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April 19, 1999

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Netware And Windows Directory Services

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This is not to say that Active Directory is less than capable. Microsoft demonstrations have shown quick searches of large directory structures, and the Microsoft management console is both easy to use, extensible with snap-in applications, and easily programmable by the administrator to automate repetitive functions.

The main issue with Active Directory is that it is new and untried, and contains many lines of code. Given the early problems that NDS experienced, many analysts expect to see similar problems with the first version of Active Directory. On the other hand, the public trial of the Beta 3 code may be the largest pubic trial of software ever.

Active Directory will provide LDAP compatibility, opening the possibility of extending network management into other directories and network operating systems. In addition to a solid migration utility that enables migration from NDS to Active Directory, both Microsoft and Novell have committed to enabling interoperability of Active Directory and NDS directories, allowing both to co-exist in a network.

Entevo DirectManage Suite
Entevo Corp.'s DirectManage suite is an integrated directory that supports NDS networks and NT networks, including existing NT 3.51 and NT 4 networks as well as future Windows 2000 networks. It consists of DirectAdmin, the management console, the NDS Plus Pack and DirectMigrate for NDS, which add NDS functionality, and DirectScript, a scripting environment that supports the existing Component Object Model, as well as ADSI. All together, the suite lets customers deploy, administer, and manage multiple directories from a single console, or to consolidate multiple directories into a single structure.

It can manage existing NT and NDS networks, and is also intended to ease the transition to Windows 2000 by letting system administrators convert Windows NT domains to an Active Directory hierarchical environment, even before Active Directory ships.

DirectManage provides role-based delegation of network tasks at a very granular level, and integrates well with both NT and NDS. It offers a remote, Web-based console accessible through any recent browser, good scripting and reporting capabilities, and the ability to administer Exchange accounts as well.

Entevo's NDS Plus Pack allows administration of NDS and NT servers from the same console, including synchronization of passwords on user accounts on both types of networks. DirectMigrate for NDS is designed to allow administrators to move users, groups, and organizational units from an NDS hierarchy to either a flat Windows NT domain structure or to DirectAdmin's DirectMap.

DirectManage is the only product other than NDS that offers control of both NDS and NT networks. While NDS for NT is less expensive (up to $8 per user, which could add up in large networks), DirectAdmin offers substantial additional capabilities, including administration of Exchange and scripting functions.

FastLane DM/Suite
FastLane's DM/Suite currently supports only NT networks, although support for NDS integration and migration utilities are expected in May-June 1999. The suite includes DM/Administrator, with COM and ADSI compatibility, which provides directory services across multiple NT domains; DM/Manager, a planning and automation tool for consolidating NT domains; and DM/Reporter, a sophisticated reporting tool that covers NT domains, Exchange, and FastLane directories.

The package's administrative tool, DM/Administrator, can easily create one or more virtual domains, which can contain NT domains, other virtual domains, and the same sorts of network objects allowed by NDS or Active Directory. A Web client is also available, enabling remote administration from a Web browser. The management interface will be familiar to anyone who has used Windows Explorer.

DM/Manager surveys NT networks, produces reports on what will be required for migration to a directory-based network, and then migrates users, groups and computers, as well as Exchange accounts, to the new directory. Relative to the complexity of the job it does, it is easy to set up and use.

The administrative tool is useful even for administrators who do not intend to move to a directory-based network. It provides extensive reports on trust relationships between domains which, as experienced NT administrators know, can become exceedingly complex with even a relatively low number of domains, to say nothing of what happens when there are dozens or even hundreds on a network. Once managers decide to move to a directory-based network, the automation functions of DM's migration tool can allow even very large networks to be migrated to a directory quickly and easily.