Configuring Active Directory using AD Explorer

Active Directory Explorer (AD Explorer) is an advanced Active Directory (AD) viewer and editor. You can use AD Explorer to easily navigate an AD database, define favorite locations, view object properties and attributes without having to open dialog boxes. In this case, you can use it to quickly gather the property values needed to configure NxTop Center to interoperate with your Active Directory.

AD Explorer provides the benefit for the NxTop Center administrator of avoiding most AD configuration problems, which are caused by typos or improper order of elements in a Distinguished Name (DN). AD Explorer exposes the values in your Active Directory for easy copying, preventing errors.

For more information about AD Explorer,
see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963907.aspx

1. Download AD Explorer: http://download.sysinternals.com/Files/AdExplorer.zip
2. Run the AD explorer Application file (ADExplorer.exe).
   
3. Connect to your AD database by entering the server name and credentials.
   
4. In NxTop Center, navigate to the NxTop Center Active Directory tab:
   Overview>NxTop Center>Configuration, then click on the Active Directory tab.
5. Click the Modify action.
6. Enter the Principle DN field using the data from AD Explorer:
   
   1. In AD explorer, find the Principle DN (user with administrative privileges) in the directory.
      
   2. Select Edit>Properties from the menu.
      
   3. Highlight and copy the Distinguished name.
   4. Paste in the Principle DN field in NxTop Center.
7. Repeat this process for all the other fields on the AD Configuration tab:
   • Operator Base DN
   • Users Base DN
   • Groups Base DN
   • Computers Base DN
8. Enter the AD Principal password (twice).
9. When the panel is complete, click Save.

The DN fields are now configured to import information from your Active Directory. For details about configuring the other fields on the panel, click here.