Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 Inside Out

Developing an Organizational Unit Plan

So far in this book, I've discussed domains, domain trees, and forests. These are the components of Active Directory that can help you scale the directory to meet the needs of any organization regardless of its size. Sometimes, however, what you want to do is not scale the directory but create hierarchical structures that represent parts of the organization or to limit or delegate administrative access for a part of the organization. This is where OUs come in handy.

Using Organizational Units (OUs)

An organizational unit (OU) is a logical administrative unit that is used to group objects within a domain. Within a domain, OUs can be used to delegate administrator privileges while limiting administrative access ...