Active Directory is a directory service used to store information about the network resources across a domain.An ‘Active Directory’ (AD) structure is a hierarchical framework of objects. The objects fall into three broad categories: resources (e.g., printers), services (e.g., email), and users (user accounts and groups). The AD provides information on the objects, organizes the objects, controls access and sets security.

Where is the AD database held? What other folders are related to AD?

NTDS.DIT is AD database
stored in WindowsSystem32NTDSntds.dit

What is the SYSVOL folder?

Every domain controller has a shared folder in its local file system that is the file system component of Active Directory. This shared folder, named SYSVOL, contains files and folders that must be available and synchronized between domain controllers in a domain, including:

The NETLOGON shared folder, which includes system policies and user-based logon and logoff scripts for non-Windows Server 2003 and non-Windows 2000 network clients, such as clients running Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0.

Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 system policies.

Group Policy settings (templates), including Group Policy settings for domain controllers running Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000.

When you add, remove, or modify the contents in the SYSVOL shared folder, FRS replicates the changed contents to the SYSVOL shared folders on all other domain controllers in the domain.

Explain about Active Directory & LDAP with industry usage

An Active Directory is a centralized database where it contains information about objects like users, groups, computers, printers, OUs, contacts and shared folders.

LDAP – Light Weight Directory Access Protocol
DN-(Distinguished Name), RDN-(Relastive Distinguished Name), UPN-(User Principal Name), GUID-(Golbal Unique Identifier) are the naming convention used by LDAP.

Difference Between Window 2003 server and windows 2000 server.

Which protocol does ADS require?
What is the scope of DHCP server?
What is the difference between 2000 Server and 2003 Server?
What is the difference between domain and domain name server?
How does a protocol work?
What is a ISP and How it works?
How can we configure a router over switch and which IP Address has to be assigned

In 2003 :
1)Domains can be renamed or moved to a different level in the AD tree
2)It supports IPV6 and XML Web services.
3)A new concept of Volume Shadow copy which will takes periodic Snapshots of harddisk.
4)IIS has ability to keep worker process from diffrernt website and web application separated.so that if one application crashes other websites running on the same server remains unaffected.
5)Task Manager has two extra tabs,One showing the graph of network usage per adapter and other showing details of connected users
6)inorder to reduce piracy,microsoft introduced product activationas in window XP
7)Shutdown event tracker.
8)it supports 32 bit and 64 bit processors.
9)it supports multiprocessor upto 64 numbers,scaleable to 512 GB Ram and 720 Group policies.

In 2000

Doamin rename is not possible in windows 2000
2) windows 2k – IIS 5 and windows 2k3 – II6
3) Terminal service are enhanced in win2k3
4) Windows 2k doesn’t have 64 bit version
5) DNS Stub zone has introduced in win2k3.
6) Shadow copying has introduced.
7) Schema version has changed from ver.13 to ver.30.

Explain the role of DNS in Windows 2003 Server.

Windows Server 2000/2003 networks running Active Directory use DNS as the name resolution service to identify domains and domain host computers during the processes such as logging on to the network.

For clients to be able to locate Domain Controllers,the NetLogon service on each Windows 2000/2003 domain controller registers a SRV resource record with the DNS Server.This enables the DNS to provide lookup information when attempting to locate windows 2000 or Windows 2003 services

Without having the terminal server installed we can get the desktop of a system on a remote system through Remote Desktop Connection by enabling remote desktop. Then what is use of Terminal Service?

To allow the server to run multi-session client mode for applications through RDP or for Remote terminal services.
You will need to have a terminal server license installed before the trial period of 90 days expires.