Introducing Active Directory - MCTS Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration - page 105

objects aren't affected by GPOs. GPOs can be applied in these four places in order: local
computer, site, domain, and OU. User policies are applied when a user logs on, and com-
puter policies are applied when a computer restarts.

Key Terms
Active Directory replication The transfer of information among domain controllers to make
sure all domain controllers have consistent and up-to-date information.
attribute value Information stored in each attribute. See also schema attributes.
authentication A process that confirms a user's identity; the account is then assigned
permissions and rights that authorize the user to access resources and perform certain tasks on
the computer or domain.
built-in user accounts User accounts created by Windows automatically during installation.
directory service A database that stores information about a computer network and includes
features for retrieving and managing that information.
Directory Services Restore Mode A boot mode used to perform restore operations on Active
Directory if it becomes corrupted or parts of it are deleted accidentally.
domain The core structural unit of Active Directory; contains OUs and represents adminis-
trative, security, and policy boundaries.
domain user account A user account created in Active Directory that provides a single logon
for users to access all resources in the domain for which they have been authorized.
forest A collection of one or more Active Directory trees. A forest can consist of a single tree
with a single domain, or it can contain several trees, each with a hierarchy of parent and child
domains.
fully qualified domain name (FQDN)

3

A domain name that includes all parts of the name,

including the top-level domain.
Group Policy Object (GPO) A list of settings that administrators use to configure user and
computer operating environments remotely through Active Directory.
local user account A user account defined on a local computer that's authorized to access
resources only on that computer. Local user accounts are mainly used on stand-alone
computers or in a workgroup network with computers that aren't part of an Active
Directory domain.
object A grouping of information that describes a network resource, such as a shared printer,
or an organizing structure, such as a domain or OU.
organizational unit (OU) An Active Directory container used to organize a network's users
and resources into logical administrative units.
permissions Settings that define which resources users can access and what level of access
they have to resources.
right A setting that specifies what types of actions a user can perform on a computer or
network.
schema Information that defines the type, organization, and structure of data stored in the
Active Directory database.
schema attributes A category of schema information that defines what type of information
is stored in each object.
schema classes A category of schema information that defines the types of objects that can
be stored in Active Directory, such as user or computer accounts.
site A physical location in which domain controllers communicate and replicate information
regularly.
Sysvol folder A shared folder that stores information from Active Directory that's replicated
to other domain controllers.
tree

A grouping of domains that share a common naming structure.