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Configure IT Quick: Global Catalog features within Active = Directory
Takeaway: Describing the global catalog = feature of=20 Active Directory
In the second part of this four-part series, I = will=20 examine the Global Catalog, which enables users to find on the network = anything=20 to which they have been granted access. I will also describe how Active=20 Directory is replicated across the servers on the network and how = partitioning=20 can be used to spread the Active Directory load across servers. Finally, = I will=20 briefly discuss editing schemas.
Global=20 Catalog
Despite the name, Global Catalog is not a = resource in=20 whichyou can find any piece of information on the planet.In this = context,=20 global refers to an organization=E2=80=99s network within Active=20 Directory.
The Global Catalog is a service within Windows 2000 = Server=20 that allows users to find any objects to which they have been granted = access.=20 This functionality is similar to, but infinitely more powerful than, = that of the=20 Find Computer facility included in previous versions of Windows. With = Global=20 Catalog, users can search for any object within Active Directory, = such as=20 servers, printers, users, and applications.
The Global Catalog = consists=20 of an index stored on Active Directory servers. It contains the names of = all=20 objects in the Active Directory server, regardless of how the server has = been=20 partitioned. The Global Catalog also contains a handful of searchable = attributes=20 for each object. For example, the Global Catalog would store the = distinguished=20 names, first names, and last names of all users, allowing someone to = search for=20 anyone named Richard and find the distinguished name of the user. The = Global=20 Catalog is a subset of Active Directory, and it stores only the = attributes that=20 users tend to search on. Microsoft provides useful defaults, and = administrators=20 can specify other attributes to be searchable by using the Active = Directory=20 schema.For example, usingthe Global Catalogsearchfacility, a user can = findall=20 color printers in the building that have the capability to print = double-sided=20 documents(provided, of course, that Active Directory was configured to = contain=20 these objects and attributes).
This feature is especially = important=20 because of the complexity of LDAP names that are used within Active = Directory to=20 identify objects. Previous versions of Windows relied on 15-character = NetBIOS=20 computer names, which users could easily remember (depending on the = naming=20 scheme used, of course). Although it is possible, not many (normal) = people would=20 be able to recall LDAP names, such as the=20 following:
/O=3DInternet/DC=3DCOM/DC=3DTechProGuild/DC=3DTechRepublic/=
CN=3DComputers/CN=3DServer1
Because=20 users can easily search for objectsusing a nice, friendly GUI, = remembering=20 names=E2=80=94even short, memorable ones=E2=80=94is much less = important.
If you=E2=80=99ve = been involved with=20 database administration, you know that some types of information are = more useful=20 to index than others. You should index attributes that users will search = for=20 often, but, as always, that is not the whole story. Indexes take up = space, so it=20 is not efficient to index everything. Indexes also slow down updates and = inserts=E2=80=94if an indexed attribute is modified, the index must be = modified as well.=20 Indexing works better when the data being stored varies from user to = user.=20 Therefore, never index true or false attributes or any attribute with = less than=20 five possible values. Names are an excellent attribute to index since = they are=20 almost always unique for each user. Finally, don=E2=80=99t index = attributes that aren=E2=80=99t=20 usually filled in. If few users enter a value for their middle name, = then=20 indexing that attribute is a waste of time and space. Keep in mind that = a search=20 will provide a selection of items that match the search criteria, so = there is no=20 need to get too specific.
New objects created in Active Directory = are=20 assigned a unique number called a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier). The = GUID is=20 a 128-bit identifier. It=E2=80=99s useful because it stays the same for = any given=20 object, regardless of where the object is moved. Applications that = reference=20 objects in Active Directory can record the GUIDs for objects and use the = Global=20 Catalog to find the objects even after they=E2=80=99re moved.
To keep = the two=20 abbreviations GUI and GUID separated in your mind, try saying GUID as = GU-ID=20 (goo- i.d.)
Replication, Jim, but not as we = know=20 it
Windows 2000 networks rely heavily on the services of = Active=20 Directory. This reliance means that Active Directory must be available = on=20 multiple servers so that if a single server fails, clients can contact a = server=20 with duplicate services and information (assuming one exists). Unlike = the=20 Windows NT domain databases used with previous versions of Windows NT, = Windows=20 2000 lets you send database updates to any of the Active = Directory=20 servers. While this complicates the replication process, it eliminates = the=20 possibility that a single domain controller failure would stop updates = to the=20 databases. It also addresses the problem of the high load replication = placed on=20 Windows NT 4.0 primary domain controllers.
Windows 2000 Server = includes a=20 replication component within the suite of Active Directory services that = makes=20 this a simple task for administrators. Simply adding domain controllers = to an=20 Active Directory domain is sufficient to begin the replication=20 process.
