What are the features and capabilities of Directory and Resource Administrator? (NETIQKB222)

  • 7700222
  • 02-Feb-2007
  • 19-Jun-2007

Resolution

goal
What are the features and capabilities of Directory and Resource Administrator?

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Directory and Resource Administrator 6.x

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Directory and Resource Administrator 7.x

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Directory and Resource Administrator (DRA) includes full support for managing Windows 2000, Windows 2003 (both mixed and native modes) and Windows NT 4.0 domains. Some of the features include the following capabilities:

Support for Windows 2000\2003 and Windows NT member servers:

  • Streamlined operations that reduce maintenance using open COM technology
  • Platform independence using browser-based interfaces
  • Management of OUs and the Active Directory structure using AD and Domain Explorer
  • Management of objects and resources in Windows 2000, Windows 2003 and Windows NT 4.0 domains including user accounts, groups, contacts, computers, member workstations and servers, printers, services, OUs and more

User interfaces that meet a variety of administration needs-This version includes user interfaces that cater to a variety of administration needs including the following interfaces:

  • Administer from a single point of control
  • Access guided administration tasks with your browser using the Web Console
  • View, print, or publish detailed reports using Reporting
  • Make changes to multiple objects and save time using the command line interface (CLI)

Granular distribution of administration capabilities-This version includes granular distribution of administration capabilities that let you quickly perform the following tasks and more:

  • Group network objects into manageable collections using ActiveViews
  • Distribute related powers easily to Assistant Admins using the many built-in roles, such as the Built-In Help Desk or Built-In Mailbox roles
  • Create and tailor roles to the job descriptions of your Assistant Admins using over 140 individual powers

Business rules and policies-The business rules and policies capabilities included in this version help streamline your workload by offering the following capabilities:

  • Validate many operations and properties using flexible, customizable policies
  • Keep your Active Directory data unified and complete using property validation
  • Validate operations based on external data sources or other criteria using custom policies

Workflow Automation using automation triggers-With NetIQ Administration products you can create workflow automations using automation triggers. The automation capabilities included in this version help in the following situations:

  • Run a script or program each time a DRA operation occurs, such as when a user account is created
  • Trigger another action before and/or after a DRA operation
  • Use policy and automation triggers together to create validated, automated workflows
  • Link an undo script to roll back changes if a validation fails

Exchange 2000\2003 support-In addition to the existing support for Microsoft Exchange 5.5, NetIQ Exchange Administrator now provides support for Microsoft Exchange 2000\2003. Exchange Administrator provides the following features:

  • Support for mail-enabling or mail-disabling Active Directory user accounts
  • Viewing and updating of Exchange 2000\2003 mailbox properties
  • Policies for the creation of mailboxes when user accounts are created or cloned
  • Policies for the generation of proxy addresses and aliases

For more information on Exchange support, please read NetIQ Knowledge Base article: https://www.netiq.com/kb/esupport/consumer/esupport.asp?id=NETIQKB217.

Multi-Master support-The NetIQ Administration products now support Multi-Master functionality. Multi-Master functionality allows multiple Administration servers, or a Multi-Master Set (MMS), to manage the same set of domains and member servers. Multi-Master functionality provides the following fe.
atures:

  • Minimizes network traffic by distributing loads across multiple Administration servers at the local sites
  • Directs Administration servers to update local domain controllers when managing distributed Active Directory installations. This avoids replication delays when updating a remote domain controller
  • Improves fault tolerance by allowing multiple Administration servers to manage the same set of objects concurrently

For more information on the Multi-Master topic, please read NetIQ Knowledge Base article: https://www.netiq.com/kb/esupport/consumer/esupport.asp?id=NETIQKB221.

More flexible security model-The NetIQ Administration products now provide a more flexible security model that allows you to assign a power directly to a user account. This extended functionality no longer requires delegation through a role or an Assistant Admin group. For example, if you want one Assistant Admin to manage the Recycle Bin, you can associate that user account with the individual powers to restore or delete other accounts from the Recycle Bin. Through the improved Create ActiveView wizard, you can also designate user accounts as direct reports to a manager and create the corresponding ActiveViews.

User account recycle bin-The user account recycle bin is similar in concept to the Windows NT and Windows 2000 recycle bin for files and directories. When the user account recycle bin is active and you delete a user in a Windows 2000 domain, the Administration product moves the user account to the recycle bin. User accounts in the recycle bin are not usable, and can be restored if you discover that the deletion was a mistake. This feature can be a life saver in those cases when a user account is mistakenly deleted. To permanently delete the user account, an Assistant Admin with the Permanently Delete A User From Recycle Bin power can delete the user account from the recycle bin. A user account deleted from the recycle bin is completely deleted and cannot be restored.

For more information on the Recycle Bin feature, please read NetIQ Knowledge Base article: https://www.netiq.com/kb/esupport/consumer/esupport.asp?id=NETIQKB216.

Self administration-With the Self Administration feature, employees can use the Web Console to quickly and easily view and manage some properties of their user account properties, such as the business street address or a cell phone number.

New reports-The NetIQ Administration products provide several new reports that address key features such as MMS and Exchange 2000 support. These additions include two highly requested reports: Power List and Report Index. The Power List report provides a complete list of powers you can delegate. The Report Index report provides a complete list of reports you can run. You can view and print these reports from the NetIQ Administration installation kit. You can also view these reports from the autorun Setup tab before you install the Administration products. These reports can be found in the Documentation folder.

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Additional Information

Formerly known as NETIQKB222