Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Design and Implementation: Creating, Migrating, and Merging Networks

In DetailA well thought-out Active Directory provides a solid foundation for other services which will lower support costs and allow companies to centrally manage their environment. You should look at the Active Directory as your first step in moving to a centrally managed, highly integrated IT environment that supports efficient and effective delivery of business capabilities. Once the appropriate technical infrastructure is in place, it is vital to leverage that infrastructure to create an enterprise-class application infrastructure.If you are creating a new Active Directory network, or are migrating or merging existing installations, this is the book for you.While the basics of the Active Directory are straightforward, to get the most from it requires careful planning and a thorough understanding of what can be accomplished. For any environment there are a number of core stages in the Active Directory implementation; the 3 Ds: discovery, design, and deployment. In this unique book, we take a broad range of environment types and work through these stages; suggesting an Active Directory design specific to that environment, and how to implement it; at each stage providing clear instructions so the decisions are clearly understood and the best-practice principles will be maintained throughout your system lifetime. There are many books on using, administering, or even deploying Active Directory, but this is the only book that exists to relate the crucial design aspects to your target environment, and show you to implement this design.This book covers discovery, design and deployment stages of Active Directory implementation in the following scenarios:A small, single location company with fairly basic needs and a basic Windows NT 4.0 domain A larger company with multiple regional areas which are currently facilitated by multiple NT 4.0 domainsA retail-type business with very different drivers and requirements from that of a standard business, based on Windows 2000 Active DirectoryMerging and restructuring the Active Directory infrastructure of two financial institutionsWritten by an experienced Active Directory designer and implementor, this book walks you through the concepts of the Active Directory, and the Active Directory design issues associated with various business environments, outlining strategies, principles and best-practice for creating the design, before leading you through the implementation step-by-step.Visit the Free Online Edition for Active Directory and learn more about the book, you can read through a full chapter, &quote;The Importance of a Domain,&quote; and discover what each chapter from this book has in store.http://activedirectorybook.packtpub.comWho this book is forThis book is for Windows network administrators, analysts, or architects, with a grasp of the basic operations of Active Directory, and are looking for a book that goes beyond rudimentary operations. However, all of the concepts are explained from the ground up, and the book can be read by network design and administration professionals with no prior Active Directory knowledge.