1. Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure
Prof. Abdul Hameed

2. Goals Install Active Directory Verify Active Directory installation
Introduce operations master roles
View the operations master role assignments for a domain
Transfer operations master roles
Implement an organizational unit structure within a domain
Examine application data partitions
Prepare for schema modifications

3. Installing Active Directory
(Skill 1)
Installing Active Directory
To organize objects and implement domain structure
Install Active Directory on a Windows Server 2003 computer using the Active Directory Installation Wizard
During first time installation
Create the root domain, a new domain tree, and a new forest
Designate a Windows Server 2003 computer as a domain controller

4. Installing Active Directory (2)
(Skill 1)
Installing Active Directory (2)
Creating a domain
By default, the domain is configured to run in Windows 2000 mixed mode
Windows 2000 mixed mode allows various domain controllers to coexist
Windows NT 4.0 backup domain controllers (BDCs)
Windows 2000 domain controllers (DCs)
Windows Server 2003 domain controllers (DCs)

5. Installing Active Directory (3)
(Skill 1)
Installing Active Directory (3)
If your network consists of only Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 domain controllers, switch to Windows 2000 native mode
Windows 2000 native mode supports only
Windows 2000 domain controllers
Windows Server 2003 domain controllers
Windows 2000 mixed mode and native mode are identical to those available in Windows 2000

6. Installing Active Directory (4)
(Skill 1)
Installing Active Directory (4)
Windows Server 2003 provides two new modes
Windows Server 2003 mode
Only supports Windows Server 2003 domain controllers
Gives you the additional ability to rename domain controllers at any time
Windows Server 2003 interim mode is used when you upgrade a Windows NT 4.0 primary domain controller (PDC) to Windows Server 2003

7. Installing Active Directory (5)
(Skill 1)
Installing Active Directory (5)
During Active Directory installation, three components are installed
Domain Name System (DNS) service
Database and database log files
Shared system volume

8. Figure 2-1 Active Directory installation
(Skill 1)
Figure 2-1 Active Directory installation

9. Figure 2-2 Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box
(Skill 1)
Figure 2-2 Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box

10. Figure 2-3 Running Dcpromo
(Skill 1)
Figure 2-3 Running Dcpromo

11. Figure 2-4 Detecting network settings
(Skill 1)
Figure 2-4 Detecting network settings

12. Figure 2-5 The Server Role screen
(Skill 1)
Figure 2-5 The Server Role screen

13. Figure 2-6 The Operating System Compatibility screen
(Skill 1)
Figure 2-6 The Operating System Compatibility screen

14. Figure 2-7 The Domain Controller Type screen
(Skill 1)
Figure 2-7 The Domain Controller Type screen

15. Figure 2-8 The Create New Domain screen
(Skill 1)
Figure 2-8 The Create New Domain screen

16. Figure 2-9 The Permissions screen
(Skill 1)
Figure 2-9 The Permissions screen

17. Figure 2-10 Adding a client to a domain
(Skill 1)
Figure 2-10 Adding a client to a domain

18. Verifying Active Directory Installation
(Skill 2)
Verifying Active Directory Installation
After you install Active Directory on the first domain controller, you may need to add additional Active Directory domain controllers
Before installing additional domain controllers
You need installation-critical information from Active Directory
You must verify the initial installation to make sure certain components were successfully installed

19. Verifying Active Directory Installation (2)
(Skill 2)
Verifying Active Directory Installation (2)
Use the Active Directory Users and Computers console to verify an Active Directory installation
Use this console, which is an administrative tool, to create and delete objects, set their permissions, and modify their properties
Use this console to control primary objects
Organizational units (OUs)
Windows Server 2003 user accounts, group accounts, computer accounts
Published printers

20. Verifying Active Directory Installation (3)
(Skill 2)
Verifying Active Directory Installation (3)
Verifying an Active Directory installation
Verify the presence of the domain that you specified during the Active Directory installation
Verify the presence of your new domain controller in the domain controllers OU
The presence of certain administrative tools also verifies that Active Directory was successfully installed
Active Directory and Trusts console
Active Directory Sites and Services console

