A Windows Server domain or Windows NT Domain is a group of computers running versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system that can be centrally managed by one or more Windows Servers. The administrator of a domain has full control over all computers within that domain. Domains are used by organizations who wish to centralize the management of their Windows computers. Each person who uses computers within a domain receives his own user name, or account. This account usually allows them to log in to and use any computer in the domain, although they may have restricted access to some computers and network resources. One of the powers of a domain is the ability to assign rights and restrictions to users which will be valid on all computers in the domain.

When there are multiple domains within a network, users from one domain accessing resources in another domain is managed by establishing trust relationships between the domains. Trusts are one-way - there is a trusting domain and a trusted domain. Users from the trusted domain can access resources of the trusting domain and not the other way round. There are four domain models that can be used in organisations.

1. Single domain model - users and resources belong to the same domain
2. Master domain model - users belong to a master domain, resources belong to resource domains, each resource domain trusts the master domain
3. Multiple master domain model - each master domain and resource domain trusts every other master domain
4. Complete trust model - each domain trusts every other domain

See also

• Active Directory

External links

• Trusted and Trusting Domains in NT 4.0 by L. J. Locher