Windows® Server 2003 Active Directory® Planning and Infrastructure


You will learn how to
  • Plan and design a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory (AD) enterprise
  • Build a precise and well-adapted Organizational Unit (OU) structure
  • Integrate your existing DNS with Windows Server 2003 DNS
  • Construct an optimal replication topology for your network and site layout
  • Define delegation of administration and design Group Policy deployment
  • Migrate from NT/2000 to Windows Server 2003 without interrupting your business flow

 

Course benefits

Windows Server 2003 provides a fully-featured and sophisticated directory to your enterprise. Planning the Active Directory is a crucial phase in moving to a Windows Server 2003 infrastructure. Choosing an appropriate migration path is a fundamental decision that requires strategic planning and implementation.

In this comprehensive hands-on course, you learn the essential skills needed to plan a solid and reliable Windows Server 2003 foundation and migrate from an existing Windows NT/2000 enterprise.

who should attend

This course is valuable for anyone migrating to a Windows Server 2003 infrastructure as an enterprise business solution. Course "Windows 2000," or  "Windows Server 2003," or equivalent experience is assumed.

Course content
WINDOWS SERVER 2003 OVERVIEW:
  • Benefits of the Active Directory
  • Analyzing interoperability requirements
PLANNING AND DESIGNING THE ACTIVE DIRECTORY
Designing the AD infrastructure
  • Defining an optimal naming strategy for forests, domains, OUs and sites
  • Building the forest root domain
  • Planning Organizational Units structures
  • Integrating the branch offices with the AD
  • Renaming domain controllers & domains
Planning the enterprise administration
  • Designing the envisioned IT model
  • Defining security for the delegation
  • Identifying constraints of Group Policies
ASSEMBLING FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS
Determining directory partitions
  • Identifying forest schema implications
  • Configuring application data partitions
  • Establishing Global Catalog fault-tolerance
Locating Domain Controller-specific roles
  • Dispatching Flexible Single Master Operations (FSMO) roles effectively
  • Transferring and seizing roles
Building an efficient DNS structure
  • Comparing private and public DNS roots
  • Integrating Windows Server 2003 DNS into your existing namespace
  • Identifying NetBIOS requirements
  • Investigating DNS updates by DHCP
  • Implementing AD-integrated DNS
CONSTRUCTING THE REPLICATION TOPOLOGY
Investigating Multimaster replication
  • Evaluating Update Sequence Numbers
  • Configuring sites, subnets, connection objects and bridgehead servers
  • Linking and bridging sites efficiently
Replication topology maximization
  • Taming and predicting the Knowledge Consistency Checker (KCC)
  • Determining site-link costs & periodicities
  • Comparing the transport protocols
AUTOMATING THE ADMINISTRATION
Securing AD objects
  • Leveraging multilevel inheritance
  • Making AD objects invisible to specific users or groups
Developing administrative categories
  • Creating the administrative hierarchy
  • Enabling universal group caching
Configuring workstations and servers with Group Policies
  • Fine tuning techniques: filtering, loopback control, overriding and blocking inheritance
  • Defining documentation templates
Installing & maintaining applications/OS
  • Implementing application deployment
  • Comparing system installation techniques
MERGING WITH WINDOWS NT/9x/2000
Integrating heterogeneous networks
  • Native mode vs. mixed mode domains
  • Raising domain forest functionality levels
  • AD client extensions for Windows NT/9x
  • Exploiting Kerberos trust relationships
Interacting with other environments
  • Connecting to UNIX and NetWare
  • Integrating with Exchange servers
MIGRATING TO WINDOWS SERVER 2003
Strategizing for a successful migration
  • Comparing the different migration paths
  • Designing a solid recovery plan
  • Remaining in mixed mode temporarily
  • Ensuring application compatibility
Achieving a seamless migration
  • Upgrading domain controllers reliably without interruption
  • Installing a password export server
  • Adapting accounts with SID-History
  • Leveraging the Active Directory Migration Tool V2 (ADMT)
  • Repairing a failed migration rapidly

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