Creating a Simple Design
The underlying design goal, aside from supporting the organization's objectives, should be to create a Group Policy design that is as simple as possible. A simple design will allow for more efficient troubleshooting and processing of Group Policy settings. The fewer Group Policy settings that need to be applied to a computer or user, the faster the computer will start up, the quicker the users will be able to log on to their systems and, since a small GPO can be 1.5 MB in size, network traffic...
Background Shj
Insane Systems builds custom computers for their customers. They specialize in building cases that are unique and support the latest in hardware technology. They started off as a small company that provided this service to gamers who would take their cases to LAN parties to show off. Because their systems were considered some of the most stable gaming platforms and they provided an impressive design that gamers could show off, they started to become popular. Insane Systems started mass...
Designing Remote Site Connectivity
For years, companies used WAN technologies to connect remote sites. These WAN connections were typically based on dedicated broadband connections. The drawback to these connections was their cost. As companies have tried to reduce costs, they have increasingly considered using the Internet to interconnect their remote locations. Of course the Internet h never been considered a secure method of communication. Virtual Private Technologies have matured over the past few ye to where they are...
Design an OU structure
o Design an OU structure for the purpose of delegating authority. So far we have looked at the options available for creating forests and domains. Chapter 4 introduced the domain creation options. Several options are available when deciding on how to create the domain structure, foremost is the administrative needs of the organization. Once the domain structure has been developed, the objects that represent the resources within the domain can be organized. This organization of objects can be...
Guideline for Server Placement
Determining where you are going to place your VPN and RAS servers takes a little planning. First you need to determine where your corporate policies allow you to place your server. Some companies do not allow a server to be placed outside c the perimeter network where it is exposed to the Internet. If this is the case, then you need to determine how you will implement firewall rules to protect the servers that do reside within the perimeter network and, at the same time, still allow efficient...
Understanding the OU Design Options
The OU design should be predicated on the administrative structure of the organization, not the departmental organization as seen on the company's organization chart. Most companies do not base the administration of resources on the organization chart. Usually, the IT department is responsible for objects within the company no matter which department is using the resource. Although this centralized approach is the most basic method of controlling the objects within Active Directory, some...
Design a strategy for Group Policy implementation
o Design the administration of Group Policy objects GPOs . o Design the deployment strategy of GPOs. o Create a strategy for configuring the user environment with Group Policy. o Create a strategy for configuring the computer environment with Group Policy. Organizational unit OU design should always start with the administrative requirements for the organization. In Chapter 5,Designing an Organizational Unit Structure for Administrative Purposes, we discussed how to designate who will have...
Identifying the Hybrid Administration Model
As most large companies have found, neither of the previous administrative models fits within their organization. The centralized model is far too restrictive, and response time for problems may take too long. The decentralized model allows too many administrators to have too much control across the board. The hybrid model alleviates some of these issues. Two different methods may be employed to take advantage of the hybrid model. The first, seen in Figure 1.7, keeps most of the administrative...
Current Infrastructure 1
After investigating the current infrastructure, you have determined that the following servers are in place Home Office Primary Domain Controller PDC Backup Domain Controller BDC DHCP DNS WINS server Exchange 5.5 Server SQL Server 7 Systems Management Server 2 File server Print Antivirus server Research and Development File server The following shows the graphical representation of the Home Office's layout
Planned Obsolescence
Many companies are faced with the inevitable loss of support for the legacy operating systems. As these older operating systems, such as NT 4, reach the end of their lifecycle, companies have to spend more money to keep support contracts on them. Microsoft does not release very many hotfixes or service packs for these older operating systems, which makes them subject to attacks that newer operating systems are protected from. As companies start to fear that they will no longer have support for...