One of the most complex parts of making redundant = servers work=20 properly is replicating the information and ensuring that all servers = have the=20 most up-to-date content. Active Directory uses multimaster = replication,=20 which means that updates can occur on any Active Directory server, and = each=20 server keeps track of which updates it has received from which servers,=20 intelligently requesting updates as necessary. (Any administrator who = has been=20 involved with Lotus Notes will be familiar with this = concept.)
Active = Directory=20 replication will seem logical if you are already familiar with how = replication=20 works in Windows NT 4.0 domains. Each update is assigned its own 64-bit = unique=20 sequence number (USN) from a counter that is incremented whenever a = change is=20 made. These updates are system-specific, so every Active Directory = server=20 maintains a separate counter.
When a server replicates an update = to other=20 Active Directory servers, it sends the USN along with the change. Each = server=20 maintains an internal list of replication partners and the highest USN = received=20 from them. The server receiving the update requests only those changes = with USNs=20 higher than those previously received. This method has the added benefit = of=20 stopping updates from propagating endlessly between multiple Active = Directory=20 servers.
An obvious problem inherent in this multimaster = replication=20 method is that updates to a single object can occur in multiple places = at the=20 same time. For example, if an administrator in Boston changes a = user=E2=80=99s name from=20 =E2=80=9CCurt=E2=80=9D to =E2=80=9CKurt=E2=80=9D and an administrator in = Chicago simultaneously changes that=20 same user=E2=80=99s name from =E2=80=9CCurt=E2=80=9D to = =E2=80=9CKirk,=E2=80=9D a replication collision will occur.=20 There are two problems to deal with when a collision occurs: detecting = the=20 collision and resolving the collision.
Active Directory stores=20 property version numbers to allow detection of these replication=20 collisions. Property version numbers are specific to each property of = every=20 object within Active Directory and are updated every time the property = is=20 modified. These numbers are propagated through Active Directory along = with the=20 change. Thus, when a server receives two different updates to the same = property=20 with the same property version number, it can conclude that a = replication=20 collision has occurred.
Active Directory resolves replication = collisions=20 by applying the update with the later timestamp. As the server that = initiated=20 the change creates the timestamp, it is very important to keep the = system time=20 synchronized between Windows 2000 servers.
Use the built-in = distributed time=20 synchronization service to keep all servers working together!
Large networks can contain = hundreds of=20 thousands of objects. Windows NT required multiple domains to allow that = many=20 objects to be manageable. Administrators often divided users and = resources into=20 separate domains and created a trust between the domains. The structure = of the=20 databases simply did not allow them to grow to hundreds of thousands of = objects.=20 These size limitations are less a factor in Active Directory domains. = Supporting=20 a very large Active Directory, however, could be an incredible burden to = any=20 single domain controller.
Active Directories can be partitioned = to lessen=20 this load. Partitioning allows different domaincontrollers to manage = different=20 sections of the database, reducing the load on any individual server. = The=20 clients can use resources located within different Active Directory = partitions=20 transparently. Therefore, administrators can manage massive Active = Directory=20 domains without requiring domain controllers to handle the entire=20 database.
Schema = editing
Remember: A=20 schema is a set of attributes used to describe a particular object class = in=20 Active Directory. Schemas are important because different types of = information=20 must be tracked for different object classes. For example, the Users = object=20 class needs attributes for first name, last name, phone number, e-mail = address,=20 and mailing address. The Printer object class will have different = attributes:=20 Users will want to know how fast a printer is and whether it can duplex = or print=20 in color. These attributes can be viewed and edited using the Active = Directory=20 Schema MMC snap-in. The Active Directory Schema does not have an icon = within the=20 Start menu; you must launch the MMC interface and add the snap-in named = Active=20 Directory Schema.
Active Directory provides default object = classes with a=20 logical set of attributes that will fit most organizations' needs. = However,=20 organizations will need to track additional information about particular = object=20 classes. For example, if your company provides employees with security = badges,=20 it would be useful for you to track the ID number of the badge in the = User=20 object class. To do so, you would first create an attribute called = SecurityID,=20 and then make the new attribute optional for the Users class.
The = schema=20 is stored within Active Directory just like other objects. Therefore, = the schema=20 inherits the ability to be automatically replicated throughout a domain. = It also=20 benefits from the security features of Active Directory and allows=20 administrators to delegate authority over the schema to different users = and=20 groups. By changing the ACLs on a schema object, an administrator can = allow any=20 user to add or modify attributes for an object class.
