Active Administrator 8.6.3 - User Guide

Active Administrator Overview

Quest® Active Administrator® extends the functionality of the built-in Windows® management tools for Active Directory® by allowing administrators to view and manage security in a much more extensible interface. Active Administrator gives administrators the ability to control permissions inheritance on objects as well as change inherited permissions to explicit permissions.

Topics 

•	Starting Active Administrator console

•	Using quick tasks

•	Using the dashboard

•	Managing domain controllers

•	Searching Active Directory

•	Opening the Web Console

Starting Active Administrator console

Starting Active Administrator console

To start Active Administrator console

1	Select Start | Active Administrator Console.

NOTE: The first time you open the Active Administrator® console, you may be asked to set the Active Administrator server. Do one of the following: • Select a connection point from the list. • Type the name of the Active Administrator server in the Server box. • Browse to locate a server. If a connection point is not listed, you must type the server name in the Server box. If you do not want to use connection points, you can disable the feature. See Setting general user options.

2	The Active Administrator console opens to the Home page, which is divided into two areas.

▪	The menu structure on the left provides access to Active Administrator modules. You can expand or collapse the menu structure as needed.

▪	The Active Administrator Quick Tasks area presents links to options in the menu structure that are frequently used, as well as basic tasks that you can perform directly on the Home page. See Using quick tasks.

Using quick tasks

Using quick tasks

The Home page lists quick tasks that take you to specific areas in Active Administrator®. In addition, you can perform some quick tasks directly on the Home page.

•	To hide or show the quick tasks, click the chevron.

 

Table 1. Quick tasks

Quick task	Description
Search Active Directory	For a more complex search, see Searching Active Directory.
Enable/Disable User Account	Enable or disable an account from search results. See Searching Active Directory. You also can enable/disable a user account from the Security & Delegation module. See Monitoring user logon activity.
Reset Password	Reset the password from search results. See Searching Active Directory. You also can reset the password on an account from the Security & Delegation module. See Resetting passwords.
Add a User to or Remove a User from a Group	Add a user to a group from search results. See Searching Active Directory. You also can add a user to a group from the Security & Delegation module. See Managing security.
Unlock User Account	Unlock a user account from search results. See Searching Active Directory. You also can unlock a user account from the Security & Delegation module. See Managing locked out accounts.
Reset Computer Account	You can reset a computer account from search results. See Searching Active Directory. You also can reset a computer account from the Security & Delegation module. See Managing security.

Using the dashboard

Using the dashboard

The dashboard provides a quick look into Active Directory® activity.

To view a chart

1	Click Dashboard.

2	Select the type of chart: Domains, Auditing, Alerting, or Logon Activity.

3	Choose the options for the chart, and click Go.

▪	By default, the legend displays on the chart. To hide the legend, clear the check box.

▪	To print a chart, click Print Chart.