SULAIMAN THOUFIQ

1. Describe the steps you would take to diagnose and resolve a scenario where a newly promoted Domain Controller on Windows Server 2019 is failing to replicate its user objects to the primary DC, and the event logs show 'The replication operation encountered a COM error'.

2. You are at a retail store during peak hours when the POS terminals stop printing receipts. The Event Viewer shows a service failure (e.g., Print Spooler) but the service recovers after a reboot. How would you investigate the root cause without disrupting ongoing sales?

3. Your manager asks you to set up a VPN solution for remote employees who need access to the corporate LAN, but the branch offices have limited bandwidth and you must ensure data confidentiality. How would you decide between a site‑to‑site VPN and a remote‑access VPN, and what additional security measures would you implement?

4. Design a comprehensive backup and restore strategy for a Windows file server that hosts POS data for three retail branches, using VMware ESXi. Include snapshot usage, scheduling, retention policies, and how you would meet a recovery‑time objective (RTO) of under 2 hours.

5. You notice intermittent connectivity between the headquarters LAN and a branch office VLAN. Using basic TCP/IP tools (ping, traceroute, nslookup, arp, netstat), outline the step‑by‑step process you would follow to isolate the problem and restore connectivity.