Lesson 1

This module discusses creating and administering Active Directory which introduces students to Active Directory. Active Directory is the replacement for the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) directory database found in Windows NT 4.0 and allows Windows Server 2016 and later to scale to millions of objects, breaking the 40,000 security object barrier found in the legacy version of Windows NT.
The course begins with an overview of Active Directory in which you will learn new terms and high-level concepts associated with Active Directory Domain Name Service (DNS) trees and forests, as well as the skills needed to develop a domain structure using Active Directory.
After exploring some basic Active Directory concepts, you will learn how

1. Active Directory domain controllers function in Windows Server 2019 environments,
2. how it is installed on a new domain controller,
3. and how a domain controller can take special roles to allow Windows Server machines to participate in a Windows 2000 domain.

You will explore the physical structures of Active Directory and learn how to implement the replication of Active Directory between domain controllers. You will also master the creation and configuration of "sites," which are an important element in the Windows 2000 domain replication process. You will also learn how to add and manage objects in Active Directory. After adding objects to Active Directory, you will be able to assign access controls to those objects. The level of control the administrator has over Active Directory objects has been greatly enhanced in Windows 2000. You can now customize security to fit your precise needs.

How amazing to look back and reflect on all of the big changes that have happened in technology over the past 25 years. In some ways, it seems that Y2K has just happened and everyone has been scrambling to make sure their DOS-based and green screen applications are prepared to handle four-digit date ranges. It seems unthinkable to us now that these systems could have been created in a way that was so short-sighted. Did we not think the world would make it to the year 2000? Today, we build technology with such a different perspective and focus. Everything is centralized, redundant, global, and cloud driven. Users expect 100% uptime, from wherever they are, on whatever device that happens to be sitting in front of them and the world has truly changed.
And as the world has changed, so has the world of technology infrastructure. This year, we are introduced to Microsoft's Windows Server 2016. Yes, we have officially rolled past the half-way marker of this decade and are quickly on our way to 2020, which has always sounded so futuristic. We are living in and beyond Doc and Marty's future, we are actually testing hoverboards, and even some of the wardrobe predictions given to us through cinema no longer seem so far-fetched.
From a user's perspective, a consumer of data, backend computing requirements are almost becoming irrelevant. Things such as maintenance windows, scheduled downtime, system upgrades, slowness due to a weak infrastructure and these items have to become invisible to the workforce. We are building our networks in ways that allow knowledgeworkers and developers to do their jobs without consideration for what is supporting their job functions. What do we use to support that level of reliability and resiliency? Our datacenters have not disappeared. Just because we use the words "cloud" and "private cloud" so often doesn't make it magic. What makes all of this centralized, "spin up what you need" mentality happen is still physical servers running in physical datacenters.
What drives the processing power of these datacenters for most companies in the world? Windows Server. In fact, I recently attended a Microsoft conference that had many talks and sessions about Azure, Microsoft's cloud resource center. Azure is enormous, offering us all kinds of technologies and leading the edge as far as cloud computing and security technologies. I was surprised in these talks to hear Windows Server 2016 being referenced time and time again. Why were Azure presenters talking about Server 2016? Because Windows Server 2016, the same Server 2016 that you will be installing into your datacenters is what underpins all of Azure. It is truly ready to service even the heaviest workloads, in the newest cloud-centric ways. Over the last handful of years, we have all become familiar with Software-Defined Computing, using virtualization technology to turn our server workloads into a software layer. Now we are hearing more and more about expanding on this idea with new technologies such as Software-Defined Networking and Software-Defined Storage, enhancing our ability to virtualize and share resources at a grand scale.

1. After completing the course, you will be able to:
2. Explain the relationship between the Active Directory structure and network organization, DNS, and group policy
3. Define the physical structure of Active Directory
4. Install Active Directory in a network
5. Configure the physical structure of Active Directory
6. Implement the physical structure of Active Directory
7. Populate Active Directory
8. Manage and administer Active Directory objects

• Windows Administration Series: This course is the first of five courses in the Windows 2000 to Windows 2003 Update. Certification Series.
• QuickChecks: QuickChecks are unscored opportunities for you to check your understanding of key points before you arrive at an exercise or quiz that is scored. You will encounter an icon that will display a brief question and then you will click again to see the correct answer in a short animated sequence.
• Problem Solver Exercises:
  To prepare you to pass the MCSE exam and to provide you an opportunity to practice what you learn within a context, we have created exercises throughout the series in which you apply your knowledge about Windows 2000 to various scenarios. Solutions to the Problem Solver exercise will be submitted to tutors although you should also consider using the discussion groups as a forum for sharing responses. First-time students: In the next lesson, you will learn about prerequisites to this course.