| Department of Planetary Sciences Lunar and Planetary Laboratory |
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LPL Central Computing Systems (LCS) |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Active Directory System
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| Department of Planetary Sciences Lunar and Planetary Laboratory |
| |
LPL Central Computing Systems (LCS) |
What is active directory?
As explained by Microsoft: Active Directory is the integrated, distributed directory service that is included with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. Integrated with Active Directory are many of the applications and services that previously required a separate, distinct directory and userid/password to be managed for each application or service. With Active Directory, the administrator of the organization can add a user to Active Directory and through that single entry enable remote access to the network, enable the same user account for Exchange messaging, that same user for database access for accounting, client relationship management, or other applications. Not only is it possible to use Active Directory as a multi-purpose directory in this fashion but by doing so a company enables single sign-on for its users. Once a user logs in to Windows their Active Directory credential is the key that will automatically unlock all of the applications or services that they have been enabled for, including 3rd party applications that utilize Windows integrated authentication.
It is the windows backbone equivalent of our current integrated-unix system.
What does this mean for me?
This means that PCs can be managed remotely, updated remotely, and an increased level of security can be given to the entire building. Applications can be kept up to date, virus definitions updated off our local, in-house servers, and the ability to be able to move away from being dependant on a single machine.
How do I join the active directory myself?
A quick step-by-step guide is here for you to add yourself to the domain.
I don't want to be part of the domain, what can I do?
You can remove yourself through this guide here.
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