the Start screen to initiate a Remote Assistance session is “invite,” not “Remote Assistance” as you might guess. The user needs to access the Invite Someone To Connect To Your PC And Help You, Or Offer To Help Someone Else option from the Start screen in the results. The user can also search for “Invite” or “Remote Assistance” in Control Panel. However the user gets there, the user must click Invite Someone You Trust To Help You in the Windows Remote Assistance dialog box shown in Figure 3-19.

Figure 3-19. The user must initiate a Remote Assistance session.

The user then has three options: Save This Invitation As A File (the user saves the file and gets that file using her method of choice to the help and support team); Use Email To Send An Invitation (the user sends the invitation using an email client on the machine but cannot send it using any form of web-based email); and Use Easy Connect (the easiest option if it is enabled by the help and support team). Because one of the objectives on the exam is to configure Remote Assistance (which we’ve done) including Easy Connect (which we haven’t done), we’ll look at the Easy Connect option here. However, you also should understand how the other two options work.

When the user opts for Easy Connect, an Easy Connect password appears. The user only needs to relay that password to the help and support team. This can be done by phone, fax, email, or even text. The support technician can then send a connection request, which the user then accepts. Both of these items are shown in Figure 3-20. Once the connection is made, the “Expert” can ask to control the computer to resolve the problem, train the user, or perform other tasks.

Figure 3-20. Use Easy Connect to get help quickly and easily using Remote Desktop.

Although the Microsoft Management Consoles (MMCs) available in Windows 8.1 are all configured to manage local resources by default, you use them to make modifications on remote machines using Computer Management or built-in MMCs.

To see how to connect to another computer to manage it, open Computer Management; in the left pane, right-click Computer Management (Local); and click Connect To Another Computer. In the dialog box that appears, verify that Another Computer is selected, type the name of the computer to which to connect, and click OK. Wait while the connection is made. If you are prompted to enable something to pass through the firewall in Windows Firewall with Advanced Policy or enable a policy setting in Group Policy, do so. Then, click the desired item to manage in the left pane and make configuration changes as desired in the right pane. See Figure 3-21.

Figure 3-21. Use Computer Management to connect to and manage another computer on your network.

Windows Remote Management (WinRM) is a Windows 8.1 service that enables a network administrator to execute commands on networked computers remotely, using Windows PowerShell and Windows Remote Shell (WinRS.exe). There are Group Policy settings related to the WinRM Service and Windows Remote Shell you’ll want to familiarize yourself with as well.

Enable Remote Management

To use the Remote Management tools, you must enable them from a command prompt or use Group Policy on each computer you want to manage (including the one you’ll use to manage and the ones that need to be managed). The Group Policy setting is located here: Computer Configuration, Policies, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Remote Management (WinRM), WinRM Service container. You need to enable this for each Group Policy object to manage. It’s easier to enable this from a command prompt, though.

To enable Remote Management, follow these steps:

1. Open an elevated command prompt.

2. Type winrm quickconfig and press Enter.

3. When prompted to make these changes, type y and press Enter again.

4. When prompted again, type y and press Enter. See Figure 3-22.

5. Close the command prompt window.

Exam Tip

If you get a question about why the WinRM command won’t work, it might be because the network type is set to Public. The network type must be Private or Domain.

Figure 3-22. Enable Remote Management.

Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of the information in this objective. You can find the answers to these questions and explanations of why each answer choice is correct or incorrect in the “Answers” section at the end of this chapter.