Links to AD articles:

• Windows 2003 Active Directory Technical Overview
  Source: Microsoft...
• Enterprise Management with the Group Policy Management Console
  Source: Microsoft...
• Statewide Windows 2000 Architecture Planning Project
  From the Florida Technology Office Bureau of Research and Development...
• Group Policy Reference
  From the MSDN library...
  Source: Microsoft
• Technical Overview of Active Directory for Windows .NET Server 2003
  Summary of new Active Directory features that will be part of Windows .NET Server 2003.
  Source: Microsoft
• OU Design Suggestions
  This document was created to assist Windows administrators in the design of their portion of the Active Directory (AD).
  Source: Stanford University
• Wayne's Windows 2000 Active Directory Tips
  Wayne is spending so much time concentrating on Active Directory that he created a separate category for AD on his Windows 2000 support site. This page will have links to his own W2K Administrator, User and Registry tips and to documents on other sites.
  Source: Is-It-True.Org
• Beta Chapters of the Windows.NET Server Deployment Guide
  Microsoft .NET Server is in Release Candidate 1 status now. The final bits should be available by the end of the year. If you're running a Windows NT 4.0 shop, you might be in a good position to upgrade to .NET. Check out the .NET Server Deployment Guide for a great head start.
  Source: Microsoft
• Dos & don'ts: Securing multi-forest Active Directory implementations
  You've sweated your way through a migration to Win2k and AD. Now what do you do with this new and different directory? To get the full benefits of AD, IT managers must take an organized approach to deployment and management. (July 9, 2002)
  Source: SearchWindowsManageability
• Dos & don'ts: Putting Active Directory in place
  A multi-forest Active Directory implementation can be a breeding ground for hackers. Find out how to secure AD from the get-go. (July 30, 2002)
  Source: SearchWindowsManageability
• The politics of Active Directory
  How well will your Active Directory installation go? Maybe you're prepared for the procedure, but are you prepared for the politics? The power struggles going on in those nice offices upstairs can be the difference between a smooth rollout and a nasty wipeout. (July 3, 2002)
  Source: SearchWindowsManageability
• Got an AD emergency? Call "Dr. Marks"
  Got an Active Directory headache? Can't see the forests through the trees? Take two aspirin, and call "Dr. Marks" in the morning. In this interview with SearchWindowsManageability, Howard Marks, a guy who knows AD like the back of his handheld, offers some tips for the befuddled masses who can't put this thing off any longer. (July 3, 2002)
  Source: SearchWindowsManageability
• Don't forget about Exchange 2000 in Active Directory design, part 2
  Find out why Exchange 2000 design plays an important role in creating the best Active Directory model. (June 11, 2002)
  Source: SearchWindowsManageability
• Marry Exchange 2000 and Active Directory for maximum performance, part 1
  Figuring out your Exchange 2000 design is an integral part of deploying Active Directory correctly. An Active Directory expert discusses design options in this SearchWindowsManageability exclusive two-parter. (June 11, 2002)
  Source: SearchWindowsManageability
• AD: Scary for some, a cinch for others
  Active Directory has been more like "Inactive Directory" for the last couple of years, but that's starting to change. Judging from the results of an exclusive SearchWin2000 survey, more enterprises seem to be taking a deep breath and jumping in, although many smaller companies are still either hesitating at the edge of the diving board, or staying away from the deep end entirely. Why? Because getting with this program requires planning -- and planning requires resources that the smaller guys and gals just don't have. (May 7, 2002)
  Source: SearchWin2000
• Third-party tools ease Active Directory migrations
  If you think your AD migration will be difficult, you might want to consider using third-party tools. Described here, many tools can automate even the most burdensome tasks like altering user accounts by the thousands and cleaning up obsolete data with easy-to-use drag-and-drop functionality. (Jan. 14, 2002)
  Source: Windows 2000 Advantage
• Slow road to Active Directory
  Enterprise IT pros at Wells Fargo, General Motors and BancorpSouth who have been through massive Active Directory migrations talk about their upgrade experiences. From planning and support, to domains and DNS, these hardened AD veterans discuss the migration challenges they faced, and the lessons they learned along the way. (Nov. 19, 2001)
  Source: Computerworld
• DNS requirements for deploying Active Directory
  This white paper straight out of Redmond provides a checklist of DNS requirements that you'll need to take into account when running the Active Directory Installation Wizard to create a first domain controller either in a new forest, or in an existing forest. (June 1, 2001)
  Source: Microsoft
• Insurance provider creating massive multiple-use directory
