Introduction Welcome to the Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Resource Kit, your complete source for the information you need to design and implement Active Directory in Windows Server 2008. The Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Resource Kit is a comprehensive technical resource for planning, deploying, maintaining, and troubleshooting an Active Directory infrastructure in Windows Server 2008. While the target audience for this Resource Kit is experienced IT professionals who work in medium-sized and large-sized organizations, anyone who wants to learn how to implement and manage Active Directory in Windows Server 2008 will find this Resource Kit invaluable. One of the new features in Windows Server 2008 Active Directory is that the term Active Directory now covers a lot more territory than it did in previous iterations of this directory service. What was previously called Active Directory in Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 is now called Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), and several more direc- tory service components have been included under the Active Directory umbrella. These include Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS), Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS), Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS), and Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS). Within this Resource Kit you'll find in-depth technical information on how Active Directory works in Windows Server 2008. In addition, you will find detailed task-based guidance for implementing and maintaining the Active Directory infrastructure. You'll also find numerous sidebars--contributed by members of the Active Directory product team, other directory experts at Microsoft, and directory services MVPs--that provide deep insight into how Active Directory works, best practices for designing and implementing Active Directory, and invalu- able troubleshooting tips. Finally, the companion CD includes deployment tools, templates, and many sample scripts that you can use and customize to help you automate various aspects of managing Active Directory in enterprise environments. Overview of Book This book is divided into the following five parts with the following chapters: Part I ­ Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Overview Chapter 1 ­ "What's New in Active Directory for Windows Server 2008" This chapter provides an overview of the new features that are available in Windows Server 2008. If you know Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, this is a good place for you to get a quick overview of some of the new material that will be covered in this book. xxiii