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Active Directory Basics

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) is a core component of Windows Server that provides centralized management of network resources. This guide covers the fundamentals of Active Directory implementation and management.

Active Directory Overview​

Core Concepts​

  1. Directory Structure

    • Domains
    • Trees
    • Forests
    • Trust relationships

  2. Logical Structure

    • Organizational Units (OUs)
    • Groups
    • Users
    • Computers

Physical Structure​

  1. Domain Controllers

    • Primary DC
    • Additional DCs
    • Read-only DCs
    • Global catalog

  2. Sites and Services

    • Site definition
    • Site links
    • Replication
    • Subnet management

Domain Management​

Domain Setup​

  1. Domain Creation

    • Forest setup
    • Domain promotion
    • Role installation
    • DNS integration

  2. Domain Configuration

    • Functional levels
    • Trust relationships
    • UPN suffixes
    • Password policies

Domain Operations​

  1. Domain Controller Management

    • DC promotion
    • DC demotion
    • FSMO roles
    • Operations Masters

  2. Domain Maintenance

    • Database maintenance
    • Log files
    • System volume
    • Performance tuning

Object Management​

User Management​

  1. User Accounts

    • Account creation
    • Properties
    • Templates
    • Bulk operations

  2. User Properties

    • Profile settings
    • Group membership
    • Account options
    • Password settings

Group Management​

  1. Group Types

    • Security groups
    • Distribution groups
    • Built-in groups
    • Custom groups

  2. Group Scope

    • Domain local
    • Global
    • Universal
    • Nested groups

Organizational Units​

OU Structure​

  1. OU Design

    • Hierarchy planning
    • Delegation model
    • Policy application
    • Resource organization

  2. OU Management

    • Creation
    • Modification
    • Delegation
    • Protection

Delegation​

  1. Administrative Control

    • Task delegation
    • Permission assignment
    • Role separation
    • Auditing

  2. Delegated Tasks

    • User management
    • Group management
    • Password resets
    • Resource control

Group Policy Integration​

Policy Application​

  1. GPO Linking

    • Link creation
    • Link order
    • Inheritance
    • Blocking

  2. Policy Processing

    • LSDOU
    • Filtering
    • WMI filters
    • Loopback

Policy Management​

  1. GPO Administration

    • Creation
    • Editing
    • Testing
    • Deployment

  2. Policy Maintenance

    • Backup
    • Recovery
    • Migration
    • Cleanup

Replication​

Replication Configuration​

  1. Site Topology

    • Site creation
    • Subnet association
    • Link configuration
    • Bridge head servers

  2. Replication Schedule

    • Intervals
    • Priorities
    • Compression
    • Transport

Replication Monitoring​

  1. Health Check

    • Replication status
    • Error tracking
    • Performance monitoring
    • Topology verification

  2. Troubleshooting

    • Diagnostic tools
    • Event logs
    • Repadmin
    • DCDIAG

Security​

Access Control​

  1. Permissions

    • ACLs
    • Inheritance
    • Delegation
    • Auditing

  2. Authentication

    • Kerberos
    • NTLM
    • Smart cards
    • Multi-factor

Security Features​

  1. Security Policies

    • Password policies
    • Account policies
    • Audit policies
    • Fine-grained policies

  2. Security Tools

    • Security templates
    • Security compliance
    • Best practices analyzer
    • Security baselines

Maintenance​

Backup and Recovery​

  1. Backup Strategy

    • System state
    • Active Directory
    • SYSVOL
    • Group Policy

  2. Recovery Options

    • Authoritative restore
    • Non-authoritative restore
    • Object recovery
    • Tombstone reanimation

Health Monitoring​

  1. Performance Monitoring

    • Performance counters
    • Resource usage
    • Bottleneck detection
    • Capacity planning

  2. Health Checks

    • DCDIAG
    • Replication
    • DNS
    • File system

Best Practices​

Design Guidelines​

  1. Architecture

    • Forest design
    • Domain design
    • OU structure
    • Naming conventions

  2. Implementation

    • Role placement
    • Site topology
    • Security model
    • Delegation model

Operations​

  1. Maintenance Tasks

    • Regular backups
    • Health checks
    • Updates
    • Documentation

  2. Change Management

    • Testing procedures
    • Implementation plans
    • Rollback procedures
    • Version control