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What is Active Directory?

Active Directory (AD) is a directory service developed by Microsoft for Windows domain networks. It is used to manage and store information about network resources and application-specific data from a centralized location. Here are some key features and components of Active Directory:
  1. Domain Services: AD DS (Active Directory Domain Services) is the core service that allows administrators to manage and store information about resources in the network, such as users, computers, and other devices. It also facilitates authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users and devices can access resources.
  2. LDAP Protocol: Active Directory uses the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to query and modify directory services. LDAP is an open, vendor-neutral protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services.
  3. Schema: The schema in Active Directory defines the objects and their attributes that the directory service uses to store data. It is a set of rules that determines the structure of the directory and what types of information it can contain.
  4. Replication: AD ensures data availability and consistency across different servers by replicating directory data between multiple domain controllers. This replication helps in distributing the load and improving fault tolerance.
  5. Group Policy: Active Directory allows administrators to use Group Policy to manage and configure operating systems, applications, and user settings in a Windows environment. Group policies can be applied to users and computers within the domain.
  6. Organizational Units (OUs): OUs are containers within a domain that can hold users, groups, computers, and other OUs. They provide a way to organize and manage a large number of objects in a domain efficiently.
  7. Domains, Trees, and Forests: A domain is a logical group of network objects that share the same Active Directory database. A tree is a collection of one or more domains that share a contiguous namespace. A forest is a collection of one or more trees that share a common global catalog, directory schema, and logical structure.
  8. Trust Relationships: Trusts allow different domains to share resources and authenticate users across domain boundaries. Trust relationships can be one-way or two-way and can be established within a single forest or across multiple forests.

Active Directory is widely used in enterprise environments for its scalability, security features, and centralized management capabilities.

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