Active Directory

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What is Active Directory?
An active directory is a directory structure used on Microsoft Windows based computers and servers to store
information and data about networks and domains. It is primarily used for online information and was originally created
in 1996. It was first used with Windows 2000.
An active directory (sometimes referred to as an AD) does a variety of functions including the ability to rovide
information on objects, helps organize these objects for easy retrieval and access, allows access by end users and
administrators and allows the administrator to set security up for the directory.
Active Directory is a hierarchical collection of network resources that can contain users, computers, printers, and other
Active Directories. Active Directory Services (ADS) allow administrators to handle and maintain all network resources
from a single location . Active Directory stores information and settings in a central database
What is LDAP?
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, or LDAP , is an application protocol for querying and modifying directory
services running over TCP/IP. Although not yet widely implemented, LDAP should eventually make it possible for almost
any application running on virtually any computer platform to obtain directory information, such as email addresses and
public keys. Because LDAP is an open protocol, applications need not worry about the type of server hosting the
directory.
Can you connect Active Directory to other 3rd-party Directory Services? Nam e a few options.
-Yes you can connect other vendors Directory Services with Microsoft’s version.
-Yes, you can use dirXML or LDAP to connect to other directories (ie. E-directory from Novell or NDS (Novel directory
System).
-Yes you can Connect Active Directory to other 3rd -party Directory Services such as dictonaries used by SAP, Domino
etc with the help of MIIS ( Microsoft Identity Integration Server )
Where is the AD database held? What other folders are related to AD?
AD Database is saved in %systemroot%/ntds. You can see other files also in this folder. These are the main files
controlling the AD structure
ntds.dit
edb.log
res1.log
res2.log
edb.chk
When a change is made to the Win2K database, triggering a write operation, Win2K records the transaction in the log file
(edb.log). Once written to the log file, the change is then written to the AD database. System performance determines how
fast the system writes the data to the AD database from the log file. Any time the system is shut down, all transactions
are saved to the database.

During the installation of AD, Windows creates two files: res1.log and res2.log. The initial size of each is 10MB. These files
are used to ensure that changes can be written to disk should the system run out of free disk space. The checkpoint file
(edb.chk) records transactions committed to the AD database (ntds.dit). During shutdown, a “shutdown” statement is
written to the edb.chk file. Then, during a reboot, AD determines that all transactions in the edb.log file have been
committed to the AD database. If, for some reason, the edb.chk file doesn’t exist on reboot or the shutdown statement
isn’t present, AD will use the edb.log file to update the AD database.
The last file in our list of files to know is the AD database itself, ntds.dit. By default, the file is located inNTDS, along with
the other files we’ve discussed
What is the SYSVOL folder?
- All active directory data base security related information store in SYSVOL folder and its only created on NTFS partition.
- The Sysvol folder on a Windows domain controller is used to replicate file-based data among domain controllers.
Because junctions are used within the Sysvol folder structure, Windows NT file system (NTFS) version 5.0 is required on
domain controllers throughout a Windows distributed file system (DFS) forest.
This is a quote from microsoft themselves, basically the domain controller info stored in files like your group policy stuff
is replicated through this folder structure
Nam e the AD NCs and replication issues for each NC
*Schema NC, *Configuration NC, Domain NC
Schem a NC This NC is replicated to every other domain controller in the forest. It contains information about the Active
Directory schema, which in turn defines the different object classes and attributes within Active Directory.
Configuration NC Also replicated to every other DC in the forest, this NC contains forest-wide configuration
information pertaining to the physical layout of Active Directory, as well as information about display specifiers and
forest-wide Active Directory quotas.
Dom ain NC This NC is replicated to every other DC within a single Active Directory domain. This is the NC that contains
the most commonly-accessed Active Directory data: the actual users, groups, computers, and other objects that reside
within a particular Active Directory domain.
What are application partitions? When do I use them
Application directory partitions: These are specific to Windows Server 2003 domains.
An application directory partition is a directory partition that is replicated only to specific domain controllers. A domain
controller that participates in the replication of a particular application directory partition hosts a replica of that partition.
Only Domain controllers running Windows Server 2003 can host a replica of an application directory partition.
How do you create a new application partition
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_create_a_new_application_partition
How do you view replication properties for AD partitions and DCs?
By using replication monitor
go to start > run > type replm on
What is the Global Catalog?

The global catalog contains a complete replica of all objects in Active Directory for its Host domain, and contains a partial
replica of all objects in Active Directory for every other domain in the forest.
The global catalog is a distributed data repository that contains a searchable, partial representation of every object in
every domain in a multidomain Active Directory forest. The global catalog is stored on domain controllers that have been
designated as global catalog servers and is distributed through multimaster replication. Searches that are directed to the
global catalog are faster because they do not involve referrals to different domain controllers.
In addition to configuration and schema directory partition replicas, every domain controller in a Windows 2000 Server
or Windows Server 2003 forest stores a full, writable replica of a single domain directory partition. Therefore, a domain
controller can locate only the objects in its domain. Locating an object in a different domain would require the user or
application to provide the domain of the requested object.
The global catalog provides the ability to locate objects from any domain without having to know the domain name. A
global catalog server is a domain controller that, in addition to its full, writable domain directory partition replica, also
stores a partial, read-only replica of all other domain directory partitions in the forest. The additional domain directory
partitions are partial because only a limited set of attributes is included for each object. By including only the attributes
that are most used for searching, every object in every domain in even the largest forest can be represented in the
database of a single global catalog server.
How do you view all the GCs in the forest?
C:>repadmin/showreps
domain_controller
OR
You can use Replmon.exe for the same purpose.
OR
AD Sites and Services and nslookup gc._msdcs.%USERDNSDOMAIN%
Why not m ake all DCs in a large forest as GCs?
The reason that all DCs are not GCs to start is that in large (or even Giant) forests the DCs would all have to hold a
reference to every object in the entire forest which could be quite large and quite a replication burden.
For a few hundred, or a few thousand users even, this not likely to matter unless you have really poor WAN lines.
Trying to look at the Schem a, how can I do that?
adsiedit.exe
option to view the schema
register schmmgmt.dll using this command
c:windowssystem32>regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll
Open mmc –> add snapin –> add Active directory schema
name it as schema.msc
Open administrative tool –> schema.msc

What are the Support Tools? Why do I need them ?
Support Tools are the tools that are used for performing the complicated tasks easily. These can also be the third party
tools. Some of the Support tools include DebugViewer, DependencyViewer, RegistryMonitor, etc. -edit by Casquehead I
beleive this question is reffering to the Windows Server 2003 Support Tools, which are included with Microsoft Windows
Server 2003 Service Pack 2. They are also available for download here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=96A35011-FD83-419D-939B-
A772EA2DF90&displaylang=en
You need them because you cannot properly manage an Active Directory network without them.
Here they are, it would do you well to familiarize yourself with all of them.
Acldiag.exe
Adsiedit.msc
Bitsadmin.exe
Dcdiag.exe
Dfsutil.exe
Dnslint.exe
Dsacls.exe
Iadstools.dll
Ktpass.exe
Ldp.exe
Netdiag.exe
Netdom.exe
Ntfrsutl.exe
Portqry.exe
Repadmin.exe
Replmon.exe
Setspn.exe
> What is REPLMON? What is ADSIEDIT? What is NETDOM? What is REPADMIN?
ADSIEdit is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that acts as a low-level editor for Active Directory. It is a
Graphical User Interface (GUI) tool. Network administrators can use it for common administrative tasks such as adding,
deleting, and moving objects with a directory service. The attributes for each object can be edited or deleted by using this
tool. ADSIEdit uses the ADSI application programming interfaces (APIs) to access Active Directory. The following are the
required files for using this tool:
· ADSIEDIT.DLL
· ADSIEDIT.MSC
Regarding system requirements, a connection to an Active Directory environment and Microsoft Management Console
(MMC) is necessary
A: Replm on is the first tool you should use when troubleshooting Active Directory replication issues. As it is a graphical
tool, replication issues are easy to see and somewhat easier to diagnose than using its command line counterparts. The
purpose of this document is to guide you in how to use it, list some common replication errors and show some

