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New Downloads: Group Policy White Papers
The following Group Policy white papers have been updated:
Group Policy Infrastructure White Paper
Troubleshooting Group Policy in Microsoft Windows Server
# posted by Robbie (11/28/2004 09:51:45 PM)
New Download: DNS Management Pack
Updated DNS Management Pack now available.
(BTW, DNS stands for Domain Name SYSTEM not SERVICE.)
# posted by Robbie (11/28/2004 09:49:28 PM)
Article: FullArmor smartens Active Directory management policies
"The software enhances the Group Policy capabilities of Active Directory and adds an additional 100 Group Policy settings that FullArmor is introducing with IntelliPolicy, including the ability to disable USB ports and lock out other devices."
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/28/2004 09:38:56 PM)
Quest Spotlight on Active Directory 5.0
"New features in Spotlight on Active Directory 5.0 include:
-- Replication health - this new, comprehensive test combines dozens of manual troubleshooting steps, including an actual replication transaction, into a single, automated test for rapid resolution of replication issues.
-- Server health - enables administrators to quickly analyze dozens of key indicators of domain controller health - including system performance, Active Directory services, disk space and event log errors - speeding diagnosis of server-related problems.
-- Analysis Test Management - provides flexible scheduling of tests and automated notification regarding any test failures for quick problem resolution.
-- Integration with Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005 - just right-click on an Active Directory-related MOM alert to begin solving the problem with Spotlight on Active Directory. Spotlight on Active Directory is also available as a MOM Troubleshooting Management Pack. "
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/28/2004 09:29:45 PM)
Article: Active Directory adoption rates reveal extent of pervasiveness
"One-third of businesses have completed migration to Active Directory, says a Microsoft study examined by Meta Group. And more are making the switch soon."
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/28/2004 09:22:07 PM)
VA Linux releases new LDAP-based directory services
VA Linux's directory is based on Ultra Possum (which is based on OpenLDAP).
"VA Linux Systems has announced plans to release new software that will help improve efficiency for network service providers and enterprises who offer Web and messaging to their clients across remote locations. VA Directory, a server product that implements the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), centralizes data management and provides the foundation for network services such as user authentication, the company says."
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/28/2004 08:55:25 PM)
Windows IT Pro Launches the Virtual Lab Phase of First-Ever IT Prolympics
"Windows IT Pro announced today the launch of the virtual lab phase of the first-ever IT Prolympics, sponsored by Microsoft and Culminis, the world's largest IT pro user group association. The IT Prolympics are designed to rally the IT community, reward real-world IT heroes and create a fun educational experience.
The IT Prolympics are an exciting opportunity for IT Pros to compete among their peers to be named the top Active Directory IT professional in the
industry. The seven-week competition starts by downloading and studying the free Active Directory and Group Policy eBook curriculum, designed to prepare competitors for the quiz and the Virtual Active Directory Lab competition. In the quiz, contestants will answer 20 questions to test their Active Directory knowledge. In the virtual lab, contestants will face the challenge of fixing real-world problems and completing an Active Directory deployment scenario within a matter of minutes."
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/17/2004 12:59:10 AM)
Javelina Software Delivers New Active Directory Troubleshooting Tool
"Javelina Software, LLC, today announces ADxray, a powerful troubleshooting and analysis tool that helps to identify the source of network problems by scrutinizing Microsoft Active Directory object attributes. Available today, ADxray provides search ability, attribute value details and descriptions, presents a key interpretation feature that discloses Active Directory (AD) attribute values in comprehensible formats, and provides attribute editing capability."
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/17/2004 12:57:03 AM)
DaimlerChrysler Rolls Out Standard PCs Worldwide using Active Directory
"As part of PC Global, DaimlerChrysler is using a software distribution infrastructure that includes Microsoft Corp.'s Systems Management Server and Active Directory technologies as well as other tools. SMS and Active Directory are critical for the rapid deployment of software updates and patches, according to Morrotti."
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/17/2004 12:52:52 AM)
Gates talking about Active Directory at IT Forum
"Gates also described how Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS) help IT professionals reduce the costs and complexities of identity and access management. Together, Active Directory and MIIS enable IT organizations to automate common tasks such as provisioning and password changes and increase the productivity of their employees with more secure single sign-on to applications and networks."
Continue at source.
Obviously he's never deployed AD or MIIS before ;-)
# posted by Robbie (11/17/2004 12:51:06 AM)
Active Directory Cookbook Blog 1-year Anniversary
Hard to believe I've been maintaining this blog for a year now. Overall, I think I'm accomplishing what I wanted with it. I'm not providing as much commentary as I'd like, but it takes all the spare time I have to keep up-to-date on the latest news, tools, and docs that come out on AD and related technologies. If nothing else, it is helping/forcing me to stay current.
Do you find this blog interesting? Shoot me an email if you do (or don't).
# posted by Robbie (11/17/2004 12:46:06 AM)
New Download: Scripting Security Descriptors
Scripting security descriptors is a pain. One reason is due to lack of good documentation on how to do it. Microsoft recently released a whitepaper on scripting security descriptors in WMI and ADSI. I wonder why it takes 4-5 years for something like this to come out? The pain has always been there. Does Microsoft just not hear about it? Or was it low on the priority list? I wonder if the Scripting MVPs have any pull on prioritizing stuff like this...
