Windows Server® 2008 Administrator's Pocket Consultant

Working with Domain Structures

Active Directory provides both logical and physical structures for network components. Logical structures help you organize directory objects and manage network accounts and shared resources. Logical structures include the following:

• Organizational units. A subgroup of domains that often mirrors the organization’s business or functional structure.

• Domains. A group of computers that share a common directory database.

• Domain trees. One or more domains that share a contiguous namespace.

• Domain forests. One or more domain trees that share common directory information.

Physical structures serve to facilitate network communication and to set physical boundaries around network resources. Physical structures that help you map ...