Windows Server: Workgroup vs Domain and its types.

What is workgroup?

Workgroup

Workgroup is a Microsoft's term used for the peer to peer local area network connections.
A number of computers can be connected in a workgroup and all the computers connected in a workgroup can make sharing of their files, printers or internet connections.

In other words, WORKGROUP is a collection of computers in a local area network known as LAN.
Although this term has major connection with Microsoft's Windows but it is also applied in other environments. Windows workgroups can be found in homes, schools and small businesses.

Although workgroup provides a facility for its users but there is a drawback that if we need to make any change in settings or to alter the configuration of any member of workgroup, it is necessary to go physically there where the machine is placed for the configurations
i.e.

• changing passwords
• managing permissions
• managing updates

Workgroup is realistically limited to ten to twenty(10-20) computers, where each computer is equal and security is minimal. One computer can be configured as a dedicated file sharing computer.



 NTLM:- 
Called NEW TECHNOLOGY LAN MANAGER, is a suite of Microsoft Security Protocols that provides some facilities,
such as

• Authentication
• Integrity
• Confidentiality to users