18 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONALDOMAINDOMAINREPL...

1-18 Chapter 1 Introduction to Windows XP ProfessionalDomainReplicationcontrollerActive DirectoryMember serverClient computer

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Figure 1-5

A Windows 2003 domain relies on Active Directory to provide user authentication.

A domain does not refer to a single location or specific type of network configuration.

The computers in a domain can share physical proximity on a small LAN or they can

be located in different corners of the world. They can communicate over any number

of physical connections, including dial-up connections, Integrated Services Digital Net-

work (ISDN) circuits, Ethernet networks, token ring connections, frame relay networks,

satellite links, and leased lines.

The benefits of a domain include the following:

■

Centralized administration because all user information is stored in the Active

Directory database. This centralization allows users to manage only a single user

name and password, and enables domain administrators to control which users

can access resources on any computer that is a member of the domain.

■

A single logon process for users to gain access to network resources (such as file,

print, and application resources) for which they have permissions. In other words,

you can log on to one computer and use resources on another computer in the

network as long as you have appropriate permissions to access the resource.

■

Scalability, so that you can create very large networks with hundreds or thousands

of computers.

A typical Windows 2003 domain includes the following types of computers:

Domain controllers running Windows Server 2003 Each domain controller

stores and maintains a copy of Active Directory. In a domain, you create a user

account in Active Directory only once. When a user logs on to a computer in the

domain, a domain controller authenticates the user by checking the directory for

the user name, password, and logon restrictions. When there are multiple domain

controllers in a domain, they periodically replicate their directory information so