Windows 2000 Administration in a Nutshell

Name

Active Directory Users and Computers — G,H,PP

Synopsis

Manages and publishes information in Active Directory.

Description

Active Directory Users and Computers is one of the Windows 2000 tools you will use frequently as an administrator. Use this tool to:

Create and manage objects representing users, groups, computers, and printers on your network.
Publish information about shared folders and downlevel Windows NT printers in Active Directory.
Create hierarchies of organizational units (OUs) to facilitate delegation and the implementation of Group Policy in your enterprise.
Manage certain aspects of domain controllers, including some single-master operation roles.
Link GPOs to domains and OUs.
Delegate authority over OUs to trusted users in your enterprise.

Using Active Directory Users and Computers

You can access Active Directory Users and Computers by either:

Start → Programs → Administrative Tools → Active Directory Users and Computers
Start → Programs → Administrative Tools → Active Directory Domains and Trusts → right-click on a domain → Manage
Installing the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in into a new or existing console

The console tree for this tool displays the hierarchy of OUs and other containers that make up the structure of your selected domain. A typical console tree looks like this:

Active Directory Domains and Trusts OU OU OU . . . OU . . . Builtin Computers Domain Controllers Foreign Security Principals Users OU . . .