Tools and Utilities

Active Directory includes two major new tools for Windows Server 2003: the Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) 2.0 and the new Group Policy Management Console (GPMC).

ADMT 2.0 is a beefed-up version of Microsoft's bundled Active Directory migration tool. New features include the capability to migrate user passwords along with their accounts and the capability to migrate users from Windows 2000 domains as well as from Windows NT domains. Interestingly, Microsoft left the password migration capability out of ADMT 1.0 because it said it wasn't possible. Shortly after Windows 2000 shipped, though, Aelita Software (www.aelita.com) shipped a third-party migration product that handles password migration. Realizing its error, Microsoft hurried to include the much-demanded feature in ADMT 2.0. Password migrating capabilities aside, ADMT 2.0 is still relatively limited in functionality. It's suitable primarily for smaller migrations involving only a few servers or client computers. For larger migrations, we strongly recommend a more powerful, third-party migration solution. Solutions are offered by Aelita, NetIQ (www. netiq .com), and others.

The new GPMC interface is integrated into the existing Active Directory administration tools: Active Directory Users and Computers and Active Directory Sites and Services. This and other Group Policy improvements are covered in Chapter 6, "Group Policy Changes."