How can I configure Microsoft ADAM to be similar to Active Directory?

Question

I want to put users into an instance of ADAM so that ADAM looks similar to a typical, real, Active Directory server.

I\'m developing an application that integrates with

Answer 1

ADAM isn't really a complete replacement for Active Directory. For example, ADAM doesn't understand different group types, and doesn't include a RootDSE by default. You could test against ADAM but you may run into slight differences in your query structures.

If you are developing an application that will depend on Active Directory then you really should be building your application against an Active Directory. I have been able to get several Domain Controllers running just fine in Virtual PC (free) using only 300mb of memory and a free evaluation version of Windows Server.

If, however, you are building an application that simply needs an LDAP directory and isn't going to be using Active Directory than ADAM may work out just fine. The schema extension file you mentioned (MS-AdamSchemaW2K3.LDF) would work just fine but you would want to setup RootDSE for easier binds.

Lastly, Microsoft AD/AM isn't really Admin friendly, especially in terms of troubleshooting. I ended up writing an application to help troubleshoot AD/AM issues that you may find useful.