Active Directory (AD)

Active Directory has the tools for a system administrator to add, remove, and change user information. This includes but is not limited to general information, account details, telephones, member of groups, and many more.

Users

General Information

The information in this area refers to the basics. As the admin I have access to change the users name, display name, description, office information if they worked in an office, a telephone number, email, and web page if they have one.

Account Details

The account section lets you change the user logon name, unlock user accounts, and multiple password settings that allow you to restrict someone from changing their password or forcing them to change it.

Member Of

The member of tab lets you view and change what groups users are apart of. This is important to make sure the right people have the access they need and no more than what they need.

Computers

General

This section holds information about the computer name, DNS name, DC Type, and space to include a description.

Operating System

The OS section holds the type of OS and the version it is running.

Member Of

This section covers what groups the machine is a part of.

Computer Management

DNS Manager

Forward lookup zones

Reverse lookup zones

Domain Name Server (DNS)

The DNS is the important piece of a domain that allows users to use nslookup commands for searches and troubleshooting server related problems. DNS has different records that are responsible for the searches and troubleshooting. Some of these include CNAME, A, PTR, and more.

Records

CNAME

This record is used to make allow domains to be searched by its alias if it has one. CNAME records always point at domain names and never at IP addresses.

A

The A stands for address. This is the most basic type of DNS record. It shows the IP address of a specific domain. These are used to match the IP address and a domain name.

PTR

The pointer record provides the domain name associated with an IP address. The PTR record is the opposite of the A record. They are used when attempting to reach a domain name in the browser, then the DNS lookup happens, then matching the domain name to the IP address.

MX

This is a mail exchange record. The purpose of this is to forward email to the mail server. The MX record uses the SMTP which is the standard protocol for all mail.

NS

This is the nameserver record, which indicates the DNS server that is authoritative for that domain. NS records will tell the internet where to go to find out a domain’s IP address. There are often more than one NS records which can indicate primary or secondary nameservers.

SRV

This record specifies a host and port for specific services. These include voice over IP, instant messaging, and more. These will include an IP address and a port at the IP address. Some internet protocols require SRV to function.