Active Directory Design & The Real World
Ever been in position where you have to decide between Single Active Directory, Child Domains or Seperate Forest Architectural Designs? So have I...Numerous times...and it can get quite complex without asking the right questions and taking a holistic approach to your company and business structure as a whole....Design goes past simply Active Directory Modelling and what you would like to do, but also calls upon Management and company direction for the future...
The most confusing parts and the hardest Questions to answer are often "Do I use child domains and if so Why?" or "Do I use a seperate Forest, and again, why?" The reality is, these are indeed hard questions to answer without having the right background information on your company and what they want to do. Decisions can change in a split second depending on a response from a CEO, or Director or any Departmental manager, and if you already have a structure in place, this can be hard to change....
I have posted an article based on my experience in the AD world when it comes to design, I have worked in numerous companies that have charged me with the role of redesigning and future proofing their AD Architecture, and so far so good, The key point i had to learn very quickly was take a step back from the Technical world and focus just as heavily on the business roles and plans for the future.
As always, I am open to review and comments, and stress that this is only what i have seen and done in the past, you may find that your needs and questions are different from mine, but i hope that i can pass through some sort of guidance and help with what i have dealt with in both the Technical and Business Worlds
http://www.block.net.au/help/ad-architecture/
James