examples of when replication issues can stop other network installation actions.
for more go tohttp://www.techtutorials.net/articles/replmon_howto_a.html
NETDOM is a command-line tool that allows management of Windows domains and trust relationships. It is used for
batch management of trusts, joining computers to domains, verifying trusts, and secure channels
A:
Enables administrators to manage Active Directory domains and trust relationships from the command prompt.
Netdom is a command-line tool that is built into Windows Server 2008. It is available if you have the Active Directory
Domain Services (AD DS) server role installed. To use netdom , you must run the netdom command from an elevated
command prompt. To open an elevated command prompt, click Start, right-click Com m and Prom pt, and then
click Run as adm inistrator.
REPADMIN.EXE is a command line tool used to monitor and troubleshoot replication on a computer running Windows.
This is a command line tool that allows you to view the replication topology as seen from the perspective of each domain
controller.
REPADMIN is a built-in Windows diagnostic command-line utility that works at the Active Directory level. Although
specific to Windows, it is also useful for diagnosing some Exchange replication problems, since Exchange Server is Active
Directory based.
REPADMIN doesn’t actually fix replication problems for you. But, you can use it to help determine the source of a
malfunction.
What are sites? What are they used for?
Active directory sites, which consist of well-connected networks defined by IP subnets that help define the physical
structure of your AD, give you much better control over replication traffic and authentication traffic than the control you
get with Windows NT 4.0 domains.
Using Active Directory, the network and its objects are organized by constructs such as domains, trees, forests, trust
relationships, organizational units (OUs), and sites.
What’s the difference between a site link’s schedule and interval?
Schedule enables you to list weekdays or hours when the site link is available for replication to happen in the give interval.
Interval is the re occurrence of the inter site replication in given minutes. It ranges from 15 – 10,080 mins. The default
interval is 180 mins.
What is the KCC?
The KCC is a built-in process that runs on all domain controllers and generates replication topology for the
Active Directory forest. The KCC creates separate replication topologies depending on whether replication is occurring
within a site (intrasite) or between sites (intersite). The KCC also dynamically adjusts the topology to accommodate new
domain controllers, domain controllers moved to and from sites, changing costs and schedules, and domain controllers
that are temporarily unavailable.
What is the ISTG? Who has that role by default?
Intersite Topology Generator (ISTG), which is responsible for the connections among the sites. By default Windows 2003
Forest level functionality has this role. By Default the first Server has this role. If that server can no longer preform this

role then the next server with the highest GUID then takes over the role of ISTG.
What are the requirem ents for installing AD on a new server?
· An NTFS partition with enough free space (250MB minimum)
· An Administrator’s username and password
· The correct operating system version
· A NIC
· Properly configured TCP/IP (IP address, subnet mask and – optional – default gateway)
· A network connection (to a hub or to another computer via a crossover cable)
· An operational DNS server (which can be installed on the DC itself)
· A Domain name that you want to use
· The Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 CD media (or at least the i386 folder)
From the Petri IT Knowledge base. For more info, follow this link:
http://www.petri.co.il/active_directory_installation_requirements.htm
What can you do to prom ote a server to DC if you’re in a rem ote location with slow WAN link?
First available in Windows 2003, you will create a copy of the system state from an existing DC and copy it to the new
remote server. Run “Dcpromo /adv”. You will be prompted for the location of the system state files
How can you forcibly rem ove AD from a server, and what do you do later? • Can I get user passwords
from the AD database?
Demote the server using dcpromo /forceremoval, then remove the metadata from Active directory using ndtsutil. There
is no way to get user passwords from AD that I am aware of, but you should still be able to change them.
Another way out too
Restart the DC is DSRM mode
a. Locate the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlProductOptions
b. In the right-pane, double-clickProductType.
c. Type ServerNT in the Value data box, and then click OK.
Restart the server in normal mode
its a member server now but AD entries are still there. Promote teh server to a fake domain say ABC.com and then
remove gracefully using DCpromo. Else after restart you can also use ntdsutil to do metadata as told in teh earlier post

What tool would I use to try to grab security related packets from the wire?
you must use sniffer-detecting tools to help stop the snoops. … A good packet sniffer would be “ethereal”
www.ethereal.com
Nam e som e OU design considerations ?
OU design requires balancing requirements for delegating administrative rights – independent of Group Policy needs –
and the need to scope the application of Group Policy. The following OU design recommendations address delegation
and scope issues:
Applying Group Policy An OU is the lowest-level Active Directory container to which you can assign Group Policy
settings.
Delegating adm inistrative authority
usually don’t go more than 3 OU levels
What is tom bstone lifetim e attribute?
The number of days before a deleted object is removed from the directory services. This assists in removing objects
from replicated servers and preventing restores from reintroducing a deleted object. This value is in the Directory
Service object in the configuration NIC by default 2000 (60 days) 2003 (180 days)
What do you do to install a new Windows 2003 DC in a Windows 2000 AD?
If you plan to install windows 2003 server domain controllers into an existing windows 2000 domain or upgrade a
windows 2000 domain controllers to windows server 2003, you first need to run the Adprep.exe utility on the windows
2000 domain controllers currently holding the schema master and infrastructure master roles. The adprep / forestprer
command must first be issued on the windows 2000 server holding schema master role in the forest root doman to
prepare the existing schema to support windows 2003 active directory. The adprep /domainprep command must be
issued on the sever holding the infrastructure master role in the domain where 2000 server will be deployed.
What do you do to install a new Windows 2003 R2 DC in a Windows 2003 AD?
A. If you’re installing Windows 2003 R2 on an existing Windows 2003 server with SP1 installed, you require only the
second R2 CD-ROM. Insert the second CD and the r2auto.exe will display the Windows 2003 R2 Continue Setup screen.
If you’re installing R2 on a domain controller (DC), you must first upgrade the schema to the R2 version (this is a minor
change and mostly related to the new Dfs replication engine). To update the schema, run the Adprep utility, which you’ll
find in the Cmpnentsr2adprep folder on the second CD-ROM. Before running this command, ensure all DCs are
running Windows 2003 or Windows 2000 with SP2 (or later)
How would you find all users that have not logged on since last m onth?
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_would_you_find_all_users_that_have_not_logged_on_since_last_month
What are the DScom m ands?
New DS (Directory Service) Family of built-incom m and line utilities for Windows Server 2003 Active Directory
New DS built-in tools for Windows Server 2003
The DS (Directory Service) group of commands are split into two families. In one branch are DSadd, DSmod, DSrm and

DSMove and in the other branch are DSQuery and DSGet.
When it comes to choosing a scripting tool for Active Directory objects, you really are spoilt for choice. The the DS family
of built-in command line executables offer alternative strategies to CSVDE, LDIFDE and VBScript.
Let me introduce you to the members of the DS family:
DSadd – add Active Directory users and groups
DSmod – modify Active Directory objects
DSrm – to delete Active Directory objects
DSmove – to relocate objects
DSQuery – to find objects that match your query attributes
DSget – list the properties of an object
What are the FSMO roles? Who has them by default? What happens when each one fails?
FSMO stands for the Flexible single Master Operation
It has 5 Roles: -
Schem a Master:
The schema master domain controller controls all updates and modifications to the schema. Once the Schema update is
complete, it is replicated from the schema master to all other DCs in the directory. To update the schema of a forest, you
must have access to the schema master. There can be only one schema master in the whole forest.
Dom ain nam ing m aster:
The domain naming master domain controller controls the addition or removal of domains in the forest. This DC is the
only one that can add or remove a domain from the directory. It can also add or remove cross references to domains in
external directories. There can be only one domain naming master in the whole forest.
Infrastructure Master:
When an object in one domain is referenced by another object in another domain, it represents the reference by the GUID,
the SID (for references to security principals), and the DN of the object being referenced. The infrastructure FSMO role
holder is the DC responsible for updating an object’s SID and distinguished name in a cross-domain object reference. At
any one time, there can be only one domain controller acting as the infrastructure master in each domain.
Note: The Infrastructure Master (IM) role should be held by a domain controller that is not a Global Catalog server (GC). If
the Infrastructure Master runs on a Global Catalog server it will stop updating object information because it does not
contain any references to objects that it does not hold. This is because a Global Catalog server holds a partial replica of
every object in the forest. As a result, cross-domain object references in that domain will not be updated and a warning
to that effect will be logged on that DC’s event log. If all the domain controllers in a domain also host the global catalog,
all the domain controllers have the current data, and it is not important which domain controller holds the infrastructure
master role.
Relative ID (RID) Master:
The RID master is responsible for processing RID pool requests from all domain controllers in a particular domain. When
a DC creates a security principal object such as a user or group, it attaches a unique Security ID (SID) to the object. This
SID consists of a domain SID (the same for all SIDs created in a domain), and a relative ID (RID) that is unique for each

