Active Directory

Summary

To relieve the pain you may feel when you first encounter Active Directory, this bestselling book gives you a thorough grounding in Microsoft's network directory service. Active Directory teaches you how to design, manage, and maintain an AD infrastructure, whether it's for a small business server shop or a multinational enterprise. This book is a major update to the very successful third edition. All of the existing chapters have been brought up to date with Windows Server 2008 changes, as well as updates in concepts and approaches to managing Active Directory and script updates. There are seven new chapters and one new appendix to explain features or concepts not covered in the third edition. Detailed and highly accurate, but unlike typical dry references, Active Directory presents concepts in an easy- to-understand narrative style.

Author Biography

Brian Desmond spends his days focused on Active Directory for some of the world's largest companies. A Microsoft MVP since 2004, Brian brings extensive knowledge of how Active Directory works and how to successfully run Active Directory deployments large and small.

Joe Richards is a consultant/admin/tool writer and Microsoft MVP for Windows Server Directory Services. Joe updated the second edition of Active Directory Cookbook for O'Reilly.

Robbie Allen is an author, entrepreneur, web industry veteran, and new father. His day job has been in IT for the last 12 years. He is the coauthor of Active Directory, 2nd Edition and the author of the Active Directory Cookbook.

Alistair G. Lowe-Norris is an Architectural Enterprise Strategy Consultant for Microsoft UK. During the writing of the first version of this book he worked for Leicester University as the project manager and technical lead of the Rapid Deployment Program for Windows 2000. During his time there, Leicester was part of Microsoft's U.K. and U.S. Rapid Deployment Programs for Windows 2000, and was responsible for rolling out what turned out to be one of the world's largest deployments of Windows 2000 preceding release of the final product. Since 1998 he has been the technical editor and a monthly columnist for the Windows Scripting Solutions magazine and a technical editor and author for Windows & .Net Magazine (previously Windows NT Magazine and Windows 2000 Magazine). In addition he is an author and editor for various other publications and online sites worldwide. He holds various Microsoft and other accreditations and has been using Windows 2000 and its descendents daily since October 1997. He lives in Leicester, UK.

Preface
Intended Audience
Contents of the Book
Conventions Used in This Book
Using Code Examples
Safari<$$$> Books Online
How to Contact Us
Acknowledgments
Active Directory Basics
A Brief Introduction
Evolution of the Microsoft NOS
Windows NT Versus Active Directory
Windows 2000 Versus Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 Versus Windows Server 2003 R2
Windows Server 2003 R2 Versus Windows Server 2008
Summary
Active Directory Fundamentals
How Objects Are Stored and Identified
Building Blocks
Summary
Naming Contexts and Application Partitions
Domain Naming Context
Configuration Naming Context
Schema Naming Context
Application Partitions
Summary
Active Directory Schema
Structure of the Schema
Attributes (attributeSchema Objects)
Attribute Properties
Classes (classSchema Objects)
Summary
Site Topology and Replication
Site Topology
How Replication Works
Summary
Active Directory and DNS
DNS Fundamentals
DC Locator
Resource Records Used by Active Directory
Delegation Options
Active Directory Integrated DNS
Using Application Partitions for DNS
Aging and Scavenging
Summary
Read-Only Domain Controllers
Prerequisites
Password Replication Policies
The Client Logon Process
RODCs and Write Requests
The W32Time Service
Application Compatibility
RODC Placement Considerations
RODCs and Replication
Administrator Role Separation
Summary
Group Policy Primer
Capabilities of GPOs
How Group Policies Work
Managing Group Policies
Troubleshooting Group Policy
Summary
Fine-Grained Password Policies
Understanding Password Setting Objects
Scenarios for Fine-Grained Password Policies
Creating Password Setting Objects
Managing Password Settings Objects
Delegating Management of PSOs
Summary
Designing an Active Directory Infrastructure
Designing the Namespace
The Complexities of a Design
Where to Start
Overview of the Design Process
Domain Namespace Design
Design of the Internal Domain Structure
Other Design Considerations
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

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