Advanced Server and Active Directory

[John Hayes_6]

Will there be a new version of Advanced Server included with 8.1 that will handle Active Directory?

Thanks

[Jeffery D. Urmann · Accepted solution]

John,

What do you mean by "handle Active Directory"? Do you mean as an DC?

We have an DS20 Advanced Server V7.3A eco4 for OpenVMS V7.3-1 running as a member server in an 2003 Active Directory domain. External authentication and file sharing work very well.

I haven`t tried making it an DC of an AD domain. But this same system did work as an BDC in an NT4 domain.

Enjoy,

--Jeff

[John Hayes_6]

We use a Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 for our email. SBS2003 requires that it is the PDC so it is in it's own domain for the moment. Exchange requires that active directory be running on the PDC. Our Advanced Server 7.3A is running as the PDC in another domain, but if it hosted the AD then I wouldn't need two seperate domains :)

[Doug Phillips]

The Advanced Server can't host the AD but it can join the SBS2003's domain as a Member server and become part of the AD. The Win2003 native model eliminates the concept of PDC and BDC and now servers are either DC or Members. All DC's are (basically) equal and handle all of the login and sam work. Member servers don't participate in that but just live on the network and offer non-Domain services.

As I understand it, Micr$oft has imposed this restriction and Advanced Server will probably never get the DC pieces.

[Brad McCusker]

It was never (well, not for along time at least, if ever) the plan to allow AdvSer to be a Windows2000 DC, I dont' see it on the roadmaps now, and, I don't see it happening in the future.

Further, when I was active in the product and on the road speaking with customers about it, I never got the sense that there was a need for such functionality. All most customers wanted was to integrate with Win2K domains. I think AdvSer does that sufficently.

Brad

[Jeffery D. Urmann]

.John,

I`ve been having trouble posting this for the last couple of days. Let`s see if it goes though this time...

If I understand correctly what you are trying to do, it doesn`t matter if Advance Server can be a DC. I believe that Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 _must_ be a _standalone_ DC. In other words, no other servers can be a domain controller of that domain. You can, however, set up trust relationships between two or more domains.

Enjoy,

--Jeff

[John Hayes_6]

I want to remove the Small Business Server from the system, it is only there now to handle AD for Exchange. Idealy I will have the Pathworks Server handle AD and let exchange run on a regular Windows Server.

I would even get rid of Exchange if I could find a replacment for VMS.

John

[Ian Miller.]

John,
RE "I would even get rid of Exchange if I could find a replacment for VMS. "

have you considered this
http://www.stalker.com/content/solutions.htm

[Doug Phillips]

Idealy I will have the Pathworks Server handle AD


Pathworks/Advanced Server can NOT handle Active Directory.

And, Small Business Server does NOT support trusts and it MUST be at the root of the AD forest. There are very strict rules and many, many restrictions for Small Business Servers and here's a link to the FAQ.

http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/sbs/techinfo/overview/generalfaq.mspx

And, finally, I've never used the CommuniGate product but I've never heard anything bad about it.

Doug

[John Hayes_6]

I am aware that the current version of Advanced Server does not support AD. My question is will there be a new version shipped with the 8.1 OpenVMS distribution? Will that version handle AD?

John

[Doug Phillips]

John,

VMS 8.1 was not the production release. V8.2 is the first v8.x production release and it has already shipped. Advanced Server v7.3A4 is the latest release of Advanced Server and it will run on VMS v8.2.

Now, since I don't work for HP I can't address the future of their development efforts, but if you look back up this thread, Brad McCusker (who does work for HP) has said that he doesn't believe that Advanced Server will ever be a Windows 2000 Domain Controller. Since only a Domain Controller can hold the root of the Active Directory or be an Operations Master that means AS will only ever be a Member Server.

I read an article not long ago (that I can't find again) that stated that Microsoft is not releasing the specs or code for the Win2K DC/AD.

This means that no Win2Kx domain can exist without a Microsoft Win2Kx server as DC.

Hopefully Brad or Paul N. will jump in and explain this better (and get me off the hook;-)

Doug

[Ian Miller.]

just to muddy the waters some more :-)
It appears that hp are looking at samba to see if it can replace Advanced Server (for VMS I64) - see the VMS Roadmap.

There is now virus checking for CommunigatePro - see http://www.openvms.org/stories.php?story=05/03/22/2254992

[John Hayes_6]

At one point in the past I view one of the roadmaps from HP on Advanced Server and it stated AD support would be included in 2006 (I think that year) The current one mentions Samba which wasn't on the one I saw a while back. I should print those things out just in case I am loosing it. That is why I asked the question to begin with but now it seems that since Carly is gone so too is Active Directory in Advanced Server :)