Active Directory

• Active Directory (AD) is a directory service developed by Microsoft
• It is a centralized database that stores information about users, groups, computers, and other resources in a Windows domain.
• It's a centralized identity management (create accounts, assign permissions, etc)

Architecture

• Objects are organized in trees, a group of trees is a forest
• Objects
• Users
• Accounts
• Computers
• Printers
• File Shares
• Security Groups

Login Management

• The user information is stored in the Domain Controller and it can be used to log in in any machine that is connected to the domain controller

Integration

• Kerberos
• NTLM
• LDAP
• Non-Windows systems or applications often integrate with AD using LDAP to authenticate users or access directory data.