Infrastructure support level 5

Learning Objectives

Understand key server components and redundancy through RAID configurations to ensure data integrity and system resilience.

Topics Covered

• Rack and blade server architecture and component selection
• RAID levels (0, 1, 5, 6, 10) and controller configuration
• Hot-swappable components and advanced diagnostics
• Performance benchmarking and hardware monitoring

Operating System Installation

• Windows Server and Ubuntu Server deployments 
• Licensing, partitioning and volume management 
• Server Manager and PowerShell/Bash configuration
• Automated deployment techniques (WDS, MDT)

Network Configurations

• NIC teaming and fault tolerance setup
• IP scheme design and subnet planning 
• VLAN tagging, trunking and segregation
• TCP/IP optimisation for server workloads

Infrastructure for Server Environments

• Rack design principles and cable management systems
• Power distribution, cooling calculations, and UPS sizing
• Environmental monitoring and alerting

Network Operations

• Performance monitoring and bandwidth optimisation
• Syslog, SNMP configuration, and metric collection
• Troubleshooting methodologies for network bottlenecks

• Least Privilege Implementation
• Configure granular user and service permissions according to the principle of least privilege to minimize the attack surface and limit potential damage from compromised accounts.

 Patching and Auditing

• Implement systematic patch management workflows, vulnerability scanning, and security auditing procedures to maintain server hygiene and compliance.

 Event Monitoring and Response

• Configure comprehensive logging, alerting systems and develop incident response protocols for rapid identification and mitigation of security events.

Learning Objectives

Set up and manage enterprise-grade virtual environments using industry-standard hypervisors.

 Practical Skills Development

• Installing and configuring Hyper-V and VMware ESXi
• Creating, cloning, and managing virtual machines
• Resource allocation and virtual networking
• Virtual storage configuration and optimisation
• VM migration and high availability features

• Active Directory Design:Plan and implement AD domains, forests, and trust relationships aligned with organisational structure
• User & Group Management: Create and manage users, groups, OUs and implement effective Group Policy Objects
• File Services Deployment: Configure file shares, permissions, DFS namespaces and replication for enterprise file services
• Print Service Administration: Deploy centrally managed print services with driver distribution and queue management

Learn to implement and manage the critical network services that form the backbone of modern enterprise networks.

• DNS Server Setup:  Configure forward and reverse lookup zones, conditional forwarders, and DNS security extensions (DNSSEC)
• IP Address Management: Implement IP address management solutions for tracking and auditing IP utilisation across networks
• DHCP Deployment: Set up scopes, reservations, policies, and implement DHCP failover for high availability

• Firewall Configuration: Implement Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, network isolation, and intrusion prevention systems to create defensive layers.
• Backup Strategies:Design comprehensive backup solutions using Volume Shadow Copy Service, third-party tools, and implement proper retention policies.
• Clustering and High Availability: Configure failover clustering, load balancing, and implement business continuity measures to ensure maximum system uptime.

In the final week, you’ll demonstrate your comprehensive server engineering skills through a challenging capstone project.