By default, Active = Directory=20 servers do not allow you to edit the schema. To remove this restriction, = you=20 must add a REG_DWORD value to the registry named Schema Update Allowed = and set=20 it to 1. This value should be added to the following registry = key:
\Hkey=20 Local Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NTDS\Parameters
New=20 attributes have several properties that must be set. The user creating a = new=20 attribute must define a name for the attribute (such as Security Badge = ID #),=20 the type of data to be stored (such as a string or a number), and the = range=20 limits (such as string length). A unique Object Identifier (OID) must = also be=20 provided. New attributes can be indexed, which adds the attributes to = the Global=20 Catalog. Indexes should be created for attributes that users will search = with.=20 In this example, if security needs to look up user accounts by the = Security=20 Badge ID number, this attribute should be indexed. For a search to occur = on an=20 unindexed attribute, a much slower, processor-intensive walk of the = directory=20 tree must be done.
Be strict with what attributes or classes you = add to=20 Active Directory. Classes and attributes cannot be deleted with the = Active=20 Directory Schema or any other tool. Once you create them, they will = exist=20 forever within your Active Directory. The only option you have is to = deactivate=20 a class, which stops it from being used in the future. You cannot = deactivate a=20 class or an attribute that has dependencies within Active Directory. For = example, if an attribute is still used by an active class, that = attribute must=20 remain active.
Object Identifiers should be globally unique. One way = to=20 achieve this is to have a central agency that assigns OIDs. The Internet = follows=20 a similar practice. The InterNIC assigns domain names and the Internet = Assigned=20 Numbers Authority (IANA) assigns IP subnets. In much the same way, a = National=20 Registration Authority, or NRA, assigns Object Identifiers. NRAs vary = from=20 country to country. In the United States, the American National = Standards=20 Institute (ANSI) provides NRA services. For a modest fee, ANSI can = supply your=20 organization with a root OID. Any objects created by your organization = will have=20 this root OID as the prefix, ensuring that Object Identifiers are = globally=20 unique. You can find a list of NRAs at the
For performance reasons, Active Directory servers cache the = schema.=20 It will take up to five minutes for the cache to be updated after you = change the=20 schema so remember to wait a few minutes before you try to create = objects based=20 on your new object classes and attributes. If you must reload the cache=20 immediately, add the attribute schema UpdateNow to the root object (the = object=20 without a distinguished name) and set the value to 1.
Extending = the=20 schema of Active Directory is a powerful capability, but most = administrators=20 will never need to use anything but the classes and attributes provided = with=20 Active Directory out of the box.
In part three, I will explain the=20 differences between objects, object classes, and attributes. I will also = cover=20 Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), on which the addressing = scheme of=20 Active Directory is based and Active Directory Service Interface (ADSI), = which=20 allows the administrator to automate common administrative tasks using = Visual=20 Basic or other programming tools.
The authors and editors have taken = care in=20 preparation of the content contained herein but make no expressed or = implied=20 warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or = omissions. No=20 liability is assumed for any damages. Always have a verified backup = before=20 making any changes.
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We have experienced an error<\/p>';}=20 else if (data.Contacts) { if (null !=3D data.Contacts.Contact[0]) { c=3D'
- '
for (var i=3D0; i < data.Contacts.Contact.length; i++){
c+=3D'
- '; c+=3Ddata.Contacts.Contact[i].UserName.$ + '<\/a><\/li>'; }=20 c+=3D'<\/ul>'; } else { c=3D'
- '+ i = +'<\/a><\/li>';} MgrUl +=3D currentLink; } MgrUl +=3D '<\/ul>'; if(nElements !=3D 1) MgrNav.set('html',MgrUl); MgrHTML =3D doc.getElementsByTagName('HTML')[0].firstChild.data; MgrDiv.set('html', MgrHTML); =09 =09 var mitems =3D $$('.tabs li'); var mz =3D mitems.length - 1; var mseq =3D 0; var mspeed =3D 8000; var mperiod; =09 if (nElements !=3D 1) { var mrotate =3D function(){ mitems[mseq].removeClass('active'); (mseq !=3D mz) ? mseq++ : mseq =3D 0; mitems[mseq].addClass('active'); MgrHTML =3D = doc.getElementsByTagName('HTML')[mseq].firstChild.data; MgrDiv.set('html', MgrHTML); } function timer() {mperiod =3D mrotate.periodical(mspeed);} =20 mitems.each(function(el, i){=20 el.addEvent('click', function(e){ e =3D new Event(e).stop(); $clear(mperiod); mitems[mseq].removeClass('active'); mseq =3D i; mitems[i].addClass('active'); MgrHTML =3D doc.getElementsByTagName('HTML')[i].firstChild.data; MgrDiv.set('html', MgrHTML); mclicked =3D true; }) el.addEvent('mouseenter', function(e){ $clear(mperiod);}) el.addEvent('mouseleave', function(e){ if (!mclicked) { = timer();}}) }) timer();=20 } } else { MgrDiv.set('html', '