One of the exciting new technologies we are now in the process of testing is called DirectAccess. DirectAccess allows a user/computer to be actively connected to the domain network no matter where in the world that user is. It doesn’t matter if the user is at Starbucks on their wireless network, at a hotel or … [Read more…]
When working with Active Directory, there are a few different replication systems in place. One of the key replications is that of the SYSVOL as this replicates the group policy settings throughout a domain. SYSVOL replication is a bit different from regular AD replication as it replicates files used by SYSVOL (as opposed to individual … [Read more…]
With the large environment we have (with 574 sites), it is easy to have items that are misconfigured. One of the things that I have always wondered how to do is find sites that don’t have any site-links. Today, the Ask the Directory Services Team blog addressed this very issue. In the blog, they provide … [Read more…]
One of the great things that is introduced in Windows 2008 is the introduction of Fine Grained Password Policies. What is FGP? With a Windows 2000/2003 domain, it has only been possible to have a single password policy that applied to everyone in your domain. Most domains, though, do have some accounts that have higher … [Read more…]
After a lot of work in upgrading our domain controllers, I have finally completed upgrading all of our DCs to Windows Server 2008 R2! Now that I have done so, I am ready to begin enjoying some of the benefits of having all 2008 R2 DCs. So, for me, the first step is to turn … [Read more…]
So, one of the things I have always known is that it is important to have a test environment prior to making changes in your normal production domain/forest. One of the challenges I have always seen with this is how to create a test environment that closely matches what you have in production. Recently, I … [Read more…]
This week, I am having the opportunity to attend a class specifically on Group Policy (taught by Jeremy Moskowitz). The class has been excellent and has helped me to learn some great Group Policy troubleshooting tips. In going through some of the labs, one of the things I noticed is that some of the options … [Read more…]
One of the challenges in Active Directory is making sure that regular cleanup occurs in AD looking for inactive users and computers. In the past, for me, this has been an entirely manual process. It meant that I would take time once a quarter to generate reports, review the large number of users/computers and disable … [Read more…]
One of the challenges that we have in our organization is dealing with local administrator passwords. Through the years, we have used various models for our local admin password to various affect. One of the biggest issues we have run across, though, is that typically we have had one password applied across all of our … [Read more…]
I recently needed to get IP addresses for a number of host names. In trying to do this, I found that it was very difficult to find a script that would do what I needed. So, after much searching and work, here is the script that I have come up with. Hope this helps someone. … [Read more…]