Customer Reviews

Active Directory: Designing, Deploying, and Running Active Directory, Fourth Edition

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a truly excellent book. Written by the person who headed up the largest Windows 2000 deployment (in Europe) to date, it not only covers the 'What' of Active Directory, but the 'How' and 'Why'. This includes not only the technical aspects of Active Directory but also the operational and business aspects that are all too rarely addressed in this kind of book,<consultantbabble intensity="religious fervour">but that absolutely have to be dealt with if any kind of ROI is to be realised from this technology</consultantbabble>.

If that isn't enough, the last part of the book shows how to roll your own scripts for adding users, querying the Active Directory etc.. Or as I prefer to think of it, repetitive tasks that you don't really want to go near the gui for. I have this book down as having 585 pages of solid fact, no filler, all examples kept short and focussing on the point in question.

This is an example of how technical books should be written - lots of hard fact with unambigous examples in a well-written style. If you have to go near Windows 2000 & the Active Directory (and I suspect one or two people may be in this position) then buy this book.

Update: I finished reading the book and though I still basically feel the same about the AD part, I have found that the scripting part is not too bad *IF* you have some prior scripting/programming experience (which I do), particularly with VB or VBS (which I do). Some of the scripts I have been able to modify and use in my job as a sys admin. Now, overall, I will bump my rating up from 2 stars to 3 stars. $31.47 with free shipping is not a bad deal for a half-decent book on AD with the bonus of several hundred pages on scripting. I guess you cant have your cake and eat it too  either you get a full-fledged AD book and a separate scripting book or you get this one and it does a half-decent job covering both topics. Additionally, the author, Robbie Allen, does respond to questions via e-mail in a prompt manner.
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First off, this book is not for beginners. Do not buy this book if you have no experience with or knowledge of Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Active Directory. That said, here is my review:

I'm more than 2/3 done reading this book and so far I cannot recommend it. The book is not practical enough for a real sys admin to use. For example, the section on sites mentions site transitivity a few times, but no where in that section could I find any instructions on how to actually activate or deactivate that feature. After researching the issue myself, I found that all there is to that is a simple check box. Also, the sections on replication, GCs, and DNS needs more "meat."

A few of the examples used in the book are just totally absurd and there are numerous little typographical errors throughout. Also, the ordering of the chapters are counterintuitive and some topics, such as GPOs, are covered in different, non-sequential, chapters of the book (the author does explain why that was done).

Right now I am finishing up the scripting section and have found numerous inconsistencies with the sample code and the references to it. In one example, the author states that the code will update phone numbers while the code is actually updating (or attempts to update) pager numbers. Contrary to the author's statement that you don't need previous programming experience to learn scripting with this book, some of the examples involve functions and other programming techniques that are way too advanced for novice scripters.

Conclusion:
If you want a practical book on AD, then get one geared towards MCSE certification - probably from Sybex. I even found the old Exam Cram book on AD to be rather useful and informative. I think the main goal of this book was to help the reader design an AD infrastructure, but it failed at that, as there was not enough "meat" in the book to cover that, and some of the examples were too absurd. The only part of the book that I did like was its decent explanation of AD object and attribute classes.

As for the scripting part, it's mediocre thus far. I've been supplementing that with the very well written and easy to follow Windows 2000 Scripting Guide, (...).

I have to agree with the majority of the reviewers that this is a wonderful book. A must read for serious 2000 Admins.

In response to the previous two bad reviews...

To the one who thought it was too technical. The reading would be hard to get through if you didn't have a solid background in Microsoft networking and Windows 2000 Server. If you don't know what a domain is, this book is not for you. If you don't understand what objects are, this book is not for you. Explaining that stuff would be a waste of time for the targeted audience. This book is not "Active Directory for Dummies" if such a thing even exists. This book assumes, as it should, that you have the base knowledge required to understand the depths of AD. I already had my 2000 MCSE before I even picked up this one. (For AD basics to intermediate skills, I used the Osborne book Windows 2000 Directory Services Administration. Another great book! **EDIT 7/24/02** Amazon has the title of this book mistyped as "Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure". A couple of people have e-mailed me about having problems finding the book. The direct link is http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/007212380X/)

This is not a beginner's manual. This is an in depth approach to AD, and does a wonderful job.

As for the one who said the book was based on RC 3. There were some changes from RC3 to the release version of Active Directory. However, this book has had at least 3 reprints with updates, and this has been mostly corrected in the version I have, dated November 2000 (I believe this is the most recent reprint)... That is a VERY short list for a techinical book.

If you're clueless when it comes to Microsoft networking and the basics of Windows 2000, don't pick this one up. If you know Microsoft networking and Windows 2000, this book is a MUST READ!!

Long before the official announcement of Windows 2000 I put on top of my shopping list a 'wish' for a book with extensive coverage of Active Directory that is suitable for intermedidate and experienced network administrator. My second wish on the list was the book that would cover ADSI scripting with windows scripting host. After some research on the web I picked up this book from O'Reilly expecting to be good (as usually the books from this publisher are) . I was wrong, this book is not only

good but truly excellent guide to Active Directory and ADSI scripting. Do I need to say that both my wishes come true with this single book!? Technical books like this one are rare, not only that author is an experienced user of technology that he is writing about he also knows how to explain complex topics (and AD is complex, believe me :-) with well-written style and illustrate the subject with relevant real-world examples. You'll not find 'sweet talk' and confusing examples in this book! I know that this book will be on my bookshelf for years to come.

