===== Active Directory =====
Active Directory (AD) is a directory service developed by Microsoft for Windows domain networks. It is included in most Windows Server operating systems as a set of processes and services.\\
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A server running Active Directory Domain Service (AD DS) is called a domain controller. It authenticates and authorizes all users and computers in a Windows domain type network—assigning and enforcing security policies for all computers and installing or updating software. For example, when a user logs into a computer that is part of a Windows domain, Active Directory checks the submitted password and determines whether the user is a system administrator or normal user. Also, it allows 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 Rights Management Services.\\
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Active Directory uses Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) versions 2 and 3, Microsoft's version of Kerberos, and DNS.\\
==== Active Directory Domain Services in AWS ====
=== Documentation ===
[[https://d1.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/adds-on-aws.pdf|AD DS on AWS]] - Whitepaper providing overview of AWS AD DS options & tiers\\
[[https://wiki.samba.org/index.php/Setting_up_Samba_as_an_Active_Directory_Domain_Controller|Setting up Samba as an Active Directory Controller]] - AWS //Simple AD// tier utilizes Samba as the AD back-end\\
[[https://docs.aws.amazon.com/directoryservice/latest/admin-guide/what_is.html|What is AWS Directory  Service?]] - Amazon documentation with more details regarding setup, tenant requirements, and configuration guidelines\\
==== Active Directory Domain Services in Azure ====