Add about topics for ActiveDirectory (#3837)

* Add about topics for ActiveDirectory

* fix link

docset/winserver2012-ps/activedirectory/About/About.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 description: About articles for the ActiveDirectory module.
 Help Version: 3.1.0.0
 Locale: en-US
-ms.date: 04/22/2013
+ms.date: 07/03/2024
 title: About articles
 ---
 # About topics
@@ -13,5 +13,14 @@ About topics cover a range of concepts about PowerShell.
 
 ## About Topics
 
+### [about_ActiveDirectory](about_ActiveDirectory.md)
+The Active Directory module is a command line interface for managing Active Directory.
+
 ### [about_ActiveDirectory_Filter](about_ActiveDirectory_Filter.md)
 Describes the syntax and behavior of the search filter supported by the Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell.
+
+### [about_ActiveDirectory_Identity](about_ActiveDirectory_Identity.md)
+The Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell objects have a range of identifying attributes that are used for search and retrieval.
+
+### [about_ActiveDirectory_ObjectModel](about_ActiveDirectory_ObjectModel.md)
+Describes the object model of the Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell.

docset/winserver2012-ps/activedirectory/About/about_ActiveDirectory.md

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+---
+title: about_ActiveDirectory
+ms.date: 04/22/2013
+description: The Active Directory module is a command line interface for managing Active Directory.
+Locale: en-US
+schema: 2.0.0
+---
+
+# about_ActiveDirectory
+
+## SHORT DESCRIPTION
+
+The Active Directory module is a command line interface for managing Active
+Directory.
+
+## LONG DESCRIPTION
+
+The Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell is for IT Professionals who
+are administering and interfacing with Active Directory. The Active Directory
+module provides an efficient way to complete many administrative,
+configuration, and diagnostic tasks across Active Directory Domain Services (AD
+DS) and Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) instances in
+their environments. The Active Directory module includes a set of Windows
+PowerShell cmdlets and a provider. The provider exposes the Active Directory
+database through a hierarchical navigation system, which is very similar to the
+file system. As with drives in a file system, such as C:, you can connect
+Windows PowerShell drives to Active Directory domains and AD LDS, as well as
+Active Directory snapshots.
+
+### Coverage of Active Directory Module Cmdlets
+
+Create, Read, Update, and Delete actions are supported for Active Directory
+objects by cmdlets such as `New-ADUser`, `Get-ADOrganizationalUnit`,
+`Set-ADComputer`, and `Remove-ADUser`.
+
+Account and Password Policy Management are supported by cmdlets such as
+`Enable-ADAccount`, `Unlock-ADAccount`, `New-ADServiceAccount`,
+`Set-ADAccountControl`, and `Remove-ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicy`.
+
+Domain and Forest Management is supported by cmdlets such as `Get-ADForest`,
+`Set-ADForest`, `Set-ADForestMode`, `Enable-ADOptionalFeature`,
+`Get-ADDomainController`, and `Get-ADDomain`.
+
+### Listing the Active Directory Module Cmdlets
+
+To get a list of all of the Active Directory module cmdlets, run
+
+```powershell
+Get-Command -Module ActiveDirectory
+```
+
+### Getting Started
+
+Getting started with the Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell is as
+easy as clicking the following shortcut:
+
+Run the following command in any Windows PowerShell prompt to import the Active
+Directory module:
+
+```powershell
+Import-Module ActiveDirectory
+```
+
+### Overview and Conceptual Topics
+
+The first two of these topics offer a high level overview of the Active
+Directory module and the Active Directory Provider.
+
+- For a brief introduction to the Active Directory provider for Windows
+  PowerShell, see [ActiveDirectory](/powershell/module/activedirectory).
+- The following topics are conceptual support topics for the Active Directory
+  module cmdlets.
+  - For an introduction to the **Identity** parameter, which is used by the
+    Active Directory module cmdlets to identify objects in the directory, see
+    [about_ActiveDirectory_Identity](about_ActiveDirectory_Identity.md).
+  - For an introduction to the **Filter** parameter which is used by Active
+    Directory module cmdlets to search for objects in the directory, see
+    [about_ActiveDirectory_Filter](about_ActiveDirectory_Filter.md).
+  - For an introduction to the .NET Framework-based object model implemented by
+    the Active Directory module, see
+    [about_ActiveDirectory_ObjectModel](about_ActiveDirectory_ObjectModel.md).