21. Verifying Active Directory Installation (4)
(Skill 2)
Verifying Active Directory Installation (4)
Use the Active Directory Domains and Trusts console
To manage the trust relationships between two or more domains in the same forest or different forests
To provide interoperability with other domains
To raise the domain functional level for a domain
To transfer the domain naming master role from one domain controller to another
To add or remove alternate User Principal Name (UPN) suffixes to/from user logon names

22. Figure 2-11 The Active Directory Domains and Trusts console
(Skill 2)
Figure 2-11 The Active Directory Domains and Trusts console

23. Verifying Active Directory Installation (5)
(Skill 2)
Verifying Active Directory Installation (5)
Use the Active Directory Sites and Services console
To create sites and subnets
To move domain controllers to the correct sites
To configure servers as global catalog servers
To create site links
This information is used to decide the replication method for directory information and to process service requests

24. Figure 2-12 The Active Directory Sites and Services console
(Skill 2)
Figure 2-12 The Active Directory Sites and Services console

25. Figure 2-13 Verifying the presence of a domain controller
(Skill 2)
Figure 2-13 Verifying the presence of a domain controller

26. Figure 2-14 The Sysvol directory
(Skill 2)
Figure 2-14 The Sysvol directory

27. Figure 2-15 The Ntds folder
(Skill 2)
Figure 2-15 The Ntds folder

28. Verifying Active Directory Installation (6)
(Skill 2)
Verifying Active Directory Installation (6)
In addition to the three default consoles, you can also install an additional tool called the Active Directory Schema snap-in
Permits you to view and modify the schema
The schema defines the types of objects and the type of information pertaining to those objects that can be stored in Active Directory

29. Figure 2-16 The Active Directory Schema snap-in installed
(Skill 2)
Figure 2-16 The Active Directory Schema snap-in installed

30. Introducing Operations Master Roles
(Skill 3)
Introducing Operations Master Roles
Replication models
Multi-master replication model
Used to control most functions
All domain controllers have the ability to modify Active Directory
Single-master model
Used when a single domain controller modifies data to control certain types of events in Active Directory

31. Introducing Operations Master Roles (2)
(Skill 3)
Introducing Operations Master Roles (2)
Each of these special functions is controlled by FSMO (Flexible Single Masters of Operations) servers or, more typically, operations masters
Types of special functions
Forest-wide operations master roles
Domain-wide operations master roles

32. Introducing Operations Master Roles (3)
(Skill 3)
Introducing Operations Master Roles (3)
Forest-wide operations master roles
Two forest-wide FSMO roles
Schema master role
Domain naming master role
Each of these roles can reside on only a single server for the entire forest
By default, both roles will be held by the first domain controller created in the root domain of the forest

33. Introducing Operations Master Roles (4)
(Skill 3)
Introducing Operations Master Roles (4)
Domain-wide operations master roles
Three domain-wide roles
Primary domain controller (PDC) emulator role
Relative ID (RID) master role
Infrastructure master role
Each of these roles can reside on only a single domain controller in each domain
By default, all three roles will be held by the first domain controller created in each domain

34. Introducing Operations Master Roles (5)
(Skill 3)
Introducing Operations Master Roles (5)
When you create the first domain in a new forest, by default, all five operations master roles are assigned to the first domain controller in that domain
Active Directory assigns only the domain-wide operations master roles to the first domain controller of any subsequent child domains that you create in the forest
The first domain controller in each of the other domains holds the domain-wide operations master roles

35. Introducing Operations Master Roles (6)
(Skill 3)
Introducing Operations Master Roles (6)
Guidelines for planning operations master roles for per-forest roles
Assign the two forest-wide roles to a high-uptime server; backups of this machine are of special importance
Assign the schema master and the domain naming master roles to a single domain controller in one of the domains in the forest

36. Introducing Operations Master Roles (7)
(Skill 3)
Introducing Operations Master Roles (7)
Guidelines for planning operations master roles for per-domain roles
Have at least one additional domain controller act as a standby operations master for other operations masters
If a domain controller fails, the standby domain controller can be manually configured to seize the failed domain controller’s roles

