Active Directory 2008 Unleashed is the definitive reference to the design, architecture, installation, and management of Active Directory, the cornerstone of Windows Server distributed networks. Building on their highly-praised Inside Active Directory: A System Administrator's Guide, the authors offer practical, up-to-date best practices for every facet of planning, deploying, and running Active Directory. This book begins with a clear and accessible "big picture" introduction to Active Directory 2008; then drills down to the details of installation and management. The authors systematically cover core skills including: managing organizational units, users, groups, security, sites, replication, domains, forests, and group policy. Next, they share in-depth insight into creating efficient Active Directory schema, and extending schema as organizations change. Finally, they present two entirely new chapters on automating Active Directory administration via PowerShell scripts: both the concepts administrators need, and a full chapter of easy-to-adapt sample scripts. Like its predecessor, this book reaches a broad audience of Windows professionals in organizations of all sizes, with widely varying levels of experience. Novices will gain a solid understanding of Active Directory principles and techniques; experienced Windows professionals will master advanced techniques, and developers will benefit from this book's excellent coverage of Active Directory architecture.