security principal SID created in a domain. Each DC in a domain is allocated a pool of RIDs that it is allowed to assign to
the security principals it creates. When a DC’s allocated RID pool falls below a threshold, that DC issues a request for
additional RIDs to the domain’s RID master. The domain RID master responds to the request by retrieving RIDs from the
domain’s unallocated RID pool and assigns them to the pool of the requesting DC. At any one time, there can be only one
domain controller acting as the RID master in the domain.
PDC Em ulator:
The PDC emulator is necessary to synchronize time in an enterprise. Windows 2000/2003 includes the W32Time
(Windows Time) time service that is required by the Kerberos authentication protocol. All Windows 2000/2003-based
computers within an enterprise use a common time. The purpose of the time service is to ensure that the Windows Time
service uses a hierarchical relationship that controls authority and does not permit loops to ensure appropriate common
time usage.
The PDC emulator of a domain is authoritative for the domain. The PDC emulator at the root of the forest becomes
authoritative for the enterprise, and should be configured to gather the time from an external source. All PDC FSMO role
holders follow the hierarchy of domains in the selection of their in-bound time partner.
:: In a Windows 2000/2003 domain, the PDC emulator role holder retains the following functions:
:: Password changes performed by other DCs in the domain are replicated preferentially to the PDC emulator.
Authentication failures that occur at a given DC in a domain because of an incorrect password are forwarded to the PDC
emulator before a bad password failure message is reported to the user.
Account lockout is processed on the PDC emulator.
Editing or creation of Group Policy Objects (GPO) is always done from the GPO copy found in the PDC Emulator’s SYSVOL
share, unless configured not to do so by the administrator.
The PDC emulator performs all of the functionality that a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server-based PDC or earlier PDC
performs for Windows NT 4.0-based or earlier clients.
This part of the PDC emulator role becomes unnecessary when all workstations, member servers, and domain
controllers that are running Windows NT 4.0 or earlier are all upgraded to Windows 2000/2003. The PDC emulator still
performs the other functions as described in a Windows 2000/2003 environment.
What FSMO placem ent considerations do you know of?
Windows 2000/2003 Active Directory domains utilize a Single Operation Master method called FSMO (Flexible Single
Master Operation), as described in Understanding FSMO Roles in Active Directory.
In most cases an administrator can keep the FSMO role holders (all 5 of them) in the same spot (or actually, on the same
DC) as has been configured by the Active Directory installation process. However, there are scenarios where an
administrator would want to move one or more of the FSMO roles from the default holder DC to a different DC.
Windows Server 2003 Active Directory is a bit different than the Windows 2000 version when dealing with FSMO
placement. In this article I will only deal with Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, but you should bear in mind that
most considerations are also true when planning Windows 2000 AD FSMO roles
What’s the difference between transferring a FSMO role and seizing one? Which one should you NOT
seize? Why?

Certain domain and enterprise-wide operations that are not good for multi-master updates are performed by a single
domain controller in an Active Directory domain or forest. The domain controllers that are assigned to perform these
unique operations are called operations masters or FSMO role holders.
The following list describes the 5 unique FSMO roles in an Active Directory forest and the dependent operations that they
perform:
Schema master – The Schema master role is forest-wide and there is one for each forest. This role is required to
extend the schema of an Active Directory forest or to run theadprep /dom ainprep command.
Domain naming master – The Domain naming master role is forest-wide and there is one for each forest. This role is
required to add or remove domains or application partitions to or from a forest.
RID master – The RID master role is domain-wide and there is one for each domain. This role is required to allocate the
RID pool so that new or existing domain controllers can create user accounts, computer accounts or security groups.
PDC emulator – The PDC emulator role is domain-wide and there is one for each domain. This role is required for the
domain controller that sends database updates to Windows NT backup domain controllers. The domain controller that
owns this role is also targeted by certain administration tools and updates to user account and computer account
passwords.
Infrastructure master – The Infrastructure master role is domain-wide and there is one for each domain. This role is
required for domain controllers to run the adprep /forestprep command successfully and to update SID attributes
and distinguished name attributes for objects that are referenced across domains.
The Active Directory Installation Wizard (Dcpromo.exe) assigns all 5 FSMO roles to the first domain controller in the
forest root domain. The first domain controller in each new child or tree domain is assigned the three domain-wide
roles. Domain controllers continue to own FSMO roles until they are reassigned by using one of the following methods:
An administrator reassigns the role by using a GUI administrative tool.
An administrator reassigns the role by using the ntdsutil /roles command.
An administrator gracefully demotes a role-holding domain controller by using the Active Directory Installation Wizard.
This wizard reassigns any locally-held roles to an existing domain controller in the forest. Demotions that are
performed by using thedcprom o /forcerem oval command leave FSMO roles in an invalid state until they are
reassigned by an administrator.
We recommend that you transfer FSMO roles in the following scenarios:
The current role holder is operational and can be accessed on the network by the new FSMO owner.
You are gracefully demoting a domain controller that currently owns FSMO roles that you want to assign to a specific
domain controller in your Active Directory forest.
The domain controller that currently owns FSMO roles is being taken offline for scheduled maintenance and you need
specific FSMO roles to be assigned to a “live” domain controller. This may be required to perform operations that
connect to the FSMO owner. This would be especially true for the PDC Emulator role but less true for the RID master
role, the Domain naming master role and the Schema master roles.
We recommend that you seize FSMO roles in the following scenarios:
The current role holder is experiencing an operational error that prevents an FSMO-dependent operation from
completing successfully and that role cannot be transferred.
A domain controller that owns an FSMO role is force-demoted by using the dcprom o /forcerem oval command.
The operating system on the computer that originally owned a specific role no longer exists or has been reinstalled.
As replication occurs, non-FSMO domain controllers in the domain or forest gain full knowledge of changes that are
made by FSMO-holding domain controllers. If you must transfer a role, the best candidate domain controller is one that
is in the appropriate domain that last inbound-replicated, or recently inbound-replicated a writable copy of the “FSMO

partition” from the existing role holder. For example, the Schema master role-holder has a distinguished name path of
CN=schema,CN=configuration,dc=<forest root domain>, and this mean that roles reside in and are replicated as part
of the CN=schema partition. If the domain controller that holds the Schema master role experiences a hardware or
software failure, a good candidate role-holder would be a domain controller in the root domain and in the same Active
Directory site as the current owner. Domain controllers in the same Active Directory site perform inbound replication
every 5 minutes or 15 seconds.
A domain controller whose FSMO roles have been seized should not be permitted to communicate with existing domain
controllers in the forest. In this scenario, you should either format the hard disk and reinstall the operating system on
such domain controllers or forcibly demote such domain controllers on a private network and then remove their
metadata on a surviving domain controller in the forest by using the ntdsutil /m etadata cleanup command. The risk
of introducing a former FSMO role holder whose role has been seized into the forest is that the original role holder may
continue to operate as before until it inbound-replicates knowledge of the role seizure. Known risks of two domain
controllers owning the same FSMO roles include creating security principals that have overlapping RID pools, and other
problems.
Transfer FSMO roles
To transfer the FSMO roles by using the Ntdsutil utility, follow these steps:
1. Log on to a Windows 2000 Server-based or Windows Server 2003-based member computer or domain controller that
is located in the forest where FSMO roles are being transferred. We recommend that you log on to the domain
controller that you are assigning FSMO roles to. The logged-on user should be a member of the Enterprise
Administrators group to transfer Schema master or Domain naming master roles, or a member of the Domain
Administrators group of the domain where the PDC emulator, RID master and the Infrastructure master roles are being
transferred.
2. Click Start, click Run, type ntdsutil in theOpen box, and then click OK.
3. Type roles, and then press ENTER.Note To see a list of available commands at any one of the prompts in the Ntdsutil
utility, type ?, and then press ENTER.
4. Type connections, and then press ENTER.
5. Type connect to server servername, and then press ENTER, where servername is the name of the domain controller you
want to assign the FSMO role to.
6. At the server connections prompt, type q, and then press ENTER.
7. Type transfer role, where role is the role that you want to transfer. For a list of roles that you can transfer, type ? at
the fsm o m aintenance prompt, and then press ENTER, or see the list of roles at the start of this article. For example,
to transfer the RID master role, type transfer rid master. The one exception is for the PDC emulator role, whose syntax
is transfer pdc, not transfer pdc emulator.
8. At the fsm o m aintenance prompt, type q, and then press ENTER to gain access to thentdsutil prompt. Type q, and
then press ENTER to quit the Ntdsutil utility.
Seize FSMO roles
To seize the FSMO roles by using the Ntdsutil utility, follow these steps:
1. Log on to a Windows 2000 Server-based or Windows Server 2003-based member computer or domain controller that
is located in the forest where FSMO roles are being seized. We recommend that you log on to the domain controller that
you are assigning FSMO roles to. The logged-on user should be a member of the Enterprise Administrators group to
transfer schema or domain naming master roles, or a member of the Domain Administrators group of the domain
where the PDC emulator, RID master and the Infrastructure master roles are being transferred.
2. Click Start, click Run, type ntdsutil in theOpen box, and then click OK.
3. Type roles, and then press ENTER.

