Windows 2000 Active Directory is a notably authoritative and engaging guide to Microsoft's Active Directory (AD). This book can serve as a trustworthy guide for any administrator or developer planning to make the move to the new Windows and this powerful directory standard. Articulate and technically astute, the author adopts the role of a trusted advisor on the best ways to handle the move from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000, with an expert's view of designing the layout of your company's Active Directory schema. In realistic terms, he shows you how AD can coexist with UNIX directories. The book not only provides a collection of screenshots (though there are hands-on tutorials for specific tasks), but also a nicely in-depth tour of what Internet directories are and what advantages Active Directory offers. The author's case studies on sample domains and organisation units (OUs) for sample companies, including a model global corporation, will help any network administrator cope with the design of even the most complex directories. His hints for limiting "domains" and favouring the more flexible "organisational units" (OUs) will also help administrators think in Windows 2000 terms. Later sections of the book delve into Active Directory Services Interface (ASDI) scripting using Windows Script Host (WSH), Visual Basic, and even ASPs for browser-based administration. Assuming very little programming background, the author provides tips and sample scripts for a variety of common administrative tasks, such as adding new users, changing passwords and the like. This focus on the practical side of administration rounds out an extremely useful guide to Windows 2000. This technically savvy book can definitely simplify the life of any administrator, manager, or developer upgrading to the latest Windows and who needs to understand and use AD effectively.