Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2: Server Infrastructure - AD Design

Understanding the Active Directory forest structure; the mechanics of domain controllers, hosted services and strategic placement, along with Active Directory replication is fundamental to effective planning, appropriate design and efficient deployment of a Active Directory forest infrastructure. Forest and domain planning and design is a team effort, and should be a methodical, sequential, and cyclical process. The forest stakeholders and IT designers should support the forest and domain design process; functional outlines and defined security requirement specifications, and detailed service and resource isolation and autonomy requirements. This course discusses Active Directory forest models, forest design guidelines, and domain design model guidelines and deployment.
The selection of the forest model and the domain models should be underpinned by a formal specification and build plan and timescale, and should be signed off by the stakeholders and owners; continuous review and testing should be integral activities within the forest design, deployment and operational phases. This course details the design concept and implementation of Active Directory forest and domain trusts, forest and domain functional level options, and the processes and options involved in upgrading Active Directory, a domain controller upgrade.