4. Type connections, and then press ENTER.
5. Type connect to server servername, and then press ENTER, where servername is the name of the domain controller
that you want to assign the FSMO role to.
6. At the server connections prompt, type q, and then press ENTER.
7. Type seize role, where role is the role that you want to seize. For a list of roles that you can seize, type ? at the fsm o
m aintenanceprompt, and then press ENTER, or see the list of roles at the start of this article. For example, to seize the
RID master role, type seize rid master. The one exception is for the PDC emulator role, whose syntax is seize pdc, not
seize pdc emulator.
8. At the fsm o m aintenance prompt, type q, and then press ENTER to gain access to thentdsutil prompt. Type q, and
then press ENTER to quit the Ntdsutil utility.Notes
Under typical conditions, all five roles must be assigned to “live” domain controllers in the forest. If a domain
controller that owns a FSMO role is taken out of service before its roles are transferred, you must seize all roles
to an appropriate and healthy domain controller. We recommend that you only seize all roles when the other
domain controller is not returning to the domain. If it is possible, fix the broken domain controller that is
assigned the FSMO roles. You should determine which roles are to be on which remaining domain controllers
so that all five roles are assigned to a single domain controller. For more information about FSMO role
placement, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 223346
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223346/) FSMO placement and optimization on Windows 2000 domain
controllers
If the domain controller that formerly held any FSMO role is not present in the domain and if it has had its roles
seized by using the steps in this article, remove it from the Active Directory by following the procedure that is
outlined in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article: 216498
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216498/) How to remove data in active directory after an unsuccessful
domain controller demotion
Removing domain controller metadata with the Windows 2000 version or the Windows Server 2003 build 3790
version of the ntdsutil /m etadata cleanup command does not relocate FSMO roles that are assigned to live
domain controllers. The Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) version of the Ntdsutil utility automates this
task and removes additional elements of domain controller metadata.
Some customers prefer not to restore system state backups of FSMO role-holders in case the role has been
reassigned since the backup was made.
Do not put the Infrastructure master role on the same domain controller as the global catalog server. If the
Infrastructure master runs on a global catalog server it stops updating object information because it does not
contain any references to objects that it does not hold. This is because a global catalog server holds a partial
replica of every object in the forest.
To test whether a domain controller is also a global catalog server:
1. Click Start, point to Program s, point toAdm inistrative Tools, and then clickActive Directory Sites and
Services.
2. Double-click Sites in the left pane, and then locate the appropriate site or click Default-first-site-nam e if no other
sites are available.
3. Open the Servers folder, and then click the domain controller.
4. In the domain controller’s folder, double-click NTDS Settings.
5. On the Action menu, click Properties.
6. On the General tab, view the Global Catalog check box to see if it is selected.
For more information about FSMO roles, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
How do you configure a “stand-by operation m aster” for any of the roles?
1. Open Active Directory Sites and Services.
2. Expand the site name in which the standby operations master is located to display theServers folder.

3. Expand the Servers folder to see a list of the servers in that site.
4. Expand the name of the server that you want to be the standby operations master to display its NTDS Settings.
5. Right-click NTDS Settings, click New, and then click Connection.
6. In the Find Dom ain Controllers dialog box, select the name of the current role holder, and then click OK.
7. In the New Object-Connection dialog box, enter an appropriate name for the Connection object or accept the
default name, and click OK.
How do you backup AD?
Backing up Active Directory is essential to maintain an Active Directory database. You can back up Active Directory by
using the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and command-line tools that the Windows Server 2003 family provides.
You frequently backup the system state data on domain controllers so that you can restore the most current data. By
establishing a regular backup schedule, you have a better chance of recovering data when necessary.
To ensure a good backup includes at least the system state data and contents of the system disk, you must be aware of
the tombstone lifetime. By default, the tombstone is 60 days. Any backup older than 60 days is not a good backup. Plan
to backup at least two domain controllers in each domain, one of at least one backup to enable an authoritative restore of
the data when necessary.
System State Data
Several features in the windows server 2003 family make it easy to backup Active Directory. You can backup Active
Directory while the server is online and other network function can continue to function.
System state data on a domain controller includes the following components:
Active Directory system state data does not contain Active Directory unless the server, on which you are backing up the
system state data, is a domain controller. Active Directory is present only on domain controllers.
The SYSVOL shared folder: This shared folder contains Group policy templates and logon scripts. The SYSVOL
shared folder is present only on domain controllers.
The Registry: This database repository contains information about the computer’s configuration.
System startup files: Windows Server 2003 requires these files during its initial startup phase. They include the boot
and system files that are under windows file protection and used by windows to load, configure, and run the operating
system.
The COM+ Class Registration database: The Class registration is a database of information about Component
Services applications.
The Certificate Services database: This database contains certificates that a server running Windows server 2003
uses to authenticate users. The Certificate Services database is present only if the server is operating as a certificate
server.
System state data contains most elements of a system’s configuration, but it may not include all of the information that
you require recovering data from a system failure. Therefore, be sure to backup all boot and system volumes, including
the System State, when you back up your server.
Restoring Active Directory
In Windows Server 2003 family, you can restore the Active Directory database if it becomes corrupted or is destroyed

because of hardware or software failures. You must restore the Active Directory database when objects in Active
Directory are changed or deleted.
Active Directory restore can be performed in several ways. Replication synchronizes the latest changes from every other
replication partner. Once the replication is finished each partner has an updated version of Active Directory. There is
another way to get these latest updates by Backup utility to restore replicated data from a backup copy. For this restore
you don’t need to configure again your domain controller or no need to install the operating system from scratch.
Active Directory Restore Methods
You can use one of the three methods to restore Active Directory from backup media: primary restore, normal (non
authoritative) restore, and authoritative restore.
Primary restore: This method rebuilds the first domain controller in a domain when there is no other way to rebuild the
domain. Perform a primary restore only when all the domain controllers in the domain are lost, and you want to rebuild
the domain from the backup.
Members of Administrators group can perform the primary restore on local computer, or user should have been
delegated with this responsibility to perform restore. On a domain controller only Domain Admins can perform this
restore.
Normal restore: This method reinstates the Active Directory data to the state before the backup, and then updates the
data through the normal replication process. Perform a normal restore for a single domain controller to a previously
known good state.
Authoritative restore: You perform this method in tandem with a normal restore. An authoritative restore marks specific
data as current and prevents the replication from overwriting that data. The authoritative data is then replicated through
the domain.
Perform an authoritative restore individual object in a domain that has multiple domain controllers. When you perform
an authoritative restore, you lose all changes to the restore object that occurred after the backup. Ntdsutil is a command
line utility to perform an authoritative restore along with windows server 2003 system utilities. The Ntdsutil command-
line tool is an executable file that you use to mark Active Directory objects as authoritative so that they receive a higher
version recently changed data on other domain controllers does not overwrite system state data during replication.
How do you restore AD?
Restoring Active Directory :
In Windows Server 2003 family, you can restore the Active Directory database if it becomes corrupted or is destroyed
because of hardware or software failures. You must restore the Active Directory database when objects in Active
Directory are changed or deleted.
Active Directory restore can be performed in several ways. Replication synchronizes the latest changes from every other
replication partner. Once the replication is finished each partner has an updated version of Active Directory. There is
another way to get these latest updates by Backup utility to restore replicated data from a backup copy. For this restore
you don’t need to configure again your domain controller or no need to install the operating system from scratch.
Active Directory Restore Methods
You can use one of the three methods to restore Active Directory from backup media: primary restore, normal (non
authoritative) restore, and authoritative restore.
Prim ary restore: This method rebuilds the first domain controller in a domain when there is no other way to rebuild
the domain. Perform a primary restore only when all the domain controllers in the domain are lost, and you want to

rebuild the domain from the backup.
Members of Administrators group can perform the primary restore on local computer, or user should have been
delegated with this responsibility to perform restore. On a domain controller only Domain Admins can perform this
restore.
Norm al restore: This method reinstates the Active Directory data to the state before the backup, and then updates the
data through the normal replication process. Perform a normal restore for a single domain controller to a previously
known good state.
Authoritative restore: You perform this method in tandem with a normal restore. An authoritative restore marks
specific data as current and prevents the replication from overwriting that data. The authoritative data is then replicated
through the domain.
Perform an authoritative restore individual object in a domain that has multiple domain controllers. When you perform
an authoritative restore, you lose all changes to the restore object that occurred after the backup. Ntdsutil is a command
line utility to perform an authoritative restore along with windows server 2003 system utilities. The Ntdsutil command-
line tool is an executable file that you use to mark Active Directory objects as authoritative so that they receive a higher
version recently changed data on other domain controllers does not overwrite system state data during replication.
METHOD
A.
You can’t restore Active Directory (AD) to a domain controller (DC) while the Directory Service (DS) is running. To restore
AD, perform the following steps.
Reboot the computer.
At the boot menu, select Windows 2000 Server. Don’t press Enter. Instead, press F8 for advanced options. You’ll see the
following text. OS Loader V5.0
Windows NT Advanced Options Menu
Please select an option:
Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Networking
Safe Mode with Command Prompt
Enable Boot Logging
Enable VGA Mode
Last Known Good Configuration
Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows NT domain controllers only)
Debugging Mode
Use | and | to move the highlight to your choice.
Press Enter to choose.
Scroll down, and select Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows NT domain controllers only).
Press Enter.
When you return to the Windows 2000 Server boot menu, press Enter. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see in red text
Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows NT domain controllers only).
The computer will boot into a special safe mode and won’t start the DS. Be aware that during this time the machine won’t
act as a DC and won’t perform functions such as authentication.
Start NT Backup.

