Active Directory for Admins Training Course

1. Introduction

• Overview of Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
• Course goals and expected learning outcomes
• The function of Active Directory within enterprise ecosystems for government
• Description of the training laboratory environment
• Key terminology and foundational concepts in Active Directory

2. Overview of Active Directory Features and Architecture

• Structural components of Active Directory
• Distinction between logical and physical structures
• Domains, Trees, and Forests
• Organizational Units (OUs)
• Domain Controllers and Global Catalog services
• Flexible Single Master Operations (FSMO) roles
• Sites and Subnets configuration
• DNS integration with Active Directory
• Active Directory partitions and database architecture

3. Overview of Identity Management Solutions and Concepts

• Fundamentals of Identity and Access Management (IAM)
• Distinctions between authentication and authorization
• Kerberos authentication protocol
• NTLM authentication protocol
• Single Sign-On (SSO) mechanisms
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Identity lifecycle management processes
• Concepts related to hybrid identity environments for government

4. Setting up Active Directory

• Strategic planning for Active Directory deployment
• Installation of Active Directory Domain Services
• Promotion of servers to Domain Controller status
• Establishment of new forests and domains
• Installation and configuration of DNS services
• Verification of installation integrity
• Deployment best practices for government operations

5. Implementing Active Directory Domain Services

• Creation and structure of Organizational Units
• Administration of users, groups, and computers
• User account management procedures
• Group scopes and group types
• Delegation of administrative privileges
• Management of service accounts
• Domain membership for computer systems

6. Configuring and Managing Replication

• Principles of Active Directory replication
• Multi-master replication mechanisms
• Replication topology design
• Knowledge Consistency Checker (KCC) functionality
• Sites and replication scheduling
• Troubleshooting replication errors
• Monitoring replication health status

7. Implementing and Managing Group Policy

• Group Policy architecture overview
• Creation of Group Policy Objects (GPOs)
• GPO linking procedures
• Group Policy inheritance models
• Loopback processing configuration
• Administrative Templates management
• Software deployment via GPO
• Folder Redirection implementation
• Application of security policies
• Password and account lockout policy settings
• Troubleshooting Group Policy issues

8. Implementing a Certification Authority (CA) Hierarchy

• Introduction to Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
• Architecture of Certificate Services
• Root and Subordinate Certification Authorities
• Installation of Active Directory Certificate Services
• Design of CA hierarchy structures
• Certificate template management
• Auto-enrollment configurations

9. Managing Certificates

• Certificate lifecycle management processes
• Issuance of certificates
• Certificate renewal procedures
• Certificate revocation protocols
• Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs)
• Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP)
• Management of certificate templates
• Troubleshooting certificate-related issues for government networks

10. Implementing and Administering Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS)

• Introduction to federation services
• Architecture of AD FS
• Claims-based authentication models
• Installation of AD FS
• Configuration of trust relationships
• Implementation of Single Sign-On
• Integration of external applications
• Monitoring and troubleshooting AD FS for government use

11. Enabling Data Access

• Access control principles
• NTFS permissions structure
• Shared folder permissions
• Evaluation of effective permissions
• Access-Based Enumeration features
• Dynamic Access Control implementation
• File Classification Infrastructure
• Auditing of file access events for government compliance

12. Securing Active Directory Domain Services

• Security best practices for Active Directory
• Administrative security models
• Tiered administration strategies
• Privileged Access Management (PAM)
• Securing Domain Controllers in government environments
• Password policy configurations
• Fine-Grained Password Policies
• Account lockout policies
• Auditing and monitoring requirements
• Backup and recovery considerations for critical infrastructure

13. Implementing and Managing Rights Management Services (RMS)

• Introduction to Active Directory Rights Management Services
• RMS architecture
• Installation of AD RMS
• Protection of sensitive documents in government systems
• Information protection policies
• Integration with Microsoft Office applications
• Management of user access rights

14. Implementing Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory)

• Introduction to Microsoft Entra ID
• Cloud identity concepts for federal use
• Hybrid identity architecture
• Microsoft Entra Connect configuration
• Password Hash Synchronization
• Pass-through Authentication methods
• Federation with AD FS
• Overview of Conditional Access policies
• Identity synchronization processes
• Management of cloud-based identities for government agencies

15. Integrating Active Directory with OpenLDAP

• Fundamentals of LDAP protocol
• Active Directory LDAP support capabilities
• Overview of OpenLDAP
• Methods for identity synchronization
• Authentication integration strategies
• Common interoperability scenarios for government systems
• Security considerations in LDAP integration
• Troubleshooting LDAP connectivity issues

16. Monitoring Active Directory

• Overview of monitoring tools
• Utilization of Event Viewer
• Performance Monitor application
• Active Directory Administrative Center
• Use of PowerShell for monitoring tasks in government operations
• Replication monitoring procedures
• System health checks
• Auditing of system changes
• Performance optimization techniques

17. Troubleshooting

• Resolution of user logon issues
• DNS-related problem resolution
• Replication failure diagnostics
• Group Policy troubleshooting methods
• Authentication issue resolution for government networks
• Certificate-related problem diagnosis
• Domain Controller health assessments
• Use of diagnostic tools (dcdiag, repadmin, nltest, gpresult)
• Backup and recovery procedures for federal systems
• Disaster recovery scenarios planning

18. Summary and Conclusion

• Review of key technical concepts
• Best practices for Active Directory administration in government sectors
• Security recommendations for federal agencies
• Operational maintenance checklist for persistent compliance
• Additional Microsoft resources and official documentation references
• Questions and answers session
• Final hands-on review and laboratory wrap-up