Posted by arlene

The schema in the Active Directory is stored in the directory. The schema comes preconfigured with the types of objects that you need in order to set up a Windows server and manage a network of computers. However, the Active Directory is flexible and extensible in that you can modify the existing objects to use new attributes, or you can create new object classes that contain almost any kind of information.

In addition to the typical objects that you will use to manage the directory and user and network resources, the directory contains hundreds of other objects that are used for many of the applications that interact with it.

The directory should not be thought of as simply a glorified user database. You can create objects that are used by application programs. Sharing information between different applications can become much easier if the same configuration database is being used. Rather than having a conversion utility of some sort to transfer information between different applications, they now can be written, using the application programming interfaces provided for the Active Directory, to store that information in the directory database.

Modifying the Active Directory Schema

You can add objects or attributes to store data in the directory that is shared by different applications so that you do not need duplicate databases scattered around that get out of sync with constant updating. Extending the schema to include additional employee information, such as vacation schedules, sick time, and pay rates, can allow payroll applications to share the same data with other employee management software. The accounting and legal departments always can be sure they are working with the same set of data if there are no duplicate databases being used that can become unsynchronized because of an application failure or a simple user error.

The MMC snap-in that you use to examine or modify the schema is called the Active Directory Schema Snap-In. Unlike other MMC snap-in tools, such as the Active Directory Computers and Users Management Snap-Ins, this one is not found under the Administrative Tools option in the Start menu, by default. The reasoning behind that is simple: Tools that are used to add or modify user orcomputer accounts probably will be used frequently by the network administrator. Making changes to the schema probably will be performed only on rare occasions, such as when a new object or attribute is needed by the development of a new directory-aware application.

In just about every book or article you read about modifying the Windows Registry, you are cautioned that making changes can be a dangerous thing. One little mistake in a Registry edit can render aserver unbootable. You should take editing the Active Directory Schema just as seriously. First, look through the directory to see whether an object class already exists that you can use before you begin creating new object classes (or attributes for that matter) on-the-fly.

Installing Administration Tools

After you’ve installed Windows 2000 Server (or Advanced Server), or versions of Windows Server 2003, you can install, using the same source CD, the Windows Administration Tools. To install these additional tools, you must be logged in to the server as an administrator.

When you are ready to install the additional tools from the Windows Server 2003 CD, follow these steps:

1. Insert the Windows Server 2003 source CD into your computer’s CD-ROM drive. When the autorun Microsoft Windows Server 2004 CD window appears onscreen, click Perform Addition Tasks and then Browse This CD.
2. In the next window, you will see a list of folders that exist on the CD. Double-click the 1386 folder.
3. In the 1386 folder, double-click Adminpak.msi. The Windows 2003 Administration Tools Setup Wizard appears. Click Next.
4. The wizard copies the required files to your hard drive, and then displays an informational window telling you that the tools were successfully installed. Click Finish.

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• What Role Will Your Server Perform?
• What Role Will Your Server Perform?
• Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI)
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