Customer Reviews

Mission-Critical Active Directory: Architecting a Secure and Scalable Infrastructure (HP Technologies)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Everything that you ever wanted to know about AD but were afraid to ask! This book really gets down to the "nuts and bolts" level of Active Directory, yet it is surprisingly easy to read. The authors make even the more arcane topics of replication, kerberos authentication, and PKI easy to understand while still covering the subject matter at a depth and scope that even the most avid geek will appreciate.

It is not all theory, however. The book is full of practical information that will prove highly useful to IT professionals in both large and small enterprise settings (the stuff on DNS was some of the best I have read anywhere).

Worth every penny!

If you are looking for a superb book regarding Active Directory implementation in a real world environment of todays enterprise - this is what you need. You might not get the tips and tricks you are looking for if you want to become a MCSE but you get all the information you need if you have to build a scalable and secure Windows 2000 / Active Directory environment for your enterprise.

The Telecommunications Technology Program [URL] at Sheridan College seeks out the best books to support the courses. Along with books by Radia Perlmen, Christian Huitema, Geoff Huston, Stevens, Comer etc. we now include Balladelli and De Clercq. This book is the right mix of practical and conceptual information in a clear, thorough and very well edited package. From DDNS to PKI the book unravels AD by examining how it works and how it ties with standards. For the students, this book is a keeper and I know of no higher praise!

This book was a disappointment.

I really figured that since the title has the word "Infrastructure" in it, that the book might be about building an Active Directory infrastructure. It is actually a Windows2000 security book with some AD basics thrown in.

The book goes into medium level detail on DNS, replication, and some pretty good security topics including Kerberos, Group Security and PKI.

The comparison tables were somewhat helpful and the KCC section was pretty good. But for the most part, there is nothing new here - and nothing that one can't read on Microsoft's web site, or in any other MCSE book.

IMNSHO; Infrastructure issues that admins have problems with are with eliminating WINS, migrating DNS, establishing split DNS, multiple domains, and NT4 Member server migration not to mention Windows98 issues. I find it really hard to believe that Compaq had none of these issues during the migration process. The Migration section was absolutely paltry and poorly written.

My impression is that there were two distinct voices here; a non-technical project manager and a Windows Security person - neither of which are talking to an infrastructure engineer.

If you read the preface, it is apparent that the writers were very happy with their QTEST experiment, which I am guessing was mostly others (deClerq and company) with Ballidelli taking the credit.

Snore.

Stan Yarbrough
MCSE, CCDP, CCNP
Network Architect
North Highland
Tampa, FL

I have recently revisited this book (the focus is obviously Windows 2000 - so its getting a little long in the tooth..) - and all i can say is that i wish there was one for Windows 2003 and now, Windows 2008. DP/HP have great Exchange books and Windows Security books - but another AD book, like this one, would be most welcome. I design and deploy AD infrastructures regularly - and books like this, that have an excellent mix of design, and technical information are always timely - they really give you the technical confidence to converse with customers, and allow you to stamp your authority on this area of technical expertise.

There are a sea of Windows 2000 books out there but few go beyond the basics. Finally, a book that tackles the intricacies of Active Directory. This book is SUPERB! It is absolutely my favorite information source for Active Directory.