Mastering Active Directory for Windows Server 2008
Chapter One
Active Directory Fundamentals
Since the inception of network operating systems, the men and women who are responsible for administering
and managing them have wanted an easy way to do so. Networks have gone through a natural
evolution from peer-to-peer networks to directory-based networks. Directory-based networks have
become the preferred type of network because they can ease an administrator's workload.
To address the needs of organizations, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
developed a set of recommendations that defined how a directory service should address the needs
of administrators and efficiently allow management of network resources. These recommendations,
known as the X.500 recommendations, were originally envisioned to include a large centralized
directory that would encompass the entire world, divided by geopolitical boundaries. Even though
X.500 was written to handle a very large amount of data, designers reviewing the drafts of these recommendations
saw merit in the directory and ... read full excerpt from Mastering Active Directory® for Windows Server® 2008 ebook
