Setting up test scenario on Server 2003/Active Directory/GPO

[tosca925]

We are interviewing next week for a assistant Network Manager. I have been told to set up some sort of test on 2003/AD/GPO that should be able to be completed in 10-15 mins.

 

 

Any suggestions?

[Dos_Box]

Folder re-direction and software (executable) blocking should be a must I think.

[browolf]

make it connected to the internet so if they dont know the exact answer they can go and find out. then you can see their initiative if they dont know the answer. in fact pick something pretty obscure. see how long it takes to find the answer on the internet.

[Ric_]

Cripple a machine with dodgy DNS settings or an invalid IP. Then edit the local hosts file of a PC. Just a few things that I had to do in a practical test for this job

 

Also ask how they take their coffee - must be black without sugar!

[Mango_RW]

In one of my interviews is was asked to name the 586b cabling order.

 

Also 'What is active directory and how can it be organised'.

 

As for a practical test with 2003/AD you could get them to set up a couple of shares and get them to configure access to a specified group of people and disabling to others.

 

Simple I know but you may be able to weed out the slackers!

[GrumbleDook]

I have to admit to being rather evil when we employed Spot.

 

The process was a round robin of a tour with me ... see if they can handle my break neck descriptions of things and actually pick out the key words for use in interviews later (a test on whether they can blag it ... so I also put a few red herrings in there too)

 

An interview with a panel of 5 students, 2 were VIth formers and 3 were year 8 who are "inquisitive"

 

A written test ... done in typical "please read all questions and then follow further instuctions when starting this test" thing. 3 Technical questions (how do you ...), 3 standards questions (what does TCP/IP mean and when was it developed), 3 educational questions (give 3 examples of software that may be used in schools that may not be present in "industry" and why there is a difference), and then 3 NetMan questions (What areas of ITIL would be prinicple starting points for support in schools) ... the further instruction was to answer the 4 questions most relevant to your experience of working in education.

 

Last was a technical test. A server (server 2003) and one workstation (XP Pro). They had to add a DHCP reservation for the machine, add it to the domain once the network connection was working (it had a class a address for a class b subnet) and lock down a few things via GPO. It was to then be removed from the domain and the DC was to be demoted.

 

Followed by a 20-30 min interview with Chair of Governors, the Head, me, and the Business Manager.

 

I was feeling nasty that week.

[ajbritton]

Set up a user account and password, then transpose a couple of keys on the keyboard so that when they type the password, it won't work.

 

I have to say, I can't see the point in someone knowing what TCP/IP means and when it was developed. Surely what you want is to know if they can fix real world problems.

[GrumbleDook]

This was for a Network Manager's post, not asst NetMan ... and it was just a question to give them a chance to show that they were knowledgable in certain areas.

 

The fact that they chose not to answer it and answered the questions about the use of certain software in education also gives an idea about their priorities.

[tarquel]

Hell...I dunno what TCP/IP actually *IS* hehe

 

.....

 

Wont be appying for a job at your place Tony hehe you are just *too* evil

 

586b cabling order

 

I dont do that enough to remember the order... Wasn't there some sort of cheesy rhyme for it?

 

Just reading all the above makes me think I'd be pushed to get a job anywhere else lol I'm crap with the technical terms [thats what no training does I'd guess lol].

 

Cheers

N.

[Geoff]

Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol developed at DARPA for the ARPANET project in the late 70's. The first live demonstration of what became TCP/IP occured in July 1977.

[GrumbleDook]

Give that man a choccie hobnob :-)

[E1uSiV3]

ahh but did he google it? we will never know.... lol

 

Saying that, that was like the current job i just applied for (and consequently got)

 

The agency were told to perform a skills test with any clients that they thought were suitable, and mail the results back to the company. Turns out, the dumbass at the agency emailed the test to most of them untill the company got suspicious when everyone kept getting every answer right AND were all worded nearly identically. As it turns out, i was asked them all over the phone (still get em all right too :smug:)

 

It didnt help the poor guy who was 9 years my senior with a masters degree tho, cus there was another technical barrage of questions and he didnt do to well (well i beat him and thats all i care about lol)

[Ric_]

There have been rumours in Lancashire that Geoff was a robot created by Google - although now dismissed because of an apparant sighting, his knowledge is seemingly incredible.

[ChrisH]

Is this the picture of Geoff you saw?

 

http://www.google.com/appliance/images/2u-google2.jpg

[kingswood]

I would just ask them to set up a share as someone suggested; set permissions on it- and I think the one about DNS was a good one-- knock out DNS on the server and see how long it takes them to fix it.

 

Remember that one might be better than another in an interview setting, but turn out to be a lemon in the real world.

 

As to Tony's example: extreme.

 

Paul :-)

[GrumbleDook]

Nah ... that's not extreme.

 

Extreme is the anal cavity check that the NSA do when you enter the building on the way to the interview ... I hope people don't mind if I draw the line somewhere.

[mac_shinobi]

@ " Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol developed at DARPA for the ARPANET project in the late 70's. The first live demonstration of what became TCP/IP occured in July 1977."

 

Wasn't that when they sent the first email between 2 old machines ?

[kingswood]

@ " Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol developed at DARPA for the ARPANET project in the late 70's. The first live demonstration of what became TCP/IP occured in July 1977."

 

Wasn't that when they sent the first email between 2 old machines ?

 

No- that was my house about three years ago as I set up my first Linux network :-O

[mac_shinobi]

I was wondering why it was so secretive lol :-0

[Rozzer]

I remember the last interview i went to i was asked " what is the basics of a operating system" I was stumped but i just asked him the answer lol.

 

Ross

[catbert]

i mainly try and catch people out who lie on their CV, generaly ask questions based on there cv. if they say they know AD, ask them something anyone using AD should know. ie: whats an OU or GPO?

 

Question's i've asked and been asked: general Q's

 

Identify all the components in a workstation opened up in front of the person

 

Why is a switch better than a hub? whats the difference?

 

Whats DHCP?

 

What do you do to ensure smooth running and reliablity of a server?

mainly picking out on redundancy ie RAID etc..

 

What's Change Management?

 

Give me an example of how you have had to turn somebody away whilst working on something important

 

Tell me your daily routine or what you would expect a routine to be like?

if they don't mention check the server logs and backups, they obiously don't know the tasks involved indicating they might not of even read the job spec properly

 

How can you deploy workstation operating systems?

 

When you make a change on the network, how would you approach the situation or be expected to do?

should mention usabilty studies, manager discussions, documenting, one step at a time etc...

 

Theres probably a thousand more questions i would choose to ask depending on the progression of the interview.

 

Alan