Select the Restore tab.
Select the backup media, and select System State.
Click Start Restore.
Click OK in the confirmation dialog box.
After you restore the backup, reboot the computer and start in normal mode to use the restored information. The
computer might hang after the restore completes; Sometimes it takes a 30-minute wait on some machines.
How do you change the DS Restore adm in password?
When you promote a Windows 2000 Server-based computer to a domain controller, you are prompted to type a
Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator password. This password is also used by Recovery Console, and is
separate from the Administrator password that is stored in Active Directory after a completed promotion.
The Administrator password that you use when you start Recovery Console or when you press F8 to start Directory
Service Restore Mode is stored in the registry-based Security Accounts Manager (SAM) on the local computer. The SAM is
located in theSystem32Config folder. The SAM-based account and password are computer specific and they are not
replicated to other domain controllers in the domain.
For ease of administration of domain controllers or for additional security measures, you can change the Administrator
password for the local SAM. To change the local Administrator password that you use when you start Recovery Console
or when you start Directory Service Restore Mode, use the following method.
1. Log on to the computer as the administrator or a user who is a member of the Administrators group. 2. Shut down the
domain controller on which you want to change the password. 3. Restart the computer. When the selection menu screen
is displayed during restar, press F8 to view advanced startup options. 4. Click the Directory Service Restore
Mode option. 5. After you log on, use one of the following methods to change the local Administrator password: • At a
command prompt, type the following command:
net user adm inistrator
• Use the Local User and Groups snap-in (Lusrmgr.msc) to change the Administrator password. 6. Shut down and
restart the computer. You can now use the Administrator account to log on to Recovery Console or Directory Services
Restore Mode using the new password.
Why can’t you restore a DC that was backed up 4 m onths ago?
Because of the tombstone life which is set to only 60 days
What are GPOs?
Group Policy gives you administrative control over users and computers in your network. By using Group Policy, you can
define the state of a user’s work environment once, and then rely on Windows Server 2003 to continually force the Group
Policy settings that you apply across an entire organization or to specific groups of users and computers.
Group Policy Advantages
You can assign group policy in domains, sites and organizational units.
All users and computers get reflected by group policy settings in domain, site and organizational unit.
No one in network has rights to change the settings of Group policy; by default only administrator has full privilege to
change, so it is very secure.
Policy settings can be removed and can further rewrite the changes.
Where GPO’s store Group Policy Information
Group Policy objects store their Group Policy information in two locations:

Group Policy Container: The GPC is an Active Directory object that contains GPO status, version information, WMI filter
information, and a list of components that have settings in the GPO. Computers can access the GPC to locate Group
Policy templates, and domain controller does not have the most recent version of the GPO, replication occurs to obtain
the latest version of the GPO.
Group Policy Template: The GPT is a folder hierarchy in the shared SYSVOL folder on a domain controller. When you
create GPO, Windows Server 2003 creates the corresponding GPT which contains all Group Policy settings and
information, including administrative templates, security, software installation, scripts, and folder redirection settings.
Computers connect to the SYSVOL folder to obtain the settings.
The name of the GPT folder is the Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) of the GPO that you created. It is identical to the GUID
that Active Directory uses to identify the GPO in the GPC. The path to the GPT on a domain controller is
systemrootSYSVOLsysvol.
Managing GPOs
To avoid conflicts in replication, consider the selection of domain controller, especially because the GPO data resides in
SYSVOL folder and the Active Directory. Active Directory uses two independent replication techniques to replicate GPO
data among all domain controllers in the domain. If two administrator’s changes can overwrite those made by other
administrator, depends on the replication latency. By default the Group Policy Management console uses the PDC
Emulator so that all administrators can work on the same domain controller.
WMI Filter
WMI filters is use to get the current scope of GPOs based on attributes of the user or computer. In this way, you can
increase the GPOs filtering capabilities beyond the security group filtering mechanisms that were previously available.
Linking can be done with WMI filter to a GPO. When you apply a GPO to the destination computer, Active Directory
evaluates the filter on the destination computer. A WMI filter has few queries that active Directory evaluates in place of
WMI repository of the destination computer. If the set of queries is false, Active Directory does not apply the GPO. If set of
queries are true, Active Directory applies the GPO. You write the query by using the WMI Query Language (WQL); this
language is similar to querying SQL for WMI repository.
Planning a Group Policy Strategy for the Enterprise
When you plan an Active Directory structure, create a plan for GPO inheritance, administration, and deployment that
provides the most efficient Group Policy management for your organization.
Also consider how you will implement Group Policy for the organization. Be sure to consider the delegation of authority,
separation of administrative duties, central versus decentralized administration, and design flexibility so that your plan
will provide for ease of use as well as administration.
Planning GPOs
Create GPOs in way that provides for the simplest and most manageable design — one in which you can use inheritance
and multiple links.
Guidelines for Planning GPOs
Apply GPO settings at the highest level: This way, you take advantage of Group Policy inheritance. Determine what
common GPO settings for the largest container are starting with the domain and then link the GPO to this container.
Reduce the number of GPOs: You reduce the number by using multiple links instead of creating multiple identical GPOs.
Try to link a GPO to the broadest container possible level to avoid creating multiple links of the same GPO at a deeper
level.
Create specialized GPOs: Use these GPOs to apply unique settings when necessary. GPOs at a higher level will not apply
the settings in these specialized GPOs.
Disable computer or use configuration settings: When you create a GPO to contain settings for only one of the two levels-

user and computer-disable the logon and prevents accidental GPO settings from being applied to the other area.
What is the order in which GPOs are applied?
Local, Site, Domain, OU
Group Policy settings are processed in the following order:
1:- Local Group Policy object-each computer has exactly one Group Policy object that is stored locally. This processes
for both computer and user Group Policy processing.
2:- Site-Any GPOs that have been linked to the site that the computer belongs to are processed next. Processing is in the
order that is specified by the administrator, on the Linked Group Policy Objects tab for the site in Group Policy
Management Console (GPMC). The GPO with the lowest link order is processed last, and therefore has the highest
precedence.
3:- Domain-processing of multiple domain-linked GPOs is in the order specified by the administrator, on the Linked
Group Policy Objects tab for the domain in GPMC. The GPO with the lowest link order is processed last, and therefore has
the highest precedence.
4:- Organizational units-GPOs that are linked to the organizational unit that is highest in the Active Directory hierarchy
are processed first, then GPOs that are linked to its child organizational unit, and so on. Finally, the GPOs that are linked
to the organizational unit that contains the user or computer are processed.
At the level of each organizational unit in the Active Directory hierarchy, one, many, or no GPOs can be linked. If several
GPOs are linked to an organizational unit, their processing is in the order that is specified by the administrator, on the
Linked Group Policy Objects tab for the organizational unit in GPMC. The GPO with the lowest link order is processed last,
and therefore has the highest precedence.
This order means that the local GPO is processed first, and GPOs that are linked to the organizational unit of which the
computer or user is a direct member are processed last, which overwrites settings in the earlier GPOs if there are
conflicts. (If there are no conflicts, then the earlier and later settings are merely aggregated.)
Nam e a few benefits of using GPMC.
Microsoft released the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) years ago, which is an amazing innovation in Group
Policy management. The tool provides control over Group Policy in the following manner:
Easy administration of all GPOs across the entire Active Directory Forest
View of all GPOs in one single list
Reporting of GPO settings, security, filters, delegation, etc.
Control of GPO inheritance with Block Inheritance, Enforce, and Security Filtering
Delegation model
Backup and restore of GPOs
Migration of GPOs across different domains and forests
With all of these benefits, there are still negatives in using the GPMC alone. Granted, the GPMC is needed and should be
used by everyone for what it is ideal for. However, it does fall a bit short when you want to protect the GPOs from the
following:

