Active Administrator

Features

Features and Benefits

Features	Benefits
IMPROVED! Centralised Active Directory Auditing Active Administrator centrally collects events from the event logs on all Domain Controllers using fast, efficient agents which can be run on any member server or directly on the DC.	Active Administrator provides an audit trail of exactly what changes were made in Active Directory, when and by whom. It eliminates the need to manually filter through thousands of event log entries across multiple servers. In version 5.0, this feature has been improved with greater resilience, scalability and performance, and enhanced for AD experts who know exactly what they are looking for as well as novices who need more guidance
IMPROVED! Administrator alerts on selected AD events The new alerting engine in version 5.0 lets you build granular rules that send alerts to select administrators whenever one or more events occurs that meets the specified criteria<	Always be the first to know! Administrators can receive direct email notifications of critical changes in their OU or department. Email text can be customised based on different event types. Version 5.0 provides clearer management and listing of all configured alerts.
IMPROVED! Powerful, integrated User Interface Active Administrator 5.0’s updated interface provides a powerful, yet easy-to-use workspace for effective Active Directory management. All 4 major management functions are integrated into one console, providing a single point of control for the administrator.	Work faster! Rapid access to advanced Active Directory management functions ensures that your network and your IT team run more efficiently. Clearer navigation and greater workspace flexibility allow the administrator to optimise their experience.
Instant Backup and Recovery of Objects and Containers Active Administrator can backup and instantly recover Active Directory objects, attributes, containers and permissions. Active Administrator will also recover Group Memberships and back-linked attributes such as “Managed By.”	Performing an Authoritative Restore on Domain Controllers in Directory Services Restore Mode is now a thing of the past! Active Administrator gives administrators instant relief from what was once a daunting or impossible task. With instant recovery and no loss of information such as group memberships, your users will be productive again in seconds, not hours, following an accidental deletion or change.
Simplified Security with Active Templates Active Administrator uses Active Templates, collections of permissions that can be repeatedly and consistently applied to give delegated privileges to groups and users. Each template defines the specific permissions required to accomplish Active Directory tasks, such as “Create User Accounts” or “Reset Passwords.”	Active Templates take the guesswork out of which permissions need to go where. By utilising Active Templates, administrators make delegation an easy task and ensure consistent assignment of permissions across Active Directory. Administrators can also create their own custom Active Templates for specialized management roles unique to their organisation.
Self-Healing Active Templates	Should permissions assigned with Active Templates be broken, missing permissions are automatically recreated, enforcing your security model. Emails optionally alert administrators of the change.
Comprehensive Group Policy Management	Active Administrator gives administrators the ability to plan, edit, backup and restore, and manage group policy settings, all within a single interface. Active Administrator's Resultant Set of Policies (RSoP) functionality allows administrators to plan "what-if" scenarios when moving a user or computer. Active Administrator automatically maintains a GPO history, allowing rollback to a particular version of a GPO. The ability to restore Group Policies means faster response to corruption or changes that have a negative impact on users.
Offline Group Policy Repository	Administrators can now edit Group Policies offline from Active Directory, ensuring no adverse affects from Group Policy changes. Active Administrator's RSoP functionality can be run against GPOs stored in the offline repository to validate settings, completing the GPO management cycle before the policies are ever published to the live Active Directory.

FAQ

Q: We migrated to AD a while ago and set up a load of delegated permissions, but we now we don't know who can do what. How do we clean it all up?
A: This is a common problem. Native AD tools have the ability to establish delegated permissions, but no simple way to identify and report on those delegations. Active Administrator makes it easy to find permissions assigned and generate reports to begin the cleanup process.

Q: Do I need to have a 2003 or 2008 Domain Controller? Will it work with Windows 2000? Does it support Windows Server 2008?
A: Active Administrator works great in Active Directory built on Windows Server 2000, 2003 and 2008, or any mixture of them. One important note is that to use the object-level Restore function you must have at least one Windows 2003 or 2008 Domain Controller.

Q: Doesn't Windows come with built-in AD tools?
A: Windows comes with some AD management tools out of the box, but these tools are limited in functionality and management scope, leaving administrators wanting a more complete management solution. This is the very reason Active Administrator was created - Active Administrator picks up where the native tools leave off. With advanced security administration capabilities, delegation with Active Templates, GPO management, and (new in version 4) object-level AD restores, Active Administrator is a far superior and comprehensive AD management tool.