37. Introducing Operations Master Roles (8)
(Skill 3)
Introducing Operations Master Roles (8)
Guidelines for planning operations master roles for per-domain roles
Assign both the RID master and the PDC emulator roles to the same domain controller
If the domain is large, these roles can be assigned to separate domain controllers to reduce the load on the PDC emulator
Make sure these servers are always capable of communicating with each other

38. Introducing Operations Master Roles (9)
(Skill 3)
Introducing Operations Master Roles (9)
Guidelines for planning operations master roles for per-domain roles
If there is more than one domain, do not assign the infrastructure master role to a domain controller that is hosting the global catalog service
Global catalog
Stores information about objects in a tree or a forest
When this information changes, the global catalog updates the information through replication and always contains the latest information about objects

39. Introducing Operations Master Roles (10)
(Skill 3)
Introducing Operations Master Roles (10)
Guidelines for planning operations master roles for per-domain roles
If you assign the infrastructure master role to a domain controller that is also a global catalog server, the infrastructure master will not function properly, because there are no “phantom” references for it to update
If possible, try to place the domain naming master on a server hosting the global catalog

40. Viewing the Operations Master Role Assignments for a Domain
(Skill 4)
Viewing the Operations Master Role Assignments for a Domain
To monitor the operations master roles, you must identify and view the domain controllers that hold the roles
Regular monitoring of the operations masters roles in a domain or forest
Enables you to determine the performance and load on each of the operations masters
This enables you to decide which roles must be transferred to other domain controllers

41. Viewing the Operations Master Role Assignments for a Domain (2)
(Skill 4)
Viewing the Operations Master Role Assignments for a Domain (2)
To view all of the domain-wide operations master role assignments, use the Active Directory Users and Computers console
To view the schema master and the domain naming master roles, use the Active Directory Schema snap-in and the Active Directory Domains and Trusts console

42. (Skill 4)
Figure 2-17 Viewing the default domain-wide operations master role assignments

43. Figure 2-18 The Change Schema Master dialog box
(Skill 4)
Figure 2-18 The Change Schema Master dialog box

44. Figure 2-19 The Change Operations Master dialog box
(Skill 4)
Figure 2-19 The Change Operations Master dialog box

45. Transferring Operations Master Roles
(Skill 5)
Transferring Operations Master Roles
After you have identified the domain controllers that hold the operations master roles, you can easily transfer roles between domain controllers
Conditions requiring that you transfer operations master roles
When you want to change the default operations master because the domain controller is unavailable for replication
When the performance of the domain controller holding the operations master role is deteriorating due to excess load

46. Transferring Operations Master Roles (2)
(Skill 5)
Transferring Operations Master Roles (2)
You can transfer operations master roles between domain controllers within a forest, as well as within domains, with the assistance of the original operations master
To transfer an operations master role from one domain controller to another, make sure that both domain controllers are available and connected to each other through the network

47. Transferring Operations Master Roles (3)
(Skill 5)
Transferring Operations Master Roles (3)
Transferring an operations master role is a two-stage process
Connect to the new domain controller that will hold the role
Transfer the role to the domain controller you have identified

48. Transferring Operations Master Roles (4)
(Skill 5)
Transferring Operations Master Roles (4)
You use the Active Directory Users and Computers console to transfer the relative ID master, PDC emulator, and infrastructure master roles
You use the Active Directory Domains and Trusts console to transfer the domain naming master role

49. Transferring Operations Master Roles (5)
(Skill 5)
Transferring Operations Master Roles (5)
Failure of an operations master
An operations master may be unavailable due to a system failure
If there is any chance of recovering it, you should do so
If you cannot recover it, you can force the transfer of the operations master role to another Windows Server 2003 domain controller without the cooperation of the existing owner of the roles
This process is called seizing the role
Use the Ntdsutil.exe utility at the command prompt to seize any operations master role

50. Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain
(Skill 6)
Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain
Planning and creating an organizational unit (OU) structure is the last activity you perform to complete the implementation of Active Directory
OUs are container objects used to organize objects in a domain into logical groups to centralize and simplify administration of a large number of objects
You can manage users easily and efficiently in an OU
In a multiple-domain model, each domain implements its own OU hierarchy

51. Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (2)
(Skill 6)
Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (2)
Advantages of creating OUs
You can apply Group Policy to a particular group of users or computers independently of other groups of users and computers in other OUs
You can structure a domain
According to the departments and locations in your organization
Without OUs, all users are maintained in a single list under a domain

52. Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (3)
(Skill 6)
Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (3)
Advantages of creating OUs
You can delegate administrative control over network resources to users
You can easily accommodate any changes that take place in the structure of your organization, for example, reorganizing users between OUs requires less time and effort than reorganizing users between domains

53. Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (4)
(Skill 6)
Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (4)
Advantages of creating OUs
OUs simplify the viewing and administration of directory objects within a domain
OUs allow administrators to have easy access to all objects at any level of the hierarchy
Plan your OU structure carefully so the organizational units represent your organization in a meaningful and manageable way

54. Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (5)
(Skill 6)
Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (5)
Three standard models are typically used to design an OU hierarchy
Business function-based
Geographically-based
A combination of both business function and geographically-based

55. Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (6)
(Skill 6)
Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (6)
Use the business function-based model to create an OU structure that reflects the various business functions within an organization
Use the geographically-based model to create an OU structure that represents the location of branches in an organization

56. Figure 2-20 A business function-based OU structure
(Skill 6)
Figure 2-20 A business function-based OU structure

57. Figure 2-21 A geographically-based OU structure
(Skill 6)
Figure 2-21 A geographically-based OU structure

58. Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (7)
(Skill 6)
Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (7)
Use a combination of business function and geographically-based models to create an OU structure that reflects the various business functions within the different branches of an organization

59. Figure 2-22 A business function and geographically-based OU structure
(Skill 6)
Figure 2-22 A business function and geographically-based OU structure

60. Figure 2-23 Creating an organizational unit
(Skill 6)
Figure 2-23 Creating an organizational unit

61. Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (8)
(Skill 6)
Implementing an Organizational Unit Structure within a Domain (8)
Each OU you create contains a set of default properties
Each OU also has additional properties
Properties are attributes you use to locate the OU
Use the Active Directory Users and Computers console to set the properties

62. Figure 2-24 MKTG Properties dialog box
(Skill 6)
Figure 2-24 MKTG Properties dialog box

63. Understanding Application Data Partitions
(Skill 7)
Understanding Application Data Partitions
Application data partitions
Are special database structures within Active Directory
They hold information specific to a particular application
To fully understand why they are necessary, you must first understand how they function in Active Directory

64. Understanding Application Data Partitions (2)
(Skill 7)
Understanding Application Data Partitions (2)
A partition in Active Directory is a section of the database
With its own root name (using LDAP distinguished names)
With its own replication topology
The critical principle is replication topology
Since all partitions have their own topology, information changes in one partition do not force replication to other partitions

65. Figure 2-25 Using application data partitions
(Skill 7)
Figure 2-25 Using application data partitions

66. Understanding Application Data Partitions (3)
(Skill 7)
Understanding Application Data Partitions (3)
Application data partitions have their own naming convention
Applies to DNS names and LDAP distinguished names
From the DNS side, an application data partition is typically configured as a child domain of an Active Directory domain
From the LDAP side, the partition has its own LDAP distinguished name

67. Understanding Application Data Partitions (4)
(Skill 7)
Understanding Application Data Partitions (4)
LDAP distinguished name
An LDAP naming convention that is used in most, if not all, LDAP compliant databases
Think of it as a path name describing the entire path to the object from within the database
LDAP names are particularly important because some of the advanced Active Directory utilities (such as Ntdsutil) require them

68. Understanding Application Data Partitions (5)
(Skill 7)
Understanding Application Data Partitions (5)
Administering application data partitions
Typically, you will not need to perform any real administration
Your application will usually create the partition for you, and perform all writes and changes
Common current applications that make use of application data partitions are DNS and TAPI
In certain cases, you may be required to create an application data partition

