Inside Windows® Server 2003

Strategies for OU Design

Figure 8.6 shows the default structure of a Domain naming context. The standard containers in a domain have the advantage of simplicity, but that's about it. Using them is acceptable for small organizations but they fall short of the mark if you want to compartmentalize management or group policies. If you start off using the standard containers, you'll know it's time to tailor a new design when administrators start pointing fingers at each other when directory objects or rights “mysteriously” change or when users from one department complain that they want a different desktop than users in another department.

Figure 8.6. Default containers for a new Windows Server 2003 Domain naming context.

Both of these problems, lack ...