Active Directory is a Windows Server technology that stores information about a network's users and directories, making it easier for network administrators to configure, manage, and update their networks.

Active Directory is a Windows Server technology that stores information about a network's users and directories, making it easier for network administrators to configure, manage, and update their networks. Active Directory matured with the roll-out of Windows Server 2003; it's now more stable and economical, and is much more attractive to administrators who shied away from implementing it in the past. However, along with those improvements comes increased complexity for network administrators. Microsoft is dropping support for NT4 at the end of 2003, forcing holdouts to migrate to Server 2003.

Introduction.
Part 1: Design.
Chapter 1: Active Directory Forest Design.
Chapter 2: Active Directory Domain Design.
Chapter 3: Domain Name System Design.
Chapter 4: Sites, Flexible Single Master Operations, and Global Catalog Design.
Chapter 5: Organizational Unit Design.
Chapter 6: Exchange Design Considerations.
Chapter 7: Hardware Sizing and Placement.
Part 2: Deployment and Migration.
Chapter 8: Deployment.
Chapter 9: Domain Migration and Consolidation.
Chapter 10: NetWare Migration.
Part 3: Maintenance and Administration.
Chapter 11: Backup and Disaster Recovery.
Chapter 12: Optimizing the Active Directory Database.
Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Active Directory Replication.
Chapter 14: Maintaining DNS.
Chapter 15: Troubleshooting the File Replication Service.
Chapter 16: Troubleshooting Logon Failures.
Chapter 17: Troubleshooting FSMO Roles.
Chapter 18: Group Policy.
Part 4: Security in Active Directory.
Chapter 19: Securing the Base Operating System.
Chapter 20: Securing DNS.
Chapter 21: Patch Management.
Chapter 22: Securing Active Directory.
Appendix: Scripting Resources.
Index.