Role based delegation of GPO management
Being edited in production, potentially causing damage to desktops and servers
Forgetting to back up a GPO after it has been modified
Change management of each modification to every GPO
How can you determ ine what GPO was and was not applied for a user? Nam e a few ways to do that.
Simply use the Group Policy Management Console created by MS for that very purpose, allows you to run simulated
policies on computers or users to determine what policies are enforced. Link in sources
What are adm inistrative tem plates?
Adm inistrative Tem plates are a feature ofGroup Policy, a Microsoft technology for centralised management of
machines and users in an Active Directory environment.
Administrative Templates facilitate the management of registry-based policy. An ADM file is used to describe both the
user interface presented to the Group Policy administrator and the registry keys that should be updated on the target
machines. An ADM file is a text file with a specific syntax which describes both the interface and the registry values which
will be changed if the policy is enabled or disabled.
ADM files are consumed by the Group Policy Object Editor (GPEdit). Windows XP Service Pack 2 shipped with five ADM files
(system.adm, inetres.adm, wmplayer.adm, conf.adm and wuau.adm). These are merged into a unified “namespace” in
GPEdit and presented to the administrator under the Administrative Templates node (for both machine and user policy).
What’s the difference between software publishing and assigning?
ANS An administrator can either assign or publish software applications.
Assign Users
The software application is advertised when the user logs on. It is installed when the user clicks on the software
application icon via the start menu, or accesses a file that has been associated with the software application.
Assign Com puters
The software application is advertised and installed when it is safe to do so, such as when the computer is next restarted.
Publish to users
The software application does not appear on the start menu or desktop. This means the user may not know that the
software is available. The software application is made available via the Add/Remove Programs option in control panel, or
by clicking on a file that has been associated with the application. Published applications do not reinstall themselves in
the event of accidental deletion, and it is not possible to publish to computers.
Can I deploy non-MSI software with GPO?
How to create a third-party Microsoft
Installer package
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257718/
You want to standardize the desktop environm ents (wallpaper, My Docum ents, Start m enu, printers
etc.) on the com puters in one departm ent. How would you do that?
Login on client as Domain Admin user change whatever you need add printers etc go to system-User profiles copy this

user profile to any location by select Everyone in permitted to use after copy change ntuser.dat to ntuser.man and assgin
this path under user profile

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What is domain?
Windows NT and Windows 2000, a domain is a set of network resources (applications, printers, and so forth) for a group of
users. The user needs only to log in to the domain to gain access to the resources, which may be located on a number of
different servers in the network. The ‘domain’ is simply your computer address not to confuse with an URL. A domain
address might look something like 211.170.469.
>What is domain controller?
A Domain controller (DC) is a server that responds to security authentication requests (logging in, checking permissions,
etc.) within the Windows Server domain. A domain is a concept introduced in Windows NT whereby a user may be granted
access to a number of computer resources with the use of a single username and password combination.
>What is LDAP?
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol LDAP is the industry standard directory access protocol, making Active Directory
widely accessible to management and query applications. Active Directory supports LDAPv3 and LDAPv2.
>What is KCC?
KCC (knowledge consistency checker) is used to generate replication topology for inter site replication and for intra-site
replication. Within a site replication traffic is done via remote procedure calls over ip, while between sites it is done through
either RPC or SMTP.
>Where is the AD database held? What other folders are related to AD?
The AD data base is store in c:windowsntdsNTDS.DIT.
>What is the SYSVOL folder?
The sysVOL folder stores the server’s copy of the domain’s public files. The contents such as group policy, users etc of the
sysvol folder are replicated to all domain controllers in the domain.
>Where are the Windows NT Primary Domain Controller (PDC) and its Backup Domain Controller (BDC) in Server 2003?
The Active Directory replaces them. Now all domain controllers share a multi master peer-to-peer read and write
relationship that hosts copies of the Active Directory.
>Cannot create a new universal user group. Why?
Universal groups are allowed only in native-mode Windows Server 2003 environments. Native mode requires that all
domain controllers be promoted to Windows Server 2003 Active Directory.
>What is LSDOU?
Its group policy inheritance model, where the policies are applied to Local machines, Sites, Domains
and Organizational Units.
>Why doesn’t LSDOU work under Windows NT?
If the NTConfig.pol file exists, it has the highest priority among the numerous policies.
>How many number of permitted unsuccessful logons on Administrator account? Unlimited. Remember, though, that it’s
the Administrator account, not any account that’s part of the Administrators group.
> What’s the difference between guest accounts in Server 2003 and other editions?
More restrictive in Windows Server 2003.
> How many passwords by default are remembered when you check “Enforce Password History Remembered”?
User’s last 6 passwords.
> Can GC Server and Infrastructure place in single server?
No, As Infrastructure master does the same job as the GC. It does not work together.

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> Which is service in your windows is responsible for replication of Domain controller to another domain controller.
KCC generates the replication topology.
Use SMTP / RPC to replicate changes.

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> What Intrasite and Intersite Replication?
Intrasite is the replication within the same site & intersite the replication between sites.
> What is lost & found folder in ADS?
It’s the folder where you can find the objects missed due to conflict.
Ex: you created a user in OU which is deleted in other DC & when replication happed ADS didn’t find the OU then it will put
that in Lost & Found Folder.
> What is Garbage collection?
Garbage collection is the process of the online defragmentation of active directory. It happens every 12 Hours.
> What System State data contains?
Contains Startup files,
Registry
Com + Registration Database
Memory Page file
System files
AD information
Cluster Service information
SYSVOL Folder
>What is the difference between Windows 2000 Active Directory and Windows 2003 Active Directory? Is there any
difference in 2000 Group Polices and 2003 Group Polices? What is meant by ADS and ADS services in Windows 2003?
Windows 2003 Active Directory introduced a number of new security features, as well as convenience features such as the
ability to rename a domain controller and even an entire domain
Windows Server 2003 also introduced numerous changes to the default settings that can be affected by Group Policy – you
can see a detailed list of each available setting and which OS is required to support it by downloading the Group Policy
Settings Reference.
ADS stands for Automated Deployment Services, and is used to quickly roll out identically-configured servers in large-scale
enterprise environments. You can get more information from the ADS homepage.
>I want to setup a DNS server and Active Directory domain. What do I do first? If I install the DNS service first and name
the zone ‘name.org’ can I name the AD domain ‘name.org’ too?
Not only can you have a DNS zone and an Active Directory domain with the same name, it’s actually the preferred way to go if
at all possible. You can install and configure DNS before installing Active Directory, or you can allow the Active Directory
Installation Wizard (dcpromo) itself install DNS on your server in the background.
>How do I determine if user accounts have local administrative access?
You can use the net local group administrators command on each workstation (probably in a login script so that it records its
information to a central file for later review). This command will enumerate the members of the Administrators group on
each machine you run it on. Alternately, you can use the Restricted Groups feature of Group Policy to restrict the membership
of Administrators to only those users you want to belong.
>Why am I having trouble printing with XP domain users?
In most cases, the inability to print or access resources in situations like this one will boil down to an issue with name
resolution, either DNS or WINS/NetBIOS. Be sure that your Windows XP clients’ wireless connections are configured with
the correct DNS and WINS name servers, as well as with the appropriate NetBIOS over TCP/IP settings. Compare your
wireless settings to your wired LAN settings and look for any discrepancies that may indicate where the functional difference
may lie.
>What is the ISTG? Who has that role by default?

Windows 2000 Domain controllers each create Active Directory Replication connection objects representing inbound
replication from intra-site replication partners. For inter-site replication, one domain controller per site has the responsibility
of evaluating the inter-site replication topology and creating Active Directory Replication Connection objects for appropriate
bridgehead servers within its site. The domain controller in each site that owns this role is referred to as the Inter-Site
Topology Generator (ISTG).

>What is difference between Server 2003 vs 2008?
1. Virtualization. (Windows Server 2008 introduces Hyper-V (V for Virtualization) but only on 64bit versions. More and more
companies are seeing this as a way of reducing hardware costs by running several ‘virtual’ servers on one physical
machine.)
2. Server Core (provides the minimum installation required to carry out a specific server role, such as for a DHCP, DNS or
print server)
3. Better security.
4. Role-based installation.
5. Read Only Domain Controllers (RODC).
6. Enhanced terminal services.
7. Network Access Protection – Microsoft’s system for ensuring that clients connecting to Server 2008 are patched, running a
firewall and in compliance with corporate security policies.
8. Power Shell – Microsoft’s command line shell and scripting language has proved popular with some server
administrators.
9. IIS 7.
10. Bit locker – System drive encryption can be a sensible security measure for servers located in remote branch offices. The
main difference between 2003 and 2008 is Virtualization, management. 2008 has more in-build components and updated
third party drivers.
11. Windows Aero.
>What are the requirements for installing AD on a new server?
1 The Domain structure.
2 The Domain Name.
3 storage location of the database and log file.
4 Location of the shared system volume folder.
5 DNS config Method.
6 DNS configuration.
>What is LDP?
LDP: Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) is often used to establish MPLS LSPs when traffic engineering is not required. It
establishes LSPs that follow the existing IP routing, and is particularly well suited for establishing a full mesh of LSPs
between all of the routers on the network.
>What are the Groups types available in active directory ?
Security groups: Use Security groups for granting permissions to gain access to resources. Sending an e-mail message to
a group sends the message to all members of the group. Therefore security groups share the capabilities of distribution
groups.
Distribution groups: Distribution groups are used for sending e-main messages to groups of users. You cannot grant
permissions to security groups. Even though security groups have all the capabilities of distribution groups, distribution
groups still requires, because some applications can only read distribution groups.
>Explain about the groups scope in AD?
Domain Local Group: Use this scope to grant permissions to domain resources that are located in the same domain in
which you created the domain local group. Domain local groups can exist in all mixed, native and interim functional level of
domains and forests. Domain local group memberships are not limited as you can add members as user accounts,
universal and global groups from any domain. Just to remember, nesting cannot be done in domain local group. A domain
local group will not be a member of another Domain Local or any other groups in the same domain.

