Active Directory For Dummies

by Steve Clines, Marcia Loughry

Overview

Your guide to learning Active Directory the quick and easy way

Whether you're new to Active Directory (AD) or a savvy system administrator looking to brush up on your skills, Active Directory for Dummies will steer you in the right direction. Since its original release, Microsoft's implementation of the lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) for the Windows Server line of networking software has become one of the most popular directory service products in the world. If you're involved with the design and support of Microsoft directory services and/or solutions, you're in the right place.

This comprehensive guide starts by showing you the basics of AD, so you can utilize its structures to simplify your life and secure your digital environment. From there, you'll discover how to exert fine-grained control over groups, assets, security, permissions, and policies on a Windows network and efficiently configure, manage, and update the network. With coverage of security improvements, significant user interface changes, and updates to the AD scripting engine, password policies, accidental object deletion protection, and more, this plain-English book has everything you need to know. You'll learn how to:

• Navigate the functions and structures of AD
• Understand business and technical requirements to determine goals
• Become familiar with physical components like site links, network services, and site topology
• Manage and monitor new features, AD replication, and schema management
• Maintain AD databases
• Avoid common AD mistakes that can undermine network security

With chapters on the ten most important points about AD design, ten online resources, and ten troubleshooting tips, this user-friendly book really is your one-stop guide to setting up, working with, and making the most of Active Directory. Get your copy of Active Directory For Dummies and get to work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470287200
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	08/11/2008
Series:	For Dummies Books
Pages:	360
Sales rank:	692,554
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Steve Clines, MCSE, MCT, has worked as an IT architect and engineer at EDS for over 18 years. He has worked on deployments of more than 100,000 seats for both Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange Server. Steve is the author of MCSE Designing a Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure For Dummies, which is a study guide for the 70-219 MCP exam. He also maintains the Confessions of an IT Geek blog at http://itgeek.steveco.net.

Marcia Loughry, MCSE and MCP+I, is a Senior Infrastructure Specialist with a large IT firm in Dallas, Texas. She is president of the Plano, Texas BackOffice User Group (PBUG) and a member of Women in Technology International. Marcia received her MCSE in NT 3.51 in 1997 and completed requirements for the NT 4.0 track in 1998.
Marcia has extensive experience working with Windows NT 3.51 and 4.0 in enterprises of all sizes. She is assigned to some of her firm’s largest customers in designing NT solutions and integrating UNIX and NetWare environments with NT.

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Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting Started 5

Chapter 1: Understanding Active Directory 7

Chapter 2: Analyzing Requirements for Active Directory 23

Chapter 3: Designing an Active Directory Implementation Plan 41

Part II: Planning and Deploying with Active Directory Domain Services 53

Chapter 4: Playing the Name Game 55

Chapter 5: Creating a Logical Structure 71

Chapter 6: Getting Physical 83

Chapter 7: Ready to Deploy! 103

Part III: New Active Directory Features 127

Chapter 8: AD LDS: Active Directory on a Diet 129

Chapter 9: Federating Active Directory 141

Chapter 10: AD Certificate Services and Rights Management Services 157

Part IV: Managing Active Directory 173

Chapter 11: Managing Users, Groups, and Other Objects 175

Chapter 12: Managing Active Directory Replication 203

Chapter 13: Schema-ing! 219

Chapter 14: Managing Security with Active Directory Domain Services 233

Chapter 15: Maintaining Active Directory 253

Part V: The Part of Tens 271

Chapter 16: The Ten Most Important Active Directory Design Points 273

Chapter 17: Ten Cool Web Sites for Active Directory Info 279

Chapter 18: Ten Troubleshooting Tips for Active Directory 285

Part VI: Appendixes 291

Appendix A: Windows 2008 AD Command Line Tools 293

Appendix B: Glossary 305

Index 315