Active Directory Overview

So, What is Active Directory? -

Active Directory (AD) is a directory service for Windows domain networks.

It comes with any Windows Server that has the Active Directory Domain Services role (AD DS) installed.

AD is primarily used to store, give permissions, and manage information about users and their resources.

AD can store information as objects. An object is a resource within a network such as user accounts, passwords, computers, applications, printers, file/folder shares, security groups, and their permissions.

The Windows Domain Controller (DC), which is the server running the AD DS role, is the software/hardware that provides the AD set of services.

The primary function of a domain controller is to authenticate and authorize all users and their resources into a Windows domain network.

The best example of AD is when a user signs into a computer that is part of a Windows domain.

AD checks the credentials against a database, if the username and password are valid, the user can log into the computer.

The Objects Supported by default by Active Directory:

• Users: These are the objects assigned to individuals who need access to the domain resources. A user account has a username and a password.

• Computers: It represents a workstation or server within the domain.

• Contacts: It contains information about third-party contacts. This object does not have a SID, so it doesn’t belong to the domain.

• Groups: These objects represent a collection of user accounts, computers, or contacts. There are two types: Security and Distribution groups. Groups ease the management of many objects into a single unit.

• Shared folder: This object is mapped to a server share and is used to share files throughout the entire network.

• Printer: This object corresponds to a shared printer within the domain.

• Organizational Unit (OU): This type of object is a container that can include other objects like users, computers, or groups from the same domain. An OU is used to store similar objects and make their management easier. It is also used to apply group policy settings and permissions to the entire container.