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Managing Active Directory proactively

By Dave Kearns
Network World Directory Newsletter, 02/09/00

With the release of Windows 2000 (and Active Directory) just days away, Mission Critical Software (MCS) has released an update to the OnePoint that helps manage Active Directory proactively.

Called the OnePoint Operations Manager solution for Active Directory, the new service will enable IT personnel to automatically manage and monitor the availability, responsiveness and replication of Active Directory. It also automatically publishes critical management reports on domain configuration, replication topology, and events produced by Active Directory. As a result, IT personnel can now use the OnePoint Operations Manager product to centrally monitor and manage the server infrastructure, service levels, and business critical applications in Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Active Directory from a single point.

According to MCS, The OnePoint Operations Manager product ensures availability, provides service level reporting, optimizes performance through automated problem detection and resolution, and reduces support costs associated with managing and monitoring distributed NT and Windows 2000 environments. The OnePoint Operations Manager solution for Active Directory specifically lets IT personnel extend enterprise-level application, service level, and performance monitoring and management of NT and Windows 2000 environments to the Windows 2000 directory service.

Areas of management functionality include:

Automated health monitoring and auditing: Operations Manager conducts automated scheduled tests that verify the domain controllers are properly functioning, and monitors key trouble indicators, such as event logs and performance counters. If they become unavailable or unhealthy, preconfigured automated recovery action may be taken or the administrator may be immediately alerted and provided with relevant diagnostic and recovery information to resolve the issues before they impact business.

Active replication monitoring: Operations Manager continuously monitors the replication process across the enterprise and provides diagnostics tools to aid, identify and resolve issues.

Dynamic, automatic management and discovery: Enterprise configuration is constantly changing. Operations Manager, through its ActiveAgent technology, automatically configures itself to adjust to these changes, which ensures that IT personnel are managing the real-time, current state of their distributed environment.

Comprehensive reporting and auditing: The reporting and auditing tools provided by Operations Manager for Active Directory enable IT personnel to identify users or applications that have changed the schema, OU structure, contacts, printers, computers and other objects. Operations Manager also provides basic availability reports for key machines and services, which enable IT personnel to report service-level exceptions and identify problem machines.

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Dave Kearns is a writer and consultant in Silicon Valley. His most recent book is "Peter Norton's Complete Guide to Networks" published by SAMS. Dave's company, Virtual Quill, provides content services to network vendors: books, manuals, white papers, lectures and seminars, marketing, technical marketing and support documents. Virtual Quill provides "words to sell by..." Find out more at Virtual Quill or by e-mail at info@vquill.com

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