Module 8: Implementing an Active Directory Domain Services Monitoring Plan

Module 8: Implementing an Active

Directory Domain Services Monitoring

Plan

Module Overview

• Monitoring Active Directory Domain Services Using Event Viewer

• Monitoring Active Directory Domain Servers Using Reliability and Performance Monitor

• Configuring Active Directory Domain Services Auditing

Lesson 1: Monitoring Active Directory Domain Services Using Event Viewer

• Event Viewer Features

• Demonstration: Overview of the Event Viewer

• Active Directory Domain Services Logs

• What Are Custom Views?

• What Are Subscriptions?

• Demonstration: Configuring Custom Views and Subscriptions

Event Viewer Features

Demonstration: Overview of the Event Viewer

In this demonstration, you will see how to navigate the Event Viewer

Active Directory Domain Services Logs

The following logs can provide specific information about Active Directory issues:

• Application log connections

• System Log

• DFS Replication log

• Directory Service Log

• DNS Server log

• Group Policy\Operational

What Are Custom Views?

Event 1.Security log

Event 2.System log

Event 3: DFS logEvent ViewerEvent Viewer

Custom views :

• Allow you to aggregate and filter information from multiple logs into a single view

• Are reusable

• Can be exported to other computers

What Are Subscriptions?

Subscriptions collect events from multiple computers and store them locally

Demonstration: Configuring Custom Views and Subscriptions

In this demonstration, you will see how to:

• Create a custom view and add the AD DS specific logs to the view.

• Create a subscription to collect logs from multiple domain controllers

Lesson 2: Monitoring Active Directory Domain Servers Using Reliability and Performance Monitor

• Reliability and Performance Monitor Features

• Demonstration: Overview of the Reliability and Performance Monitor

• Monitoring AD DS Using Performance Monitor

• What Is an Active Directory Baseline?

• Monitoring Service Availability with Reliability Monitor

• Monitoring Active Directory Domain Services Using Data Collector Sets

• Demonstration: Monitoring AD DS

Reliability and Performance Monitor Features

Reliability and Performance Monitor allows you to:

Perform real-time monitoring

Track performance of applications and services

Collect data

Generate alerts

Take action when thresholds are reached

Generate reports

Demonstration: Overview of the Reliability and Performance Monitor

In this demonstration, you will see an overview of the Reliability and Performance monitor

Monitoring AD DS Using Performance Monitor

Useful NTDS Counters for Monitoring Active Directory:

NTDS\ DRA Inbound Bytes Total/sec

NTDS\ DRA Outbound Bytes Total/sec

NTDS\ DRA Inbound Object

NTDS\ DRA Pending Replication Synchronizations

NTDS\ Kerberos Authentications/sec

NTDS\ NTLM Authentications

What Is an Active Directory Baseline?

A baseline defines what a server looks like under normal workload conditions

Baseline measurements should include basic server counters and function specific counters

Servers performing different functions will have different baselines measurements

Problems areas can be identified by comparing baseline measurements to current statistics

Monitoring Service Availability with Reliability Monitor

Monitoring Active Directory Domain Services Using Data Collector Sets

• Organizes multiple data collection points into a single component

• Can be grouped with other data collection sets

• Can be incorporated into logs

• Can be created individually or from templates

Data Collector Sets can contain the following types of data collectors:

• Performance counters

• Event trace data

• System configuration information (registry key values)

Demonstration: Monitoring AD DS

In this demonstration, you will see how to set up monitoring of Active Directory

Lesson 3: Configuring Active Directory Domain Services Auditing

• What Is Active Directory Domain Services Auditing?

• Demonstration: Configuring an Audit Policy

• Types of Events to Audit

• Demonstration: Configuring AD DS Auditing

What Is Active Directory Domain Services Auditing?

• Active Directory auditing can show old values and new values of changed attributes in audit entries

• Active Directory audit policy is divided into four subcategories

Directory service access

Directory service changes

Directory service replication

Detailed Directory service replication

• Only directory service access is enabled for success by default

• Use the Auditpol.exe command-line tool to view or set audit policy subcategories

Demonstration: Configuring an Audit Policy

In this demonstration, you will see how to configure a global audit policy with the GPMC and adjust it with Auditpol.exe

Event ID Category Event

4662 Directory service access An operation was performed on an Active Directory object

4722 User account management A user account was enabled

4726 User account management A user account was deleted

4738 User account management A user account was changed

5136 Directory service changes An Active Directory object was modified

5137 Directory service changes A new Active Directory object was created

5138 Directory service changes An Active Directory object was undeleted

Types of Events to Audit

Demonstration: Configuring AD DS Auditing

In this demonstration, you will see how to configure the site link object to manage replication between sites

Lab: Monitoring Active Directory Domain Services

• Exercise 1: Monitor AD DS Using Event Viewer

• Exercise 2: Monitor AD DS Using Performance and Reliability Monitor

• Exercise 3: Configure AD DS Auditing

Logon information

Virtual machine NYC-DC1, NYC-DC2

User name Administrator

Password Pa$$w0rd

Estimated time: 60 minutes

Lab Review

• You want to enable the Directory Service Changes subcategory without enabling a global audit policy. How could you do this?

• What services must be running on a source computer in order to provide information to a subscription?

• You have enabled a global audit policy to collect directory service access events, but no events are showing up in the security log. What might the problem be?

Module Review and Takeaways

• Review questions

• Considerations

Beta Feedback Tool

• Beta feedback tool helps: Collect student roster information, module feedback, and

course evaluations. Identify and sort the changes that students request, thereby

facilitating a quick team triage. Save data to a database in SQL Server that you can later

query.

• Walkthrough of the tool

Beta Feedback

• Overall flow of module: Which topics did you think flowed smoothly, from topic to

topic? Was something taught out of order?

• Pacing: Were you able to keep up? Are there any places where the

pace felt too slow? Were you able to process what the instructor said before

moving on to next topic? Did you have ample time to reflect on what you learned? Did

you have time to formulate and ask questions?• Learner activities:

Which demos helped you learn the most? Why do you think that is?

Did the lab help you synthesize the content in the module? Did it help you to understand how you can use this knowledge in your work environment?

Were there any discussion questions or reflection questions that really made you think? Were there questions you thought weren’t helpful?