MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-270): Installing ...

1-34 Chapter 1 Introduction to Windows XP Professional
❑ Enhancements to Windows Firewall enable the firewall for each connection
by default, allow the inspection of traffic from the moment the connection
becomes active, and let you make global configuration settings for all connections.
❑ Enhancements to Internet Explorer include a new Information bar that consolidates
many user prompts, a pop-up blocker, and better add-on management.
■ A computer running Windows XP Professional can be a member of two types of
networks: a workgroup or a domain. You can designate a computer running Windows
Server 2003 as a domain controller. If all computers on the network are running
Windows XP Professional, the only type of network available is a workgroup.
Features of workgroups and domains include:
❑ A Windows XP Professional workgroup is a logical grouping of networked
computers that share resources such as files and printers. A workgroup is
referred to as a peer-to-peer network because all computers in the workgroup
can share resources as equals (peers) without a dedicated server. Each
computer in the workgroup maintains a local security database, which is a list
of user accounts and resource security information for the computer on
which it resides.
❑ A domain is a logical grouping of network computers that share a central
directory database containing user accounts and security information for the
domain. This central directory database is known as the directory; it is the
database portion of Active Directory service, which is the Windows 2003
directory service. The computers in a domain can share physical proximity on
a small LAN or can be distributed worldwide, communicating over any number
of physical connections.
■ By default, Windows XP Professional uses the Welcome screen to allow users to
log on locally to the computer. You can configure Windows XP Professional to use
the Log On To Windows dialog box instead of the Welcome screen. When a user
logs on, he can log on to the local computer; if the computer is a member of a
domain, the user can log on to the domain.
Exam Highlights
❑ When a user logs on locally, the local computer does the authentication.
❑ When a user logs on to a domain, a domain controller must do the authentication.
Before taking the exam, review the key points and terms that are presented in this
chapter. You need to know this information.