They were so effective that domain controllers were later adapted as a fundamental element of Active Directory® services. In the days when everything was on-prem, it made sense to have a physical computer dedicated to administering user identities and validating requests for access. The domain controller then authenticates the user identity, typically by validating a username and password, then authorizes requests for access accordingly. In this environment, all user requests are sent to the domain controller for authentication and authorization. The domain controller was established for precisely this reason. IT admins needed a way to control access to resources within a domain – essentially an organization’s users and IT resources. The concept of the domain controller was first introduced by Microsoft in relation to the Windows NT networks of old. In fact, there is a movement called the Domainless Enterprise which is leveraging the trends towards use of primarily cloud-based infrastructure and expansion of remote work to build the next generation IT infrastructure.īut before we can move to the next generation, we have to have a solid foundation on what came before it, so as to learn from our successes (and failures) and understand why we need to do things differently today. Domain controllers as they exist today are expected to become obsolete in the near future as an increasing number of organizations seek alternative cloud identity and access management (IAM) solutions.

However, recent trends have antiquated their use - especially for non-Windows systems. The popularity of Windows systems for enterprise solutions established the domain controller as a common term when discussing networking architecture. Domain controllers are particularly relevant in Microsoft directory services terminology, and function as the primary mode for authenticating Windows user identities to Windows-based systems, applications, file servers, and networks. If outside, you are untrusted, so the domain would effectively be your castle with a moat around it.Ī domain controller is a server (most commonly Microsoft Active Directory) that manages network and identity security, effectively acting as the gatekeeper for user authentication and authorization to IT resources within the domain. If you are within the domain you are in a theoretically safe space and trusted. Generally, a domain also encompasses a physical space like an office or multiple offices. A domain describes a collection of users, systems, applications, networks, database servers, and any other resources that are administered with a common set of rules.

Active directory domain services pdf