A key component of avoiding directory services (DS) problems is understanding how to manage the tree effectively and efficiently . Novell provides several good tools for accomplishing standard administrative tasks , but in many cases tools other than those that Novell provides can make the job simpler. This chapter takes a look at the tools supplied with NetWare and eDirectory as well as selected tools available from third-party vendors .
Many of the Novell-supplied tools, such as NDS iMonitor, have already been discussed in Chapters 7, "Diagnostic and Repair Tools," and 8, "eDirectory Data Recovery Tools." This chapter takes a look at them from a management point of view instead of using them purely as diagnostic or repair tools.
NOTE
The tools discussed in this chapter can safely be used against legacy versions of NDS and are not restricted to eDirectory. There are some restrictions, however, when some of the new eDirectory-specific tools are used against older versions of NDS . For instance, when you use NDS iMonitor against an NDS 7 server, you will not be able to obtain as much statistical information about the various NDS processes as you would when running it against an eDirectory 8.7.3 server.