69. Understanding Application Data Partitions (6)
(Skill 7)
Understanding Application Data Partitions (6)
To create an application data partition, you can use Ntdsutil.exe, a raw LDAP editor, or Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI)
Ntdsutil is the most accessible of these tools
It is a powerful and versatile tool for making major modifications to the Active Directory database
Since it is a very powerful application, you have the potential for making major mistakes very quickly

70. Understanding Application Data Partitions (7)
(Skill 7)
Understanding Application Data Partitions (7)
Ntdsutil command line utility
Must be run in Directory Services Restore Mode on the domain controller on which you wish to make a change
Application data partitions can only be created by Enterprise Administrators
By default, the only Enterprise Administrator is the Administrator account in the forest root domain

71. Preparing for Schema Modifications
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications
Schema
Considered the blueprint or rulebook for Active Directory
Defines the structure and rules for the Active Directory database
To understand more specifically what the schema does, you need to understand more about the structure of Active Directory

72. Preparing for Schema Modifications (2)
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications (2)
Active Directory is composed of various types of objects
Each object is defined by its type, which is referred to as the object class
Each object class is defined by the attributes included in the class
Attributes are specific fields for the object that store a particular type of information
Different object classes can have different attributes, which are suited to the needs of the object

73. Figure 2-26 Object classes and attributes
(Skill 8)
Figure 2-26 Object classes and attributes

74. Preparing for Schema Modifications (3)
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications (3)
You can examine and change most of the attributes for an object class by opening the object class in the Active Directory Schema snap-in
You can add attributes to an existing class
You can create a new class using new or existing attributes to drastically change the functionality of Active Directory
This allows Active Directory to support your own customized applications and data

75. Preparing for Schema Modifications (4)
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications (4)
A mistake made in the schema can have very severe consequences
Microsoft has put several safeguards in place to reduce the chance that mistakes may occur when you are viewing or editing the schema

76. Preparing for Schema Modifications (5)
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications (5)
Some of Microsoft’s safeguards
Object classes and attributes can be deactivated, but they cannot be deleted
Deactivating a class results in the inability to create new objects in that class.
Deactivating an attribute results in the inability to add the attribute to other classes
Mandatory attributes of an existing class cannot be deactivated

77. Preparing for Schema Modifications (6)
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications (6)
Some of Microsoft’s safeguards
Default attributes, which are required for Active Directory to function properly, cannot be deactivated
The schema can only be modified on the schema master
Only members of the Schema Admins group have permission to modify the schema, by default
The Active Directory Schema snap-in is not installed by default

78. Preparing for Schema Modifications (7)
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications (7)
Precautions exist because of the scope of schema modifications
However, there are a few instances in which a schema modification is warranted

79. Preparing for Schema Modifications (8)
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications (8)
Most commonly, schema modifications are performed for one of two reasons
To support business requirements, you may need to add a new attribute or class to the schema
To support new Active Directory-integrated applications that store a portion of their data in the Active Directory database, you may need to supply new attributes or classes

80. Preparing for Schema Modifications (9)
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications (9)
If you choose to modify the schema in the Active Directory Schema snap-in, follow these precautions
Thoroughly evaluate the need for the schema modification and make sure that modifying the schema is the best solution
Specifically define the modification to be performed
Create a script or use another programmatic method to apply the modification and test it thoroughly in an offline environment

81. Preparing for Schema Modifications (10)
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications (10)
Steps to modify the schema
Connect to the schema operations master, preferably using an account that is not a member of the Schema Admins group
Use the Run as facility to launch the application you are using to modify the schema as a member of the Schema Admins group

82. Preparing for Schema Modifications (11)
(Skill 8)
Preparing for Schema Modifications (11)
Steps to modify the schema
If the operations master is a Windows 2000 domain controller, enable writes on the schema
Modify the schema
If the operations master is a Windows 2000 domain controller, disable writes on the schema
Disconnect from the schema operations master

83. Figure 2-27 Viewing an object class in the Schema console
(Skill 8)
Figure 2-27 Viewing an object class in the Schema console