Global Group: Users with similar function can be grouped under global scope and can be given permission to access a
resource (like a printer or shared folder and files) available in local or another domain in same forest. To say in simple
words, Global groups can be use to grant permissions to gain access to resources which are located in any domain but in a
single forest as their memberships are limited. User accounts and global groups can be added only from the domain in
which global group is created. Nesting is possible in Global groups within other groups as you can add a global group into
another global group from any domain. Finally to provide permission to domain specific resources (like printers and
published folder), they can be members of a Domain Local group. Global groups exist in all mixed, native and interim
functional level of domains and forests.
Universal Group Scope: These groups are precisely used for email distribution and can be granted access to resources in
all trusted domain as these groups can only be used as a security principal (security group type) in a windows 2000 native
or windows server 2003 domain functional level domain. Universal group memberships are not limited like global groups.
All domain user accounts and groups can be a member of universal group. Universal groups can be nested under a global
or Domain Local group in any domain.

>What is REPLMON?
The Microsoft definition of the Replmon tool is as follows; This GUI tool enables administrators to view the low-level status of
Active Directory replication, force synchronization between domain controllers, view the topology in a graphical format, and
monitor the status and performance of domain controller replication.
>What is ADSIEDIT ?
ADSIEDIT :ADSIEdit is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that acts as a low-level editor for Active Directory. It
is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) tool. Network administrators can use it for common administrative tasks such as adding,
deleting, and moving objects with a directory service. The attributes for each object can be edited or deleted by using this
tool. ADSIEdit uses the ADSI application programming interfaces (APIs) to access Active Directory. The following are the
required files for using this tool: ADSIEDIT.DLL ADSIEDIT.
>What is NETDOM ?
NETDOM is a command-line tool that allows management of Windows domains and trust relationships. It is used for batch
management of trusts, joining computers to domains, verifying trusts, and secure channels.
>What is REPADMIN?
This command-line tool assists administrators in diagnosing replication problems between Windows domain
controllers.Administrators can use Repadmin to view the replication topology (sometimes referred to as RepsFrom and
RepsTo) as seen from the perspective of each domain controller. In addition, Repadmin can be used to manually create the
replication topology (although in normal practice this should not be necessary), to force replication events between domain
controllers, and to view both the replication metadata and up-to-dateness vectors.
>How to take backup of AD ?
For taking backup of active directory you have to do this : first go START -> PROGRAM ->ACCESORIES -> SYSTEM TOOLS ->
BACKUP OR Open run window and ntbackup and take systemstate backup when the backup screen is flash then take the
backup of SYSTEM STATE it will take the backup of all the necessary information about the syatem including AD backup ,
DNS ETC.
>What are the DS* commands ?
The following DS commands: the DS family built in utility .
DSmod – modify Active Directory attributes.
DSrm - to delete Active Directory objects.
DSmove – to relocate objects
DSadd – create new accounts
DSquery – to find objects that match your query attributes.
DSget – list the properties of an object
>What are the requirements for installing AD on a new server?
An NTFS partition with enough free space.
An Administrator’s username and password.
The correct operating system version.
A NIC Properly configured TCP/IP (IP address, subnet mask and – optional – default gateway).
A network connection (to a hub or to another computer via a crossover cable) .
An operational DNS server (which can be installed on the DC itself) .
A Domain name that you want to use .
The Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 CD media (or at least the i386 folder) .

>Explain about Trust in AD ?
To allow users in one domain to access resources in another, Active Directory uses trusts. Trusts inside a forest are
automatically created when domains are created.
The forest sets the default boundaries of trust, not the domain, and implicit, transitive trust is automatic for all domains within
a forest. As well as two-way transitive trust, AD trusts can be a shortcut (joins two domains in different trees, transitive, one-
or two-way), forest (transitive, one- or two-way), realm (transitive or nontransitive, one- or two-way), or external (nontransitive,
one- or two-way) in order to connect to other forests or non-AD domains.
Trusts in Windows 2000 (native mode)
One-way trust – One domain allows access to users on another domain, but the other domain does not allow access to
users on the first domain.
Two-way trust – Two domains allow access to users on both domains.
Trusting domain – The domain that allows access to users from a trusted domain.
Trusted domain – The domain that is trusted; whose users have access to the trusting domain.
Transitive trust – A trust that can extend beyond two domains to other trusted domains in the forest.
Intransitive trust – A one way trust that does not extend beyond two domains.
Explicit trust – A trust that an admin creates. It is not transitive and is one way only.
Cross-link trust – An explicit trust between domains in different trees or in the same tree when a descendant/ancestor
(child/parent) relationship does not exist between the two domains.
Windows 2000 Server – supports the following types of trusts:
Two-way transitive trusts.
One-way intransitive trusts.
Additional trusts can be created by administrators. These trusts can be:
>What is tombstone lifetime attribute ?
The number of days before a deleted object is removed from the directory services. This assists in removing objects from
replicated servers and preventing restores from reintroducing a deleted object. This value is in the Directory Service object in
the configuration NIC.
>What are application partitions? When do I use them ?
AN application diretcory partition is a directory partition that is replicated only to specific domain controller.Only domain
controller running windows Server 2003 can host a replica of application directory partition.
Using an application directory partition provides redundany,availability or fault tolerance by replicating data to specific
domain controller pr any set of domain controllers anywhere in the forest.
>How do you create a new application partition ?
Use the DnsCmd command to create an application directory partition.
To do this, use the following syntax:
DnsCmd ServerName /CreateDirectoryPartition FQDN of partition
>How do you view all the GCs in the forest?
C:>repadmin /showreps domain_controller where domain_controller is the DC you want to query to determine whether it?s
a GC.
The output will include the text DSA Options: IS_GC if the DC is a GC.
>Can you connect Active Directory to other 3rd-party Directory Services? Name a few options.
Yes, you can use dirXML or LDAP to connect to other directories.
In Novel you can use E-directory.

>What is IPSec Policy
IPSec provides secure gateway-to-gateway connections across outsourced private wide area network (WAN) or Internet-
based connections using L2TP/IPSec tunnels or pure IPSec tunnel mode. IPSec Policy can be deployed via Group policy to
the Windows Domain controllers 7 Servers.
>What are the different types of Terminal Services ?
User Mode & Application Mode.
>What is the System Startup process ?
Windows 2K boot process on a Intel architecture.
1. Power-On Self Tests (POST) are run.
2. The boot device is found, the Master Boot Record (MBR) is loaded into memory, and its program is run.
3. The active partition is located, and the boot sector is loaded.
4. The Windows 2000 loader (NTLDR) is then loaded.
The boot sequence executes the following steps:
1. The Windows 2000 loader switches the processor to the 32-bit flat memory model.
2. The Windows 2000 loader starts a mini-file system.
3. The Windows 2000 loader reads the BOOT.INI file and displays the operating system selections (boot loader menu).
4. The Windows 2000 loader loads the operating system selected by the user. If Windows 2000 is selected, NTLDR runs
NTDETECT.COM. For other operating systems, NTLDR loads BOOTSECT.DOS and gives it control.
5. NTDETECT.COM scans the hardware installed in the computer, and reports the list to NTLDR for inclusion in the Registry
under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_HARDWARE hive.
6. NTLDR then loads the NTOSKRNL.EXE, and gives it the hardware information collected by NTDETECT.COM. Windows
NT enters the Windows load phases.
>How do you change the DS Restore admin password ?
In Windows 2000 Server, you used to have to boot the computer whose password you wanted to change in Directory Restore
mode, then use either the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Local User and Groups snap-in or the command net user
administrator * to change the Administrator password.
Win2K Server Service Pack 2 (SP2) introduced the Setpwd utility, which lets you reset the Directory Service Restore Mode
password without having to reboot the computer. (Microsoft refreshed Setpwd in SP4 to improve the utility?s scripting
options.)
In Windows Server 2003, you use the Ntdsutil utility to modify the Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator password.
To do so, follow these steps:
1. Start Ntdsutil (click Start, Run; enter cmd.exe; then enter ntdsutil.exe).
2. Start the Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator password-reset utility by entering the argument ?set dsrm
password? at the ntdsutil prompt: ntdsutil: set dsrm password.
3. Run the Reset Password command, passing the name of the server on which to change the password, or use the null
argument to specify the local machine.
For example, to reset the password on server testing, enter the following argument at the Reset DSRM Administrator
Password prompt: Reset DSRM Administrator Password: reset password on server testing

To reset the password on the local machine, specify null as the server name:
Reset DSRM Administrator Password: reset password on server null
4. You?ll be prompted twice to enter the new password. You?ll see the following messages:
5. Please type password for DS Restore Mode Administrator Account:
6. Please confirm new password:
Password has been set successfully.
7. Exit the password-reset utility by typing ?quit? at the following prompts:
8. Reset DSRM Administrator Password: quit
ntdsutil: quit