Q: I already use Microsoft Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) for my Group Policy Management. Why do I need Active Administrator?
A: Active Administrator manages GPOs and runs RSoP reports in both Windows 2000 and 2003 Server environments. Active Administrator offers a complete GPO management solution including offline GPO management, GPO history rollbacks, and auditing and reporting of all AD changes. For a more comprehensive comparison at the Group Policy Management features found in Active Administrator and GPMC, take a look at our Group Policy Management Comparison Matrix. Beyond Group Policy management, Active Administrator also manages AD security, role-based delegation of AD permissions with Active Templates, auditing of AD management and object-level restores of Active Directory.

Q: Can I find out who changed what and when in AD? Even going back 12 months?
A: YES! Active Administrator maintains its own auditing database. Providing you have ample disk space to store the audit data, or have archived old entries from your database, you can go as far back as the data you are keeping allows you to.

Q: Is there really an "undo" function for AD in Active Administrator?
A: Active Administrator’s AD Object Restore capability allows administrators to restore deleted objects, down to the attribute level. This essentially gives administrators an undo on mistaken deletes or modifications of all objects – user accounts, groups or even entire OUs. In addition, the GPO History function allows for easy corrections to unwanted Group Policy changes.

Q: What formats does AA support for generating reports on AD?
A: AA supports a wide variety of common formats including RTF, PDF, HTML, XLS, TIF, RDF, and Text.

Q: How is AA licensed?
A: Active Administrator’s licensing is based on the number of user objects being managed. So if your Active Directory environment supports 1800 users, you would need 1800 licenses of Active Administrator.

Licensing

Q: How is Active Administrator licensed?
A: Active Administrator is licensed by the number of user accounts in your Active Directory.

Q: Can I use my license for a selected group of users, or for just part of the domain, or just 1 of my domains?
A: No. You must purchase 1 user license for every user account in the Active Directory which Active Administrator will be used to administer, regardless of the number of domains or sites.

Example:
We have 5000 AD users. My department is only responsible for 2000, so I can purchase a license for just the 2000 I need, right? No. At the present time you must purchase licenses for all 5000 users.

Q: What user license quantities are available?
A: At the time of writing, licenses can be bought in packs of 50, 100 and 250, or are available under an Open License for quantities above 500.

Q: Can I move licenses from one server to another?
A: You must have a license for every user in Active Directory. Licenses are not tied to particular domain controllers or member servers.

Q: What happens if I exceed my license count?
A: Using ScriptLogic products in excess of the licenses you have purchased and installed is a violation of the End User License Agreement (EULA). You are required to ensure you have sufficient licenses for the number of users in your Active Directory. See “How do I find out how many licenses I’ve used?” below.

Q: Is an evaluation license available? What restrictions does it have?
A: Yes, a 30-day evaluation license is available. The only restriction is that it expires after 30 days.

Q: Can I extend my evaluation?
A: You can request an extension for an evaluation license from us.

Q: How do I find out how many licenses I have installed?
A: In Active Administrator, click on “Help” then “About Active Administrator”.

Q: How do I find out how many licenses I’ve used?
A: Click on a domain and select View All Users lists the users and counts the total number in each.

Q: How do I install the Management Console on multiple workstations?
A: Every time you install Active Administrator on a workstation you must re-apply the original license file supplied to you by us.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of workstations where I can run the Active Administrator Management Console?
A: No.

General Licensing Information

Q: How are licenses delivered?
A: Once your order has been processed you will receive your license code or file by e-mail.

Q: How can I add more licenses?
A: The process is the same for all products – contact us to purchase more licenses. When your order has been processed you will be provided with a new electronic license for the total quantity of licenses you now own.

Q: Do you offer any types of discounts?
A: Discounts are available to establishments of Academic or Charitable status.

Q: What about shrink-wrap product?
A: ScriptLogic does not sell any of its products with shrink-wrap packaging. All delivery of software and licenses is electronic.

Q: What’s the difference between Open and Retail/Conventional licensing?
A: “Retail” or “Conventional” licenses are available in pre-defined packs of anything from 1 to 500 units, depending on the product. Multiple conventional license packs can be purchased to achieve the desired total. “Open” licensing begins at between 50 and 500 units, depending on the product, and offers the benefit of purchasing the exact number of licenses that you need.