Active Directory Concept

An active directory is a service that is provided by Microsoft that stores information about items on a network so the information can be easily made available to specific users through a logon process and network administrators. By using an Active Directory it is possible to view an entire series of network objects from a single point and obtain an overall hierarchal view of the network.

Active Directory uses a number of standardized protocols to provide a variety of network services, including:

• Lightweight Directory Access Protocol LDAP, the industry standard directory access protocol, compatible with many management and query applications. Active Directory supports LDAPv3 and LDAPv2.
• Optional Kerberos-based authentication
• DNS-based naming and other network information

Features include: 

• Central location for network administration and security[1]
• Information security and single sign-on for user access to networked resources[1]
• The ability to scale up or down easily[1]
• Standardizing access to application data[1]
• Synchronization of directory updates across servers[1]

Active Directory stores all information and settings for a deployment in a central database. Active Directory allows administrators to assign policies, deploy and update software. Active Directory networks can vary from a small installation with a few computers, users and printers to tens of thousands of users, many different network domains and large server farms spanning many geographical locations 

How an Active Directory is Used

Active Directories are used by network administrators to simplify network maintenance processes within a large organization. Instead of having to perform updates manually, a network administrator can update one object in a single process.

Active Directories are also used by network administrators to allow or deny access to specific application by the end user through the trees in the network. Additionally, they are used to keep a large network organized and maintained without having to perform each task through an individual process.

Because an Active Directory supports distributed network environments they can be extremely complex and require a network administrator who is well-versed in this type of technology. However, without an Active Directory it would be very difficult for a large organization to effectively store information and data on a large network.