IS Active Directory a part of a Domain Controller or independent ?

[Peter Waibel]

I have read a couple of articles about the Active Directory feature.

However I wonder wether AD is only useful in LANs with a Domain controller resp. server.

When I connect a couple of computers as Workgroup (=NOT Domain !) then AD seems to me not
applicable. Is this correct ?

If AD is existing in both scenarios then I would like to know what I can do with AD
what I cannot without AD. Which task could not be done in times before AD was invented?

Peter

 

[Malke]

I have read a couple of articles about the Active Directory feature.

However I wonder wether AD is only useful in LANs with a Domain controller resp. server.

When I connect a couple of computers as Workgroup (=NOT Domain !) then AD seems to me not
applicable. Is this correct ?

If AD is existing in both scenarios then I would like to know what I can do with AD
what I cannot without AD. Which task could not be done in times before AD was invented?

Active Directory is only available in a domain.


Malke

 

[Marco Eichstetter]

Hi,

ok, lets try to answer:

A Domain Controller (DC) ist a Server which can authorize Users an Computers
in a Domain (and more). A Domain is a Network with a central Administration
of Resources. The Active Directory is the Directory (Database) where the
Domain Objects/Resources saved. Each DC in the same Domain on W2k or W2k3
has the same Active Direcotry Database, changes replicates among themselves.

What can you do with a domain?
You can manage your network central. Create one User or Group. Like the User
"Marc Test" and the Group "Manager". On the File Server you create a folder
for the managers and give the Group "Manager" fullcontrol on this Folder. So
each member of the group "Managers" has access to this folder.

There are many other reasons for a Domain. Look at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_domain for more informations.


Marco

 

[Guest]

Active Directory provies a means of efficiently managing large numbers of
computers, for example in a corporate office.

For two computers though, it would be like using a Saturn V to visit your
next-door neighbour. The complexities will far outweigh any advantages.

Opinions will differ as to how many computers you need to make a domain
worthwhile, but it would not be less than five. More likely twenty-five.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Opinions will differ as to how many computers you need to make a domain
worthwhile, but it would not be less than five. More likely twenty-five.

There is no hard and fast answer to this question, as you say. A great
deal depends upon the physical circumstances of the network (number of
rooms/offices, distances, etc.), the number and type of shared resources
on each workstation, the number - if any - of dedicated IT personnel,
and the computer-specific knowledge level of the users. Peer-to-peer
workgroups generally used to start to experiencing network performance
issues when the number of workstations exceeded 10 or 12.

With today's faster Ethernet networks, I'd be inclined to agree that 25
nodes is a good starting point at which to create a domain. In fact,
this may be why Microsoft chooses to ship their Small Business Server
products with an initial Client Access License (CAL) for 25 seats.


--

Bruce Chambers

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[Enkidu]

There is no hard and fast answer to this question, as you say. A
great deal depends upon the physical circumstances of the network
(number of rooms/offices, distances, etc.), the number and type of
shared resources on each workstation, the number - if any - of dedicated
IT personnel, and the computer-specific knowledge level of the users.
Peer-to-peer workgroups generally used to start to experiencing network
performance issues when the number of workstations exceeded 10 or 12.

With today's faster Ethernet networks, I'd be inclined to agree that
25 nodes is a good starting point at which to create a domain. In fact,
this may be why Microsoft chooses to ship their Small Business Server
products with an initial Client Access License (CAL) for 25 seats.

Bruce do you care to expand on "Peer-to-peer workgroups generally used
to start to experiencing network performance issues when the number of
workstations exceeded 10 or 12". That's not been my experience. However
the *management* issues start to get out of hand at that size.

Cheers,

Cliff