Activity 3.1: Designing a Forest Model

In this activity you will read about a design team that is planning the Active Directory infrastructure for an organization. Your task is to analyze the information provided about the organization to define the forest model needed for the Active Directory infrastructure.

Scenario: Adventure Works

You are an infrastructure planner on the Active Directory infrastructure design team for Adventure Works, a retailer of camping and adventure equipment that operates from its corporate office in Salt Lake City; regional offices in Portland, Denver, Austin, and Atlanta; and 200 retail stores across the United States. The business and technical environment analysis documents have been compiled and copies have been distributed to everyone on the team. You are now in the process of designing a forest model for the organization.

Taking a look at the current business structures and IT management organization, you make these notes: since its inception, Adventure Works has operated a separate network with a separate IT management department for the retail stores. This department is responsible for administering all of the Windows NT point-of-sale workstations and the large database servers that handle inventory at each retail store. At the corporate and regional offices, the retail store network has always been considered a separate entity. You set up a phone conference with several members of the retail IT management department and find that they are adamant about continuing their network administration role for the retail stores.

While considering the changes currently planned to address growth and flexibility needs and the changes that would help meet the ideal design specifications of the organization, you interview four members of senior management and find that one of their goals is to synch up the inventory database system in the retail network with the purchasing and distribution systems to create a single view of all products and systems. The current setup has sometimes caused product availability to vary widely in retail stores. Another goal is to cultivate and recruit employees from the retail stores for operations in the corporate office. One of the ways management envisions doing this is by providing retail employees easy access to the corporate intranet and e-mail systems and using the systems to foster a more unified company environment.

1. List the advantages of using a multiple forest model for Adventure Works.
   
   
   
2. List the disadvantages of using a multiple forest model for Adventure Works.
   
   
   
3. Which model would you choose and why?
   
   
   

Answers