Active Directory is at the heart of Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 Server. It is the central repository where Windows stores information on network resources and about users. To access Active Directory programmatically, you need to know about directory services programming.
.NET gives programmers a whole new APIthe System.DirectoryServices namespacethat they can use to access Active Directory and other directory services. This API largely (and happily) replaces COM-based ADSI.
Pro .NET Directory Services Programming shows you how to use the classes in the System.DirectoryServices namespace. The aim is not to give you a laundry list of classes with their methods and properties, but to enable you to focus on how to solve real problems, such as searching a directory for specific objects. After covering the general techniques for working with directory services in .NET, the book zooms in on three particular scenarios: managing users and groups, network administration, and working with Exchange Server.