Mastering Microsoft Windows Server® 2008 R2

Chapter 6. Creating the Simple AD: The One-Domain, One-Location AD

Although a great deal has been written about the complex Active Directory structure in large organizations, the truth is that most organizations use just a simple one-domain structure. Indeed, unless your organization has more than 50,000 users or you have a specific reason to add more domains, a single domain structure is not only recommended, but it's also the simplest to implement.

A single domain is relatively easy to create once you have a server—just choose your domain name, run the domain controller promotion wizard (DCPromo), and you're in business. The primary tool you'll use to manage the domain is Active Directory Users and Computers. You can create user and computer ...