>How do I use Registry keys to remove a user from a group?
In Windows Server 2003, you can use the dsmod command-line utility with the -delmbr switch to remove a group member
from the command line. You should also look into the freeware utilities available from www.joeware.net . ADFind and ADMod
are indispensable tools in my arsenal when it comes to searching and modifying Active Directory.
>Why are my NT4 clients failing to connect to the Windows 2000 domain?
Since NT4 relies on NetBIOS for name resolution, verify that your WINS server (you do have a WINS server running, yes?)
contains the records that you expect for the 2000 domain controller, and that your clients have the correct address configured
for the WINS server.
>How do you view replication properties for AD partitions and DCs?
By using replication monitor
go to start > run > type repadmin
go to start > run > type replmon
>Why can’t you restore a DC that was backed up 4 months ago?
Because of the tombstone life which is set to only 60 days.
>Different modes of AD restore ?
A nonauthoritative restore is the default method for restoring Active Directory. To perform a nonauthoritative restore, you must
be able to start the domain controller in Directory Services Restore Mode. After you restore the domain controller from
backup, replication partners use the standard replication protocols to update Active Directory and associated information on
the restored domain controller.
An authoritative restore brings a domain or a container back to the state it was in at the time of backup and overwrites all
changes made since the backup. If you do not want to replicate the changes that have been made subsequent to the last
backup operation, you must perform an authoritative restore. In this one needs to stop the inbound replication first before
performing the An authoritative restore.
>How do you configure a stand-by operation master for any of the roles?
# Open Active Directory Sites and Services.
# Expand the site name in which the standby operations master is located to display the Servers folder.
# Expand the Servers folder to see a list of the servers in that site.
# Expand the name of the server that you want to be the standby operations master to display its NTDS Settings.
# Right-click NTDS Settings, click New, and then click Connection.
# In the Find Domain Controllers dialog box, select the name of the current role holder, and then click OK.
# In the New Object-Connection dialog box, enter an appropriate name for the Connection object or accept the default name,
and click OK.

>What’s the difference between transferring a FSMO role and seizing ?
Seizing an FSMO can be a destructive process and should only be attempted if the existing server with the FSMO is no
longer available.
If you perform a seizure of the FSMO roles from a DC, you need to ensure two things:
the current holder is actually dead and offline, and that the old DC will NEVER return to the network. If you do an FSMO role
Seize and then bring the previous holder back online, you’ll have a problem.
An FSMO role TRANSFER is the graceful movement of the roles from a live, working DC to another live DC During the
process, the current DC holding the role(s) is updated, so it becomes aware it is no longer the role holder
>I want to look at the RID allocation table for a DC. What do I do?
dcdiag /test:ridmanager /s:servername /v (servername is the name of our DC)
>What is BridgeHead Server in AD ?
A bridgehead server is a domain controller in each site, which is used as a contact point to receive and replicate data
between sites. For intersite replication, KCC designates one of the domain controllers as a bridgehead server. In case the
server is down, KCC designates another one from the domain controller. When a bridgehead server receives replication
updates from another site, it replicates the data to the other domain controllers within its site.
>What is the default size of ntds.dit ?
10 MB in Server 2000 and 12 MB in Server 2003 .
>Where is the AD database held and What are other folders related to AD ?
AD Database is saved in %systemroot%/ntds. You can see other files also in this folder. These are the main files controlling
the AD structure.
ntds.dit
edb.log
res1.log
res2.log
edb.chk
When a change is made to the Win2K database, triggering a write operation, Win2K records the transaction in the log file
(edb.log). Once written to the log file, the change is then written to the AD database. System performance determines how
fast the system writes the data to the AD database from the log file. Any time the system is shut down, all transactions are
saved to the database.
During the installation of AD, Windows creates two files: res1.log and res2.log. The initial size of each is 10MB. These files
are used to ensure that changes can be written to disk should the system run out of free disk space. The checkpoint file
(edb.chk) records transactions committed to the AD database (ntds.dit). During shutdown, a “shutdown” statement is written
to the edb.chk file.
Then, during a reboot, AD determines that all transactions in the edb.log file have been committed to the AD database. If, for
some reason, the edb.chk file doesn’t exist on reboot or the shutdown statement isn’t present, AD will use the edb.log file to
update the AD database. The last file in our list of files to know is the AD database itself, ntds.dit. By default, the file is located
inNTDS, along with the other files we’ve discussed
>What FSMO placement considerations do you know of ?
Windows 2000/2003 Active Directory domains utilize a Single Operation Master method called FSMO (Flexible Single Master
Operation), as described in Understanding FSMO Roles in Active Directory.
In most cases an administrator can keep the FSMO role holders (all 5 of them) in the same spot (or actually, on the same

DC) as has been configured by the Active Directory installation process.
However, there are scenarios where an administrator would want to move one or more of the FSMO roles from the default
holder DC to a different DC.
Windows Server 2003 Active Directory is a bit different than the Windows 2000 version when dealing with FSMO placement.
In this article I will only deal with Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, but you should bear in mind that most
considerations are also true when planning Windows 2000 AD FSMO roles

>What do you do to install a new Windows 2003 R2 DC in a Windows 2003 AD?
If you’re installing Windows 2003 R2 on an existing Windows 2003 server with SP1 installed, you require only the second R2
CD-ROM.
Insert the second CD and the r2auto.exe will display the Windows 2003 R2 Continue Setup screen. If you’re installing R2 on
a domain controller (DC), you must first upgrade the schema to the R2 version (this is a minor change and mostly related to
the new Dfs replication engine).
To update the schema, run the Adprep utility, which you’ll find in the Componentsr2adprep folder on the second CD-ROM.
Before running this command, ensure all DCs are running Windows 2003 or Windows 2000 with SP2 (or later).
Here’s a sample execution of the Adprep /forestprep
command:
D:CMPNENTSR2ADPREP>adprep /forestprep
ADPREP WARNING:
Before running adprep, all Windows 2000 domain controllers in the forest should be upgraded to Windows 2000 Service
Pack 1 (SP1) with QFE 265089, or to Windows 2000 SP2 (or later).
QFE 265089 (included in Windows 2000 SP2 and later) is required to prevent potential domain controller corruption.
[User Action] If ALL your existing Windows 2000 domain controllers meet this requirement, type C and then press ENTER to
continue. Otherwise, type any other key and press ENT ER to quit.
C Opened Connection to SAV
DALDC01 SSPI Bind succeeded Current Schema Version is 30 Upgrading schema to version 31 Connecting to
“SAVDALDC01″ Logging in as current user using SSPI Importing directory from file “C:WINDOWSsystem32sch31.ldf”
Loading entries… 139 entries modified successfully.
The command has completed successfully Adprep successfully updated the forest-wide information.
After running Adprep, install R2 by performing these steps:
1. Click the “Continue Windows Server 2003 R2 Setup” link, as the figureshows.
2. At the “Welcome to the Windows Server 2003 R2 Setup Wizard” screen, click Next.
3. You’ll be prompted to enter an R2 CD key (this is different from your existing Windows 2003 keys) if the underlying OS
wasn’t installed from R2 media (e.g., a regular Windows 2003 SP1 installation).
Enter the R2 key and click Next. Note: The license key entered for R2 must match the underlying OS type, which means if you
installed Windows 2003 using a volume-license version key, then you can’t use a retail or Microsoft Developer Network
(MSDN) R2 key.
4. You’ll see the setup summary screen which confirms the actions to be performed (e.g., Copy files). Click Next.
5. After the installation is complete, you’ll see a confirmation dialog box. Click Finish
>What is OU ?
Organization Unit is a container object in which you can keep objects such as user accounts, groups, computer, printer .
applications and other (OU).
In organization unit you can assign specific permission to the user’s. organization unit can also be used to create
departmental limitation.
>Name some OU design considerations ?
OU design requires balancing requirements for delegating administrative rights – independent of Group Policy needs – and
the need to scope the application of Group Policy.
The following OU design recommendations address delegation and scope issues:
Applying Group Policy An OU is the lowest-level Active Directory container to which you can assign Group Policy settings.

Delegating administrative authority
usually don’t go more than 3 OU levels
>What is sites ? What are they used for ?
One or more well-connected (highly reliable and fast) TCP/IP subnets.
A site allows administrators to configure Active Directory access and replication topology to take advantage of the physical
network.
A Site object in Active Directory represents a physical geographic location that hosts networks. Sites contain objects called
Subnets.
Sites can be used to Assign Group Policy Objects, facilitate the discovery of resources, manage active directory replication,
and manage network link traffic.
Sites can be linked to other Sites. Site-linked objects may be assigned a cost value that represents the speed, reliability,
availability, or other real property of a physical resource. Site Links may also be assigned a schedule.
>Trying to look at the Schema, how can I do that ?
register schmmgmt.dll using this command
c:windowssystem32>regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll
Open mmc –> add snapin –> add Active directory schema
name it as schema.msc
Open administrative tool –> schema.msc

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