Summary

As this chapter illustrates, there are several new features available to Active Directory with Windows Server 2003. Although many of the new features rely on a certain functional level of the Windows Server 2003 network, some features can be realized with only a single Windows Server 2003 domain controller running in a Windows 2000 functional mode (for example universal group caching). After the functional level of the forest is elevated to Windows Server 2003 mode, many of the barriers that once existed in Windows 2000 networks are broken, allowing administrators greater management and design flexibility than was ever possible before.