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Active Directory basics: how AD DS is built

6 video lessons · about 23 minutes of video · practice questions on every step

This path is for new Windows Server administrators, help desk staff moving into systems work, and anyone preparing for a Microsoft server exam who wants a clear picture of how Active Directory Domain Services is put together. It is made of six short video lessons, each a few minutes long, with a summary and practice questions on every page.

By the end you should be able to name the logical and physical parts of AD DS, explain what the schema, forest, domain and organisational units each do, and choose a suitable tool for common admin tasks. You need basic Windows and networking knowledge, such as what a server, a user account and DNS are. No lab is required, although a test domain helps the ideas stick.

After this path you can

• tell the logical components of AD DS apart from the physical ones
• describe how the schema controls what the directory can store, and who may change it
• explain the forest and the domain as security, replication and administrative boundaries
• sketch a simple OU hierarchy for Group Policy and delegation
• pick the right console or the PowerShell module for everyday AD DS tasks

Start with step 1

The steps

1. 
   Step 1 · 4:30

   AD DS components: logical and physical building blocks

   The logical components: partitions, schema, domains, trees, forests, sites and OUs

2. 
   Step 2 · 3:31

   The AD DS schema: classes, attributes and the schema master

   What the schema defines: object classes, attributes and data syntax

3. 
   Step 3 · 3:12

   The AD DS forest: root domain, security and replication boundary

   What the forest root domain holds that other domains do not

4. 
   Step 4 · 3:13

   The AD DS domain: objects, replication, administration and sign-in

   The three common object types: users, computers and groups

5. 
   Step 5 · 5:34

   Organisational units (OUs) and the default AD DS containers

   The two reasons to create an OU: Group Policy and delegation

6. 
   Step 6 · 3:09

   AD DS administration tools: ADAC, MMC snap-ins and PowerShell

   What Active Directory Administrative Center can do beyond creating objects

Courses for this path

The videos are short lessons from these courses. The courses add the demonstrations, labs and the rest of the topic.

What next

Continue with the "How domain controllers work" path, which covers the global catalog, the sign-in process, SRV records and operations masters in more depth.

Next path: How domain controllers work →