5.4. The organization of the domain structure of the network

When computers are networked on a Windows NT platform, they are grouped into workgroups or domains.

The group of computers that make up the administrative block and do not belong to domains is called a working one. It is formed on the Windows NT Workstation platform. Any of the computers of the working group includes its own information on the budgets of users and groups and does not share it with other computers of the working group. Members who are members of working groups are registered only at the workstation and can browse through the directories of other members of the working group. Computers of the peer-to-peer network form working groups that should be formed on the basis of the organizational structure of the enterprise: the accounting working group, the planning department working group, the personnel department working group, etc.

The working group can be created on the basis of computers with different operating systems. Members of this group can fulfill the role of both resource users and their suppliers, i.e. they have equal rights. The right to provide other PCs with access to all or some of the local resources at their disposal belongs to the servers.

When computers of different capacities enter the network, the most productive computer in the network configuration can be used as an unallocated file server. In this case, it is possible to store information that is constantly needed by all users. The rest of the computers work as network clients.

When you install Windows NT on a computer, it indicates whether it is a member of a workgroup or domain.

The logical combination of one or more network servers and other computers with a common security system and information in the form of a centrally managed database of user budgets is called a domain. Each domain has an individual name.

Computers in the same domain can be located in a local network or in different countries and continents. They can be connected by various physical lines, such as telephone, fiber optic, satellite, etc.

Each computer entering a domain has its own name, which, in turn, must be separated by a dot with a domain name. The member of the given name is the computer, and the domain forms the full domain name for the computer.

The domain controller is the organization of the domain structure in the network, the establishment of certain rules in it, the management of the interaction between the user and the domain.

A computer that runs under Windows NT Server and uses one shared directory to save information on user budgets and security related to the entire domain is called a domain controller. Its task is to manage intra-domain interaction between the user and the domain.

All changes in information about domain budgets selects, stores information in the directory database and constantly replicates the main domain controller to the backup domains. This ensures centralized security management.

Several models of building a network with domain architecture are used:

• single-domain model;

• model with master domain;

• model with several master domains;

• model of completely confidential relations.