Editing Active Directory (section)

{{short description|Directory service, created by Microsoft for Windows domain networks}}
{{Hatnote|This article is about Microsoft's on-premises directory service. For their cloud-based system formerly known as Azure Active Directory, see [[Microsoft Entra ID]].}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
'''Active Directory''' ('''AD''') is a [[directory service]] developed by [[Microsoft]] for [[Windows domain]] networks. [[Windows Server]] [[operating system]]s include it as a set of [[Process (computing)|processes]] and [[Windows service|services]].{{r|DSA-MSDN|WI4}} Originally, only centralized domain management used Active Directory. However, it ultimately became an umbrella title for various directory-based identity-related services.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Hynes |first=Byron |date=November 2006 |title=The Future of Windows: Directory Services in Windows Server "Longhorn" |url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2006.11.futureofwindows.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430162954/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/technet-magazine/cc160894(v=msdn.10)?redirectedfrom=MSDN |archive-date=30 April 2020 |access-date=30 April 2020 |website=[[TechNet Magazine]] |publisher=[[Microsoft]]}}</ref>

A domain controller is a server running the '''Active Directory Domain Services''' ('''AD DS''') role. It [[Authentication|authenticates]] and [[Authorization|authorizes]] all users and computers in a [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] domain-type network, assigning and enforcing security policies for all computers and installing or updating software. For example, when a user [[Login|logs into]] a computer which is part of a Windows domain, Active Directory checks the submitted username and password and determines whether the user is a [[system administrator]] or a non-admin user.<ref name="adw2k3">{{Cite web |date=13 March 2003 |title=Active Directory on a Windows Server 2003 Network |url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc780036(WS.10).aspx#w2k3tr_ad_over_qbjd |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430163301/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2003/cc780036(v=ws.10)?redirectedfrom=MSDN |archive-date=30 April 2020 |access-date=25 December 2010 |work=Active Directory Collection |publisher=[[Microsoft]]}}</ref> Furthermore, it allows the management and storage of information, provides authentication and authorization mechanisms, and establishes a framework to deploy other related services: Certificate Services, [[Active Directory Federation Services]], Lightweight Directory Services, and [[Active Directory Rights Management Services|Rights Management Services]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rackspace Support |date=27 April 2016 |title=Install Active Directory Domain Services on Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise 64-bit. |url=https://support.rackspace.com/how-to/installing-active-directory-on-windows-server-2012/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430163406/https://support.rackspace.com/how-to/installing-active-directory-on-windows-server-2012/ |archive-date=30 April 2020 |access-date=22 September 2016 |website=Rackspace |publisher=Rackspace US, Inc.}}</ref>

Active Directory uses [[Lightweight Directory Access Protocol]] (LDAP) versions 2 and 3, Microsoft's version of [[Kerberos (protocol)|Kerberos]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/secauthn/microsoft-kerberos|title=Microsoft Kerberos - Win32 apps|website=docs.microsoft.com|date=7 January 2021 }}</ref> and [[Domain Name System|DNS]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/networking/dns/dns-top|title=Domain Name System (DNS)|website=docs.microsoft.com|date=10 January 2022 }}</ref>

Robert R. King defined it in the following way:<ref>{{Cite book |last=King |first=Robert |title=Mastering Active directory for Windows server 2003 |date=2003 |publisher=Sybex |isbn=978-0-7821-5201-2 |edition=3rd |location=Alameda, Calif. |page=159 |oclc=62876800}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|"A domain represents a database. That database holds records about network services-things like computers, users, groups and other things that use, support, or exist on a network. The domain database is, in effect, Active Directory."}}