Understanding Domain Controller: Focus on MCITP SERVER 2008

Why would you need a domain controller?

This question can answered when you know the difference between a workgroup and domain. In the first, there is no security, and no central administration of the network. These deficiencies are made up for in a domain configuration. Domain? Yes, I mean domain? Have you heard the word Kingdom before? I often break the word into two, ‘King’|‘Domain’. Meaning what? The Domain of a King, thus a Domain in computer sense is the logical boundary of computer network denoted by a common namespace. Examples of Network Domains are Facebook.com, Yahoo.com, mtnnigeria.net, ng.airtel.com, etc.

The Domain Controller, then is the Server where you centrally administer your Domain. This is similar to the Palace of the king in your village.

How then does this relate to businesses and operations? Before any user(staff) can have acess to network resources, they must be Identified by the Domain Controller, that is to say, the Domain Controller knows everyone and everything in its domain. Secondly, the user must be Authenticated, meaning that a form of validation must take place via Password, PIN, Smartcard, etc. Thirdly, after the user has been allowed into the domain, he/she can’t have access to all resources in the Domain, so, there must be a form of method for Authorization that will determine what resources or information the user can have access to, es well as the degree of access. Methodologies, such as Access Control, User Rights, Encryption, etc are used for Authorization. Lastly, there must be a way of keeping track of what the user has done within the domain, that’s is every user must be held Accountable for whatever they do in the domain.

Isn’t this interesting? Look around you, you’ll realize security and information management revolves around the concepts explained above. For example, you insert your ATM into the Machine; it identifies you, and prompts for PIN to authenticate you as the real owner of the card and after that you do you transaction- Withdrawal, PIN change, etc. Do you realize you are not authorized to see other information apart from that, and lastly, you are held accountable for anything you do, thus, and alert comes to your phone? How does this and other ‘magic’ happen in the network? Although there are many third party software used in Identity management and directory service, but the Domain Controller is the foundation for Information Management.

I have many people who just read dumps and earn MCITP Certification who later came back to me for training. Why? Information Technology is not like subjects such as Economics that is theory based. IT Knowledge must translate to Productivity, else the skill becomes unmarketable.

Turning Knowledge to Productivity is what I’ve committed myself to doing over the years.

Join the next MCITP and Cloud Computing class for more enquiry:

Adekugbe David (mcse, mcdba, mcsa, mcit, mcsa-cloud, itil)
08035794444, 12 Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos.
http://www.dafidiitsolutions.com
[email protected], [email protected]