It is used to authenticate users and to control access to network resources.

AD Domain Services OverviewĪctive Directory Domain Services is the primary Active Directory service.

For example, User Object attributes include information like the user’s name, address, and telephone number.Īctive Directory makes use of other security and networking protocols including LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), DNS (Domain Name System), and Microsoft’s version of the Kerberos authentication protocol. The Active Directory schema supports various types of objects like User, Group, Contact, Computer, Shared Folder, Printer, and Organizational Unit, along with a set of descriptive attributes for each object.

A replication service that disseminates directory data across the network.

A query and index mechanism that allows users, administrators, and applications to efficiently find directory information.

A global catalog that contains detailed information about every object in the directory.

A schema that defines the classes of objects and attributes contained in the directory.

Active Directory Rights Management Services ( AD RMS ) – for information rights management (controlling access permissions to documents, workbooks, presentations, etc.)įundamental AD features and capabilities include:.

Active Directory Federation Services ( AD FS ) – for sharing identity and access management information across organizations and enterprises.

Active Directory Certificate Se rvices ( AD CS ) – for issuing and managing digital security certificates.

Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) – a low-overhead version of AD DS for directory-enabled applications.

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) – the core Active Directory service used to manage users and resources.

AD is made up of a number of different directory services, including: It was introduced in Windows 2000, is included with most MS Windows Server operating systems, and is used by a variety of Microsoft solutions like Exchange Server and SharePoint Server, as well as third-party applications and services. Active Directory (AD) is Microsoft’s directory and identity management service for Windows domain networks.

Active directory ds