NetPro Computing has been mentioned here before - it’s a pioneer in the field of directory management. Early on, it provided the best tools to manage Novell Directory Services, and its DirectoryAnalyzer is the most comprehensive software for monitoring and troubleshooting Microsoft’s Active Directory.
This time, though, it’s a freebie from NetPro that I want to alert you to. The company has just made available the first chapter of an e-book called The Definitive Guide to Active Directory Troubleshooting. The chapter, "Introducing Active Directory," was posted on NetPro’s Web site along with a foreword by Peter Houston, Microsoft's group program manager for Active Directory.
The Definitive Guide to Active Directory Troubleshooting was written by Microsoft network guru Sean Daily, in coordination with Realtimepublishers. The book covers topics critical to successful Active Directory troubleshooting, including the essentials of Active Directory and Windows 2000, tips for monitoring the directory, Active Directory disaster preparation and recovery, and building a management and recovery toolkit. Readers will be notified of new chapters as they are posted. You will need to register for the e-book at http://www.netpro.com/ebook - but it’s free.
The first chapter discusses the foundations of Active Directory and the opportunities for directory-enabled computing that it creates. According to the author Sean Daily, "Most people in the industry see Active Directory as a central repository of user and group security information, but Active Directory was not designed to simply manage user and group relationships, it was designed to extend those relationships to software and hardware. We will discuss Active Directory in detail, sharing its true value so that companies can take full advantage of their directories."
It’s free, and it'll help you. Head over to the NetPro site right away.
