Welcome
Hello and welcome to Active Directory Tools, a guide to software products available for Active Directory. We hope you find a solution to your Active Directory software needs here.
A new tool in Windows Server 2008 that simplifies restoring Active Directory
Windows 2003 introduced the feature of snapshots for backing up critical information from the Active Directory Domain Services using VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Services). The problem was that if the DC needed to be restored from snapshots multiple copies would have to be restored and compared to find the best copy. And DC restoration requires a reboot into Directory Restore Mode which could slow down or take down a domain until the Active Directory files were recovered. With Windows 2008 Server a new tool Dsamain.exe and a improved Ntdsutil .exe make the operation simpler and without requiring reboot.
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EmpowerID adds features from Quest ActiveRoles Server
The EmpowerID product started out as a web-
based self-service portal designed to reduce help-desk calls. It allowed users to update their own user information, like their phone number in Active Directory, to reset their own passwords, and also provided a customizable company phonebook. The Dot Net Factory, which makes EmpowerID, has since incorporated many features from Quest’s ActiveRoles Server and it has grown into a full-featured identity management solution.
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Unimpressed with Active Directory Export
I was looking for an easy to use utility to export data from one test Active Directory domain to another test AD lab and came across Active Directory Export. It has an intuitive interface that lets you select OUs,Groups,Users to import or export.
How to export data from Active Directory using the free PowerGUI tool
Many visitors to this site are just looking for a free, or low cost tool 
to help them with a simple task. In this post I step through a common task of exporting data from AD using the free PowerGUI tool, and I highly recommend testing this tool out to see if it suits your purposes.
What the Active Directory Recycle Bin Does Not Do
The new Active Directory Recycle Bin has a somewhat misleading name. Its not like the Windows Explorer Recycle Bin, and there are some things to consider before using this new feature.
Maxpowersoft vs. Jiji Active Directory Reports
In this post, and in the video below, I look at Maxpowersoft’s AD reporting tool, and compare it to Jiji’s offering.
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Forefront Identity Manager Demo Video
Microsoft has renamed Identity Lifecycle Manager “2″ to Forefront Identity Manager 2010. In a quick 2 minute video below, I walk through editing user information, and creating a distribution list for a new project using its web-based console.
User self-service updates with AdSelfServicePlus
Have you ever been interrupted at work by a wrong number call from someone else within 
your compay? Outlook’s Global Address List (GAL) is handy for looking up phone numbers, addresses, titles, and other information, but can be difficult to keep up to date . As employees move, change phones, etc. somebody has to update Active Directory’s GAL. In an effort to improve the accuracy of their Active Directory and Exchange Global Address Lists many companies are turning to self-service update tools that allow users to update their own information.
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An In-Depth Look At Softerra LDAP Administrator
LDAP Administrator is made for technical users familiar with LDAP query language. Its good 
for software developers, and a certain class of IT administrators. With a polished, modern user interface, it is a more user-friendly version of LDP. I installed the product easily on my virtual machine test lab, but it took a little while to connect it to AD. Since I was running it on the domain controller while logged on as an Administrator I thought it would detect AD, and automatically bind to it using the current Windows security context. However, you first have to configure credentials and a base DN in order to bind to AD.
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ADGroups
This is the first tool in Javelina’s ADToolkit product suite that I tested out. I received an email 
with a link to download ADGroups shortly after filling in contact data on the product’s web page. There was an error during installation stating: “WiseScript COM Registration Tool has stopped working”, but I was able to continue with the installation. Upon startup I was prompted to setup email, and I skipped over this step, too. The product lets administrators add, modify, and delete group attributes and members using a basic graphical user interface.
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