Hi Seth,
It is not possible to have a Windows 2000/2003 Domain without Active
Directory as it is an essential and inseparable part of the Windows
2000/2003 network architecture that improves on the domain architecture of
the Windows NT 4.0 operating system to provide a directory service designed
for distributed networking environments.
For you question about difficulty in administering, it actually simplifies
administration once everything is set.
For an overview of Active Directory, please visit the following site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/features/dirlist.asp#
heading7
For documents/articles on Business Value Studies, Technical Case Studies,
Technical Overviews, Administration & Configuration Guides etc., please
visit
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/technologies/directory/ad/default.asp
HTH
Ashok
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.