  An innovative case study, this piece tells how one company used Active Directory to consolidate directories from multiple platforms, including Windows. The pioneering directory architecture supports both internal business and external e-commerce services. (July 23, 2001)
  Source: Network World Fusion
• Active Directory experiences revealed
  Microsoft just published two new guides to help you plan and install Active Directory and Windows 2000. "Best Practice Active Directory Design for Managing Windows Networks " and its companion, "Best Practice Active Directory Deployment for Managing Windows Networks " contain the results of a number of successful Active Directory deployments by Microsoft customers large and small. Get more information and a link to the papers directly from this article. (June 27, 2001)
  Source: Network World Fusion
• Watch for these two hang-ups during a Win2K domain upgrade
  Follow in author Mike Talon's footsteps as he sets up an Active Directory domain controller with multiple network interface cards, so you can avoid the unpleasant surprises he encountered. (May 23, 2001)
  Source: TechRepublic
• How to migrate or deploy a Novell NetWare environment to Windows 2000
  This Microsoft page provides links to resources to aid in achieving interoperability between NetWare and Windows 2000. These resources include a guide to planning server migration from NetWare to Windows 2000; papers on interoperability in a Novell NetWare environment and Windows 2000 Professional in a NetWare environment; and information on synchronizing Windows 2000 Active Directory with Novell directories. (Dec. 20, 2001)
  Source: Microsoft
• Windows tech: 10 steps to creating an active directory
  Planning is the most important, in-depth, and exhaustive part of an Active Directory migration. This article explains ten best planning practices you should follow before you even think about actual implementation. The top three on the list are building a solid project team, designing an AD schema, and designing an effective DNS model. (Apr. 11, 2001)
  Source: Computerworld
• Active Directory Migration Tool
  Microsoft's Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) can be downloaded here.
  Source: Microsoft
• Fill that toolbox before tackling Active Directory
  When deploying Active Directory, organizations need to factor third-party tools into their migration budgets. Microsoft's in-the-box Active Directory Management Tool (ADMT) may be adequate for smaller businesses with simple NT environments, but any business with more than 1000 employees will need project management capabilities that aren't available in ADMT. Read on to get a better understanding of why migration suites are so essential to successful AD deployment, where you can get them and what they will cost you. (Apr. 2, 2001)
  Source: Network World Fusion
• Strategies for migrating to Windows 2000 and Active Directory
  BindView outlines three ways to migrate to Windows 2000, saying that a migration strategy would most benefit your company. Thus, along those lines, BindView lists serveral considerations which could help you decide the route you'd like to take. This white paper also explains how Active Directory can complicate your migration. This a very detailed report - a good resource.
  Source: BindView Corporation
• A guide to Active Directory: Planning your upgrade
  Richard Charrington scopes out all the various and sundry elements of Active Directory in this comprehensive four-part series that concludes with this final segment that could have been titled, "Everything you need to know about Active Directory, and didn't even think of asking." The bottom line for administrators: There is no such thing as too much planning for AD. We especially liked the executive summary attached to the individual articles. Parts 1, 2, and 3 describe Domain Name System , Global Catalogs, and Object classes and attributes. Links to all four parts are available from here.
  Source: TechProGuild
• Microsoft .NET and Windows 2000 -- What is Microsoft thinking?
  Is it worth deploying Win2K with .Net on the horizon? Columnist Mark Smith decided to ask this very question to Microsoft's .Net team. He learned that Microsoft considers Win2K to be the fundamental platform for building a .Net infrastructure. Yet this still leaves the mysteries of how Active Directory and the MS Server products will fit into the .Net strategy. Smith briefly explores these conundrums with quotes from lead product managers on integration capabilities, concluding with his own opinions.
  Source: Windows 2000 Magazine
• Migrating to Microsoft Active Directory Services
  By far the most complicated aspect of deploying Windows 2000 is migrating your directory to Active Directory. This is a very good article to read if your are faced with this task. The article looks at third-party migration tools, advises on constructing a new domain model, and provides a short glossary of AD terms. There are multiple pages to this article. Don't miss the last page which includes a chart with a breakdown of grades of the third-party tools (Sept. 18, 2000).
  Source: Network Computing

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