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Domain controller
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<h2 id="software">Software</h2> <p>The software and operating system used to run a domain controller usually consists of several key components shared across <a href="/facts/Computing_platform/DmKwp5Bk">platforms</a>. This includes the operating system (usually <a href="/facts/Windows_Server/5t7XxyUV">Windows Server</a> or <a href="/facts/Linux/9FvCKSTq">Linux</a>), an <a href="/facts/Lightweight_Directory_Access_Protocol/KgpfD8nR">LDAP</a> service (<a href="/facts/389_Directory_Server/82uzNEc8">Red Hat Directory Server</a>, etc.), a network time service (<a href="/facts/Ntpd/cLuSdAew">ntpd</a>, <a href="/facts/Chrony/rWkDYFLT">chrony</a>, etc.), and a computer network authentication protocol (usually <a href="/facts/Kerberos_(protocol)/RMXs3P1w">Kerberos</a>).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> Other components, such as a <a href="/facts/Public_key_infrastructure/7fwMLxF4">public key infrastructure</a> (Active Directory Certificate Services, DogTag, <a href="/facts/OpenSSL/aXvs5fo2">OpenSSL</a>) service and <a href="/facts/Domain_Name_System/rfxdWFsj">Domain Name System</a> (Windows DNS or <a href="/facts/BIND/Mj5qNIuW">BIND</a>) may also be included on the same server or on another domain-joined server.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="implementation">Implementation</h2> <p>Domain controllers are typically deployed as a <a href="/facts/Computer_cluster/mT7S1BcX">cluster</a> to ensure high-availability and maximize reliability. In a Windows environment, one domain controller serves as the Primary Domain Controller (PDC) and all other servers promoted to domain controller status in the domain serve as a Backup Domain Controller (BDC).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> In Unix-based environments, one machine serves as the master domain controller and others serve as replica domain controllers, periodically replicating database information from the main domain controller and storing it in a read-only format.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Apple_Open_Directory/ehWvWa5X">Apple Open Directory</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Domain_controller_(Windows)/XIpb6t6d">Domain controller (Windows)</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Active_Directory/VWd9HhjU">Microsoft Windows Active Directory</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/FreeIPA/1x7mu24V">Red Hat Identity Manager</a>/<a href="/facts/FreeIPA/1x7mu24V">Red Hat FreeIPA</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Domain Controller Roles". Microsoft TechNet. Retrieved Dec 4, 2009. <a href="https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc786438(WS.10).aspx" target="_blank">https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc786438(WS.10).aspx</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Domain Controller Roles". Windows Server 2003 Technical Reference. Microsoft TechNet. 2010-06-03. Retrieved 2012-11-21. <a href="https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc786438(WS.10).aspx" target="_blank">https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc786438(WS.10).aspx</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"14.3.3. Domain Controller". access.redhat.com. <a href="https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/4/html/Reference_Guide/s2-samba-domain-controller.html" target="_blank">https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/4/html/Reference_Guide/s2-samba-domain-controller.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Chapter 1. Introduction to FreeIPA". docs.fedoraproject.org. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2020-01-02. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220407054234/https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora/18/html/FreeIPA_Guide/introduction.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20220407054234/https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora/18/html/FreeIPA_Guide/introduction.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"How to Find Expired Domains". Domain Hunting Guides. 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-04-15. <a href="https://domainhuntergatherer.com/guides/how-to-find-expired-domains/" target="_blank">https://domainhuntergatherer.com/guides/how-to-find-expired-domains/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Domain Controller Roles". Microsoft Tech net 3 June 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2011. <a href="https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc786438%28WS.10%29.aspx" target="_blank">https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc786438%28WS.10%29.aspx</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"V4/Replica Setup - FreeIPA". www.freeipa.org. <a href="https://www.freeipa.org/page/V4/Replica_Setup" target="_blank">https://www.freeipa.org/page/V4/Replica_Setup</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>