docset/winserver2012-ps/activedirectory/About/about_ActiveDirectory_Identity.md

@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+---
+title: about_ActiveDirectory_Identity
+ms.date: 04/22/2013
+description: This article lists the identifying attributes that are used for search and retrieval supported by the Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell.
+Locale: en-US
+schema: 2.0.0
+---
+
+# about_ActiveDirectory_Identity
+
+## SHORT DESCRIPTION
+
+The Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell objects have a range of
+identifying attributes that are used for search and retrieval.
+
+## LONG DESCRIPTION
+
+In order to identify the objects in Active Directory, each object has
+attributes that can be used as identifiers. In the Active Directory module, the
+value of the identity of an object can be passed using the Identity parameter.
+Each object type has its own set of possible types and values for use by the
+Identity parameter. See the detailed description of the Identity parameter of
+the given cmdlet for more information about its usage.
+
+When searching with the Active Directory module cmdlets, the value of the
+Identity parameter, along with the values of the Server and Partition
+parameters, is used to uniquely identify a single object. The Server parameter
+is used to locate which server to connect with. The Partition parameter further
+narrows the search to a specific partition. The Identity parameter then
+resolves to a single unique object in the partition.
+
+Note that using the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) Account Name
+(**sAMAccountName**) when targeting a global catalog port, you will not find a
+user in a different domain if you are using the Identity parameter
+
+If more than one object is found using identity resolution, the Active
+Directory module throws an error.
+
+For more information about the Server and Partition parameters, see the help
+topics for the individual cmdlets where they are used, such as `Get-ADUser`, by
+typing:
+
+```powershell
+Get-Help Get-ADUser
+```
+
+### Objects and Identities
+
+Each object has a list of attributes that can be used as an identity for that
+object. Additionally, if the object inherits from another object, then the
+parent object's identities can also be used as the child object's identities.
+For more information on the Active Directory object hierarchy, see
+[about_ActiveDirectory_ObjectModel](about_ActiveDirectory_ObjectModel.md).
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> For Active Directory Provider cmdlets, only an object's 'Distinguished Name'
+> or 'Relative Distinguished Name' can be used as the identity. For a list of
+> Active Directory Provider cmdlets, see ActiveDirectory.
+
+### Identity Attributes
+
+The following is a list of identity attributes by object type.
+
+- ADAccount
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - GUID (objectGUID)
+  - Security Identifier (objectSid)
+  - SAM Account Name (sAMAccountName)
+
+- ADComputer
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - GUID  (objectGUID)
+  - Security Identifier (objectSid)
+  - Security Accounts Manager Account Name (sAMAccountName)
+
+- ADDirectoryServer
+  - Name of the server object (name)
+    - For AD LDS instances the syntax of a name is `<computer-name>$<instance-name>`
+    - For other Active Directory instances, use the value of the name property.
+  - Distinguished Name of the NTDS Settings object
+  - Distinguished Name of the server object that represents the directory
+    server.
+  - GUID (objectGUID) of server object under the configuration partition.
+  - GUID (objectGUID) of NTDS settings object under the configuration partition
+
+- ADDomain
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - GUID
+  - Security Identifier
+  - DNS domain name
+  - NetBIOS domain name
+
+- ADDomainController
+  - GUID (objectGUID)
+  - IPV4Address
+  - Global IPV6Address
+  - DNS Host Name (dNSHostName)
+  - Name of the server object
+  - Distinguished Name of the NTDS Settings object
+  - Distinguished Name of the server object that represents the domain controller
+  - GUID of NTDS settings object under the configuration partition
+  - GUID of server object under the configuration partition
+  - Distinguished Name of the computer object that represents the domain controller.
+
+- ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicy
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - GUID (objectGUID)
+  - Name (name)
+
+- ADForest
+  - Fully qualified domain name
+  - DNS host name
+  - NetBIOS name
+
+- ADGroup
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - GUID (objectGUID)
+  - Security Identifier (objectSid)
+  - Security Accounts Manager (SAM) Account Name (sAMAccountName)
+
+- ADObject
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - GUID (objectGUID)
+
+- ADOptionalFeature
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - Name (name)
+  - Feature GUID (featureGUID)
+  - GUID (objectGUID)
+
+- ADOrganizationalUnit
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - GUID (objectGUID)
+
+- ADPrincipal
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - GUID (objectGUID)
+  - Security Identifier (objectSid)
+  - SAM Account Name (sAMAccountName)
+
+- ADServiceAccount
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - GUID (objectGUID)
+  - Security Identifier (objectSid)
+  - SAM Account Name (sAMAccountName)
+
+- ADUser
+  - Distinguished Name
+  - GUID (objectGUID)
+  - Security Identifier (objectSid)
+  - SAM User Name (sAMUserName)
+
+
+### Identities Formats
+
+Active Directory module objects have a range of identity attributes. Below is a
+list of these, their types and formats.
+
+- Distinguished Name
+  - Example: CN=SaraDavis,CN=Europe,CN=Users, DC=corp,DC=contoso,DC=com
+
+- DNS domain name
+  - Example: redmond.corp.contoso.com
+
+- DNS Host Name (dNSHostName)
+  - Example: corp-DC01.corp.contoso.com
+
+- Feature GUID (featureGUID)
+  - Example: 599c3d2e-f72d-4d20-8a88-030d99495f20
+
+- Fully qualified domain name
+  - Example: corp.contoso.com
+
+- Global IPV6Address
+  - Example: 2001:4898:0:fff:200:5efe:157.59.132.61
+
+- GUID (objectGUID)
+  - Example: 599c3d2e-f72d-4d20-8a88-030d99495f20
+
+- IPV4Address
+  - Example:157.59.132.61
+
+- NetBIOS domain name
+  - Example: redmond
+
+- Name of the server object
+  - Example: corp-DC01$
+
+- SAM Account Name (sAMAccountName)
+  - Example: saradavisreports
+
+- Security Identifier (objectSid)
+  - Example: S-1-5-21-3165297888-301567370-576410423-1103
+
+- Name
+  - Example: Recycle Bin Feature