Like a lot of other O'Reilly books, this one should really cost twice as much. Packed full of helpful information and not afraid to reveal Windows 2000's weakpoints, this book will pay for itself a hundred times over.

In addition to being up-to-date, you'll get some information in this book that you'll be hard-pressed to find in any other places. The most obvious example of this is the extensive coverage given to the Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI).

O'Reilly's Active Directory book should be made mandatory reading for anyone before deploying Windows 2000 and Active Directory. Put this one on your short list of "Must Reads" for W2K.

Are you an Active Directory Administrator? If you are, this book is for you. Authors Joe Richards, Robbie Allen and Alistair Lowe-Norris, have written an outstanding 3rd edition of a book that shows you how to deploy a scalable and reliable Active Directory (AD) infrastructure.

Richards, Allen and Lowe-Norris, begin by reviewing the evolution of the Microsoft NOS and some of the major features and benefits of AD. Then, they provide a high-level look at how objects are stored in AD and explain some of the internal structures and concepts that it relies on. The authors continue by reviewing the predefined Naming Contexts within AD, what it contained within each, and the purpose of Application Partitions. In addition, they give information on how the blueprints for each object and each object's attributes are stored in AD. The authors also detail how the actual replication process for data takes place between domain controllers. Then, the authors describe the importance of the Domain Name System and what it is used for within AD. Next, they give you a detailed introduction to the capabilities of both user profiles and Group Policy Objects. Next, the authors introduce the steps and techniques involved in properly preparing a design that reduces the number of domains and increases administrative control through the use of Organizational Units. Then, they show you how to design a representation of your physical infrastructure within AD to gain very fine-grained control over intrasite and intersite replication. The authors continue to explain how Group Policy Objects function in AD and how you can properly design an AD structure to make the most effective use of these functions. In addition, they describe how you can design effective security for all areas of your AD, in terms of both access to objects and their properties. In addition, they cover procedures for extending the classes and attributes in the AD schema. The authors also describe how you can back up and restore AD down to the object level or the entire directory. Then, the authors outline how you can upgrade your existing AD infrastructure to Windows Server 2003. Next, they outline the process to upgrade your existing AD to Windows Server 2003 R2. Then, they give you very basic guidelines on areas to think about when conducting a Windows NT 4.0 migration. The authors continue by covering some important AD--related issues when implementing Microsoft Exchange. In addition, they introduce AD Application Mode (ADAM), now included with Windows Server 2003 R2, along with information on some of the upgrades from the RTW version of ADAM. Finally, the authors start off by providing some background information on the .NET Framework and then dive into several examples using the System.DirectoryServices namespace with VB.NET.

As you can see from the preceding, this excellent book describes AD in depth. If you want a book that lays bare the design and management of an enterprise or departmental AD, you need look no further. This is the one!

This book is an excellent resource on Active Directory. The clear explanation of Data Replication is worth the price alone. Also, the information provided seems to sync up well with the W2k Server Resource Kit - a claim other W2k books I have purchased cannot make.

Robbie Allen and Joe Richards are two of the best and most knowledgeable Microsoft MVP's on the planet. When you see these two teaming up on a book you know that a great book is going to be the outcome and they have come through here.

What I really like about this book is that they give a really great overview of AD and they cover things that you just don't see in other books. ADAM is covered here, R2 is covered here, a very extensive scripting section is included, MIIS is covered. You get my point; these are things that you don't see in other Active Directory books.

Those subjects are covered but the meat and potatoes are also in the book. GPO's, Sites, DNS, Backups, design, and security are all covered. So you really do get a nice overview here.

Another thing that is also not mentioned in most reviews is the accessibility of the authors. I have emailed Robbie about his other books and I emailed Joe about a question I had about the ADAM section. Each time they have answered the emails. They are always willing to help and that is a huge bonus because it just enhances my knowledge of the subject.

I do want to add some caveats about this book. If you are looking for a book with a screen shot of every admin task performed in AD then this shouldn't be your sole book on the subject. This book does have a fair amount of screen shots (particularly the ADAM chapter) but some people really like step by step screen shots for every task. If you are that kind of learner then I would pick up Mark Minasi's mastering Windows 2000/03 book along with this book. If you are looking for an MCSE study guide then this is a good start but testing simulations should also be on your list if you are going for your MCSE.

Some quick suggestions for version 4. In the cookbook series every recipe seems to have an additional reference section that points to Microsoft articles. Some chapters have that in this book, it would be nice to see more of that. It would also be nice if a PDF version was available on CD or available for download after the book was purchased. I know that may hurt the bottom line so I understand why that is not done.

Keep up the great work and thanks again for this great book. I also recommend Robbie's Windows and AD cookbooks.

Mike Kline

This is a no nonsense book that goes into the details of Active Directory Design. I used this as part of my preparation for Windows 2000 Active Directory Admin (70-217) exam. It's for the adventurous sysadmin who is prepared to script and tinker with the AD. Replication, Scripting and GPO's get my top marks. This book is like all O'reilly books, written for enthusiasts by enthusiasts - You'll like it or hate it with a passion !!

I had the privilege of meeting Robbie Allen recently at an Active Directory Conference. His experience in designing and maintaining Active Directory at Cisco showed through both in his presentations and this fine new book from O'Reilly.

Features new to Windows 2003 are covered in this edition, and the tools and scripts mentioned and listed in the book have most or all been updated.

One of the problems with technical books is how fast they become obsolete, especially in the Windows NOS space. Robbie's book keeps pace with those changes and helps administrators plan for Windows 2003 and beyond.