# posted by Robbie (11/14/2004 01:37:11 AM)
New Download: Active Directory in Networks Segmented by Firewalls
Microsoft recently released version 2.0 of their whitepaper on working with Active Directory and Firewalls. Here is the description of the doc:
"Provides best practices for deploying Microsoft Active Directory service domain controllers in segmented networks, procedures for configuring IPSec policies to protect traffic between domain controllers on opposite sides of a firewall, and recommended practices for managing these policies."
# posted by Robbie (11/14/2004 01:24:58 AM)
New Download: Using Domain Controller Virtual Machines
One "scalability" problem with Active Directory is the fact that you can only host one domain on a domain controller. This becomes a problem in multi-domain environments where you need multiple lab or test forests to simulate the production environment. Back in 2001, the way I got around this issue was to create virtual forests using VMWare. Instead of requiring 4 servers to run a 4-domain forest in a lab, I used a single maching running VMWare to host all 4 domain controller virtual machines. And this worked extremely well. One problem I consistently ran into was the fact that MS wouldn't support this configuration. We'd run into bizarre problems where AD would crash unexpectedly on a virtual machine and MS didn't want to provide much support because they didn't support the use of VMWare.
Since Microsoft's purchase of Virtual PC, it was only a matter of time before they would support a virtual machine configuration for Active Directory using their own product. Now, they've
released a whitepaper detailing how to do it.
# posted by Robbie (11/14/2004 01:23:10 AM)
New Download: Introduction to Active Directory to ADAM Synchronizer
This whitepaper compares Active Directory to ADAM Synchronizer with other existing synchronization technologies and shows why Active Directory to ADAM Synchronizer is the better option for certain scenarios. Also describes usage scenarios for Active Directory to ADAM Synchronizer, and describes the benefits of using this new ADAM feature.
# posted by Robbie (11/14/2004 01:16:11 AM)
Quest Software Unveils New Product for Group Policy Management
"Quest Software Inc., a leading provider of application, database and Windows management solutions, today announced the general availability of Quest Group Policy Manager 1.0. This new product offers comprehensive Group Policy Object (GPO) management capabilities that help Windows Server 2003 Active Directory administrators efficiently deploy and manage GPOs for better security and control of their Microsoft Windows infrastructure."
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/14/2004 01:02:55 AM)
Javelina releases version 2.5.1 of its ADvantage Elements tools
"Javelina announced this week version 2.5.1 of its ADvantage Elements tools for management and bulk processing of Microsoft Active Directory tasks. Each tool in the set offers upgrades and new features, including extensions to reporting and import mechanisms."
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/14/2004 01:00:37 AM)
Article: GM, Boeing Push Identity Management
"General Motors Corp. plans to migrate its end-user identity management services to a single global system over the next several years as part of a broad initiative to improve IT efficiency and reduce the automaker's operational costs.
When it's completed, the consolidated identity management system will enable universal application access and single-sign-on capabilities for about 500,000 end users, including GM employees and workers at suppliers, contractors and other business partners, according to Tony Scott, the company's chief technology officer."
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/14/2004 12:58:04 AM)
Tiny Red Hat
This article meanders all over the place and is rather lengthy, but goes into a bit of detail about why directory services and LDAP are important to Red Hat.
# posted by Robbie (11/09/2004 05:10:46 PM)
Microsoft readying simpler ID management
"Microsoft is developing a portal-like interface for its identity management platform that will let users self-manage their identity information and provision network services. The features are part of Gemini, the code name for the next version of Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS). Microsoft officials offered the first peek at Gemini at the Digital ID World conference. "
Continue at source.
# posted by Robbie (11/09/2004 05:06:38 PM)
Sun, Microsoft to End Silence About Product Integration Work
Apparently, Microsoft and Sun are going to announce their directory service integration plans by the end of November. It is about time. I'll be glad to stop reading about their impending integration and read about what the integration actually entails.
# posted by Robbie (11/08/2004 10:03:52 PM)
Fun in the sun at Windows Connections
I had an excellent time at the recent Windows Connections conference. The weather in Orlando was close to perfect. They had the highest turnout ever at a Connections conference, which is a good indication for the tech industry. I got to meet many interesting people, including several that I'm working with on various projects.
My AD Hacks session was a hit. The room was packed and I barely had enough time to get everything in. My second session on AD Security Best Practices also seemed to go over well, but it is hard to know for sure until I see the speaker evals. I know one thing, I much prefer talking about hacks than best practices. I've posted both slide decks here.
# posted by Robbie (11/08/2004 04:03:42 PM)
Kim Cameron has a blog - subscribed
Kim Cameron is one of the main directory service architect's at Microsoft. He was a co-founder of Zoomit (the product now known as Microsoft Identity Integration Server - MIIS). Now he has a blog. Kim is the first person from the DS team at MS that I know of to start a blog. He is a good one to get the ball rolling.
# posted by Robbie (11/08/2004 03:51:40 PM)
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