Installing and Configuring Active Directory

The information in this chapter shows you how to install MCITP benefits, remove, and verify Active Directory, and troubleshoot an Active Directory installation. Determining whether to install a new forest, domain tree, or domain are some of the first decisions you’ll have to make when installing Active Directory. Understanding exactly what is involved when you make these choices is critical to the success of your installation. Planning the Active Directory structure and Domain Name System (DNS) structure is essential.
It’s important to be familiar with the various installation methods so you can choose the one that best meets your needs. Once you’ve installed Active Directory, you should expect that some changes might still be necessary. This could involve the installation of additional domain controllers or the removal of others. You must be able to remove Active Directory if you find that a particular server no longer needs to be a domain controller. Verifying proper Active Directory installation is important to ensure the installation turned out the way you intended before you continue with your Active Directory deployment. Finally, as an administrator, you must be able to use tools to troubleshoot problems you may encounter online MCITP certification during the Active Directory installation and removal processes.
A collection of computer, user, and group objects defined by the administrator. These objects share a common directory database, security policies, and secu?rity relationships with other domains.
forest One or more Active Directory domains that share the same class and attribute definitions (schema), site, and replication information (configuration), and forest-wide search capabilities (global catalog). Domains in the same forest are linked with two-way, transitive trust relationships.
organizational unit (OU) An Active Directory container object used within domains. An OU is a logical container into which users, groups, computers, and other OUs are placed. It can contain objects only from its parent domain. An OU is the smallest scope to which a GPO can be linked, or over which administrative authority can be delegated.
site One or more well-connected (highly reliable and fast) TCP/IP subnets. A site allows administrators to configure Active Directory access and replication topology to take advantage of the physical network.
Strive to create only one forest for an organization to avoid administering free Microsoft IT certification test questions multiple schemas, configuration containers, global catalogs, and trusts, and requiring users to take complex steps to use the directory.

Read more on Installing and Configuring Active Directory…

The Query Process

A query is a specific request made by a user to the global catalog in order to retrieve, modify, or delete Active Directory data. The following steps, illustrated in become mcitp, describe the query process:
1.The client queries its DNS server for the location of the global catalog server.
2.The DNS server searches for the global catalog server location and returns the IP address of the domain controller designated as the global catalog server.
3.The client queries the IP address of the domain controller designated as the global catalog server. The query is sent to port 3268 on the domain controller; standard Active Directory queries are sent to port 389.
4.The global catalog server processes the query. If the global catalog contains the attribute of the object being searched for, the global catalog server provides a response to the client. If the global catalog does not contain the attribute of the object being searched for, the query is referred to Active Directory.
You can configure any domain controller or designate additional domain controllers as global catalog servers. When considering which domain controllers to designate as global catalog servers, base your decision on the ability of your network structure to handle replication and query traffic.
As an administrator, you must place global catalog servers in MCITP benefits to provide quick responses to user inquiries, as well as redundancy. See Lesson 3, “Planning the Active Directory Infrastructure Design,” to learn the basics of designing global catalog server placement. See Chapter 5, “Configuring Sites and Managing Replication,” for details about configuring global catalog servers.
The global catalog performs the following two key functions:
It enables a user to log on to a network by providing universal group membership information to a domain controller when a logon process is initiated.
It enables finding directory information regardless of which domain in the forest actually contains the data.
The Supplemental CD-ROM includes an electronic version of this training kit, as well as eBooks for the Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking, Second Edition, and the Microsoft Encyclopedia of Security. The eBooks are in portable document format (PDF) and must be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Several exercises may require you to make changes to your servers. This may have undesirable results if you are connected to a larger network. If you are connected to a larger network, check with your free practice IT questions network administrator before attempting these exercises.

Read more on The Query Process…