Active Directory Cookbook, 3rd Edition

When you need practical hands-on support for Active Directory, the updated edition of this extremely popular Cookbook provides quick solutions to more than 300 common (and uncommon) problems you might encounter when deploying, administering, and automating Microsoft's network directory service.

For the third edition, Active Directory expert Laura E. Hunter offers troubleshooting recipes based on valuable input from Windows administrators, in addition to her own experience. You'll find solutions for the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), ADAM (Active Directory Application Mode), multi-master replication, Domain Name System (DNS), Group Policy, the Active Directory Schema, and many other features. The Active Directory Cookbook will help you:

• Perform Active Directory tasks from the command line
• Use scripting technologies to automate Active Directory tasks
• Manage new Active Directory features, such as Read-Only Domain Controllers, fine-grained password policies, and more
• Create domains and trusts
• Locate users whose passwords are about to expire
• Apply a security filter to group policy objects
• Check for potential replication problems
• Restrict hosts from performing LDAP queries
• View DNS server performance statistics

Each recipe includes a discussion explaining how and why the solution works, so you can adapt the problem-solving techniques to similar situations. Active Directory Cookbook is ideal for any IT professional using Windows Server 2008, Exchange 2007, and Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007, including Active Directory administrators looking to automate task-based solutions.

"It is rare for me to visit a customer site and not see a copy of Active Directory Cookbook on a shelf somewhere, which is a testament to its usefulness. The Cookbook takes the pain out of everyday AD tasks by providing concise, clear and relevant recipes. The fact that the recipes are provided using different methods (graphical user interface, command line and scripting) means that the book is suitable for anyone working with AD on a day-to-day basis. The introduction of PowerShell examples in this latest edition will be of particular interest for those looking to transition from VBScript. Laura has also done a great job in extending the Cookbook in this edition to encompass the broad range of changes to AD in Windows Server 2008."

--Tony Murray, Founder of Activedir.org and Directory Services MVP

"If you already understand Active Directory fundamentals and are looking fora quick solution to common Active Directory related tasks, look no further,you have found the book that you need."

--joe Richards, Directory Services MVP

"The Active Directory Cookbook is the real deal... a soup-to-nuts catalog of every administrative task an Active Directory administrator needs to perform. If you administer an Active Directory installation, this is the very first book you have to put on your shelf."

--Gil Kirkpatrick, Chief Architect, Active Directory and Identity Management, Quest Software and Directory Services MVP

Laura E. Hunter is an Architect with the Oxford Computer Group, specializing in Microsoft Identity and Access Management technologies. Her specialties include Active Directory design and implementation, troubleshooting, and security topics. Laura is a Microsoft MVP for Windows Server-Networking.

Laura's previous experience includes a position as an ADArchitect for a global engineering firm, IT Project Leader with theUniversity of Pennsylvania, and the Director of Computer Services for the Salvation Army.

She also operates as an independent technical speaker andwriter. Laura has a Bachelor's Degree in American History and a Master's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Robbie Allen is the coauthor of Active Directory, 2nd Edition and the author of the Active Directory Cookbook. Visit Robbie's web site at www.robbieallen.com.