Planning and Implementing Network Services
Service inventory
Network services are the shared functions every other system depends on: name resolution (DNS), address assignment (DHCP), time synchronisation (NTP), remote access (VPN, RDP), file and print sharing, and web/proxy services. Planning means deciding where each service lives, how many instances exist, how they are discovered by clients, and what happens when one fails. Candidates should be able to design a DNS namespace (forward and reverse zones, delegation, conditional forwarders) and a DHCP topology (scopes per subnet, relay agents, reservations, failover or split scope).
Availability and dependency
Understand that services form dependency chains: DHCP hands out DNS and gateway addresses; DNS resolution underpins authentication; time skew breaks authentication and certificates. A plan that ignores NTP will fail in practice. Know the difference between high availability (clustering, load balancing, secondary servers) and disaster recovery (restore from backup, alternate site).
Traps
Stems frequently ask for the planning decision but list implementation commands. Another common trap is treating DNS and DHCP as independent when a scope option error silently misdirects every client. Watch for questions that assume a single server can serve multiple subnets without a relay, or that a secondary DNS server removes the need for correct zone transfer configuration.
Rule of thumb
For every service, name the client discovery method, the failure mode, and the recovery step. If you cannot state all three, the design is incomplete. Example: DHCP - discovery is broadcast plus relay; failure mode is scope exhaustion; recovery is a documented reservation cleanup and lease audit.
Also know
Service accounts and permissions, logging of service events, and change windows for DNS/DHCP edits.