We recently installed a set of new servers at Addidici HQ for testing and development of OBIEE 11g. I wanted to make it more real world so we included Microsoft Active Directory (MSAD) on one of the servers.
Having never installed or used MSAD as an administrator previously, I quickly scanned the books available and found an on-line guide that seemed to fit my needs.
At 1000 pages, Configuring Windows Server® 2008 Active Directory was certainly comprehensive!
For me the book was perfect, given that it introduces the concepts and then walks the reader through an actual installation and set-up. The book is actually an exam preparation guide, and I didn’t intend doing the exam, but armed with the book I think that maybe I should now!
From chapter one you are involved in building your first domain, and getting stuck in to creating users and groups (all very useful for our OBIEE 11g integration).
This book did have the potential to just be a standard study text, but we are treated throughout to Dan Holme’s ‘Real World’ extracts. These give great feedback about what happened on real projects, and helps to make sure you learn from Dans vast experience.
Thanks to the book we have a great working LDAP, easy to manage, and integrating well with OBIEE 11g. If I need to undertake some of the more complex tasks such as digital rights management and replication then I will be turning back to the book.
And if the market for OBIEE fall apart I can certainly retrain to be an AD Consultant.
The ISBN is: 978-0-7356-5193-7
Full title is : MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-640): Configuring Windows Server® 2008 Active Directory®
Thanks to the article at http://www.lavc.edu/library/bookreview.htm for giving me some hints on how to review the book.
Also found along the way was US Commerce website http://www.ntis.gov/