Introduction

It was not too long ago that a network administrator could discuss networking computers on the same network segment and the words Domain Name System (DNS) would never surface during the conversation. It was also not so long ago that the NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI) was the king of networking protocols in Windows NT networks. If an administrator needed to connect to a NetWare server they relied on the Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange (IPX/SPX) protocol.

One day, seemingly out of nowhere, the Internet happened. It had actually been around for quite some time courtesy of the Department of Defense and several large universities across the country, but organizations that wanted to connect their networks together either bought or leased dedicated lines between sites. This was not an altogether inexpensive proposition especially before the wide spread use of fiber optics and satellite communications. With the introduction of the masses to the Internet, a crisis occurred: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) was not only needed within Windows networks, but demanded by administrators who began to see the power and flexibility that it promised. Microsoft, along with a host of other vendors, heard the demand and seemingly overnight TCP/IP support appeared in all operating systems. It was not until the introduction of Windows 2000, however, that TCP/IP became the de facto networking protocol in the Windows network arena. When Windows 2000 came out, TCP/IP and DNS were integral parts of the most powerful and flexible operating system made. Active Directory changed...