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The NTDS.DIT
This is the main AD database. NTDS stands for NT Directory Services. The DIT stands for Directory Information Tree. The Ntds.dit file on a particular domain controller contains all naming contexts hosted by that domain controller, including the Configuration and Schema naming contexts. A Global Catalog server stores the partial naming context replicas in the Ntds.dit right along with the full Domain naming context for its domain.
Windows 2000 Active Directory data store, the actual database file, is %SystemRoot%\ntds\NTDS.DIT. The ntds.dit file is the heart of Active Directory including user accounts. Active Directory's database engine is the Extensible Storage Engine ( ESE ) which is based on the Jet database used by Exchange 5.5 and WINS. The ESE has the capability to grow to 16 terabytes which would be large enough for 10 million objects. Back to the real world. Only the Jet database can maniuplate information within the AD datastore.
For information on domain controller configuration to optimize Active Directory, see Optimize Active Directory Disk Performance
The Active Directory ESE database, NTDS.DIT, consists of the following tables:
* Schema table
the types of objects that can be created in the Active Directory, relationships between them, and the optional and mandatory attributes on each type of object. This table is fairly static and much smaller than the data table.
* Link table
contains linked attributes, which contain values referring to other objects in the Active Directory. Take the MemberOf attribute on a user object. That attribute contains values that reference groups to which the user belongs. This is also far smaller than the data table.
* Data table
users, groups, application-specific data, and any other data stored in the Active Directory. The data table can be thought of as having rows where each row represents an instance of an object such as a user, and columns where each column represents an attribute in the schema such as GivenName.
From a different perspective, Active Directory has three types of data
* Schema information
definitional details about objects and attributes that one CAN store in the AD. Replicates to all domain controllers. Static in nature.
* Configuration information
configuration data about forest and trees. Replicates to all domain controllers. Static as your forest is.
* Domain information
object information for a domain. Replicates to all domain controllers within a domain. The object portion becomes part of Global Catalog. The attribute values (the actual bulk of data) only replicates within the domain.
Although GUIDs are unique, they are large. AD uses distinguished name tag ( DNT ). DNT is a 4-byte DWORD value which is incremented when a new object is created in the store. The DNT represents the object's database row number. It is an example of a fixed column. Each object's parent relationship is stored as a parent distinguished name tag ( PDNT ). Resolution of parent-child relationships is optimized because the DNT and PDNT are indexed fields in the database. For more technical info on the AD datastore and its organization, a good starting point is the Active Directory Database Sizing document.
The size of ntds.dit will often be different sizes across the domain controllers in a domain. Remember that Active Directory is a multi-master independent model where updates are occuring in each of the ADs with the changes being replicated over time to the other domain controllers. The changed data is replicated between domain controllers, not the database, so there is no guarantee that the files are going to be the same size across all domain controllers.
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Is the set of definitions of the kinds of objects and object-related information that the directory can contain?
In LDAP-compatible directories, a schema is the set of definitions of the kinds of objects and object-related information that the directory can contain.
What is directory service?
Similar to a database program but with the capability to manage objects in it
What is a directory service?
Similar to a database program but with the capability to manage objects in it
The directory containing information about objects in a domain resides on computers called?
, the server hosting the replica of Active Directory database is called Domain Controller. In it's database is all information about all objects, that exist in particular Active Directory domain.
What database serves as a central repository for all Active Directory objects?
The global catalog server.
Does the Status bar contains a list of all the objects in the database?
no
What Pane contains a list of all the objects in the database?
Navigation Pane
What is the Active Directory component that contains a reference to all objects within Active Directory called?
The GLobal Catalogue has a reference to all objects within Active Directory. Its is know as GC
What is directory schema?
The Active Directory schema defines the kinds of objects, the types of information about those objects, and the default security configuration for those objects that can be stored in Active Directory. The Active Directory schema contains the formal definitions of all objects, such as users, computers, and printers that are stored in Active Directory. On domain controllers running either Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003, there is only one schema for an entire forest. This way, all objects that are created in Active Directory conform to the same rules. The schema has two types of definitions: object classes and attributes. Object classes such as user, computer, and printer describe the possible directory objects that you can create. Each object class is a collection of attributes. Attributes are defined separately from object classes. Each attribute is defined only once and can be used in multiple object classes. For example, the Description attribute is used in many object classes, but is defined only once in the schema to ensure consistency.
What is the term for the database that contains information about Windows Server 2003 objects and their attributes?
Schema
In ldap What is the set of definitions of the kind of objects and object related information that the directory can contain?
schema ( cheater, go look in the book next time)
Define active directory schema?
All databases have a schema which is a formal definition (set of rules) which govern the database structure and types of objects and attributes which can be contained in the database. The schema contains a list of all classes and attributes in the forest.The schema keeps track of:ClassesClass attributesClass relationships such as subclasses (Child classes that inherit attributes from the super class) and super classes (Parent classes).Object relationships such as what objects are contained by other objects or what objects contain other objects.There is a class Schema object for each class in the Active Directory database. For each object attribute in the database, there is an attributeSchema object.PartitionsActive Directory objects are stored in the Directory Information Tree (DIT) which is broken into the following partitions:Schema partition - Defines rules for object creation and modification for all objects in the forest. Replicated to all domain controllers in the forest. Replicated to all domain controllers in the forest, it is known as an enterprise partition.Configuration partition - Information about the forest directory structure is defined including trees, domains, domain trust relationships, and sites (TCP/IP subnet group). Replicated to all domain controllers in the forest, it is known as an enterprise partition.Domain partition - Has complete information about all domain objects (Objects that are part of the domain including OUs, groups, users and others). Replicated only to domain controllers in the same domain. Partial domain directory partition - Has a list of all objects in the directory with a partial list of attributes for each object.The DIT holds a subset of Active Directory information and stores enough information to start and run the Active Directory service
