I have deployed Active Directory in Windows 2003 Server Enterprise edition on many occasion, but this is the first project that will involve multiple locations needing a single global catalog directory.
I believe that I need to know a few things about the network I’m building prior to diving in, such as how many users there will be at each location, what type of connection there will be at each location, etc.
Let’s get all of that out of the way. I’m looking at 5 branch offices, one of them being a corporate headquarters, becoming part of a single domain.
There are approximately 250 users across the entire organization and currently, each branch is disjointed and independent of one another. There are currently either DSL or Cable Modem connections at each office with only Linksys routers, 10/100 hub/switch combinations, and no fiber.
Yep, I’m sorta starting from scratch.
The corporate headquarters is a network designer’s dream as it still doesn’t have drop-ceiling installed. It’s a brand new corporate building and I have the run of the place to get setup properly.
1. If I were to recommend the type of connection to successfully run one AD controller where each branch would login and authenticate on that server through a WAN, what type of connection would I need and who provides that service?
2. Once I have the connections, what class of components or specific components (switches, routers, etc.) are going to be required to provide full manageability remotely and connect each branch.
3. I usually set the server at a single location to be 192.168.0.101 with all of the workstations falling below it and all printers and routers/gateways above on a subnet of 255.255.255.0. I need a bit of theory training on how IP addresses are incorporated into routers (only have small router experience like linksys) and how each branch router should be setup.
4. When will I need to deploy additional domain controllers to ensure smooth connections?
