Availability and performance of all Microsoft server applications is heavily dependent on availability and performance of the ADS.

This includes:

• Microsoft SQL Server
• Microsoft IIS
• Microsoft Exchange
• Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server

Moreover, user administration of various mission-critical applications like SAP is based on the integration of the ADS.

Active Directory Services are primarily used for user and authorization administration or for other directory services that centrally locate resources and make them accessible.

Information on users and user groups, authorizations and security certificates, computers, printers, applications and files are – once entered into the Active Directory – available throughout the entire network.

ADS enhances the domain concept already established in Windows NT.

The Active Directory is based on various domain controllers. Each domain controller automatically copies all objects defined on it to all existing domain controllers. This ensures the access to Active Directory even if an individual domain controller fails.

In order to facilitate efficient search of the Active Directory for saved data, partial copies of all Windows domain objects are stored within a directory. This is the global catalogue that is automatically generated during replication.

As a consequence, domain controllers, requests to the physical services and file replicators take on a decisive role in the monitoring.

Every domain controller can be monitored with respect to various criteria:

• domain controller status
• file replication service status
• entries into the EventLog generated by the Active Directory Service
• event-based FSMO availability check
• all query attributes and amount of transferred information

What’s more, the data collector displays the following information and the resulting current values:

• FSMO information
• information on RootDSE (Root DS Entry)
• information on file replication settings

• availability and performance of all directory services and thus of all applications
• capacity planning and control of domain controllers
• optimization of access and network load