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Servers play many roles in the client/server
networking environment. Some servers are
configured to provide authentication, and
others are configured to run
 applications.
Some provide network services that enable
users to communicate or find other servers
and resources in the network.
As a user logged on to a network, you might
need to connect to a shared folder or send a
print job to a printer on the network. How
do you find that folder and printer and
other network resources?
A directory service is a network service
that identifies all resources on a network
and makes that information available to
users and applications. Directory services
are important, because they provide a
consistent way to name, describe, locate,
access, manage, and secure information about
these resources.
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Active Directory is the directory service in
the Windows Server. It extends the basic
functionality of a directory service to
provide the following benefits: |
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DNS integration
Active Directory uses DNS
naming conventions to create
a hierarchical structure
that provides a familiar,
orderly, and scalable view
of network connections. DNS
is also used to map host
names, such as
microsoft.com, to numeric
TCP/IP addresses, such as
192.168.19.2.
Scalability
Active Directory is
organized into sections that
permit storage for a very
large number of objects. As
a result, Active Directory
can expand as an
organization grows. An
organization that has a
single server with a few
hundred objects can grow to
thousands of servers and
millions of objects.
Centralized management
Active Directory enables
administrators to manage
distributed desktops,
network services, and
applications from a central
location, while using a
consistent management
interface. Active Directory
also provides centralized
control of access to network
resources by enabling users
to log on only once to gain
full access to resources
throughout Active Directory.
Delegated administration
The hierarchical structure
of Active Directory enables
administrative control to be
delegated for specific
segments of the hierarchy. A
user authorized by a higher
administrative authority can
perform administrative
duties in their designated
portion of the structure. |
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