Dang I was selfish. I didn't mean to be. Just because I can’t go to The Experts Conference to immerse myself in Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange, doesn’t mean you can’t. Consider yourself reminded. And invited.
I know, it’s getting late and you might have to really grovel to get your manager to pony up the dough. But if you deal with AD, this is one event you have to attend at least once in your career.
Among the AD and Group Policy experts you might learn from are several who write for Windows IT Pro: Guido Grillenmeier, Gil Kirkpatrick, Darren Mar-Elia, and Jeremy Moskowitz. And if you’re interested in Exchange, you might recognize Brien Posey, Peter Bruzzese, and Michael Smith, among others. TEC is in Henderson, Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas, March 22-25, 2009.
Lest you think I’m getting a kickback for mentioning it—no, I’m not. Our travel budget was slashed, and I don’t see anyone offering to fly me to Henderson. But I managed to attend a couple years ago, and I found the workshops packed with info, with plenty of interaction with experts who know AD inside and out and can explain what they mean.
Other resources in AD and Exchange include Windows IT Pro articles on AD, which you can access at the hot topic link Active Directory. And activedir.org offers irreverent, intelligent help with no egos and no pretension.
Finally, get your hands on one or all of these books, if you haven’t already:
Active Directory: Designing, Deploying, and Running Active Directory
Brian Desmond, Joe Richards, Robbie Allen, Alistair Lowe-Norris.
O'Reilly Media, 4th edition (December 2008).
Active Directory Cookbook
Laura Hunter, Robbie Allen.
O'Reilly Media, 3rd edition (December 2008).
Inside Active Directory: A System Administrator's Guide
Sakari Kouti, Mika Seitsonen.
Addison-Wesley Professional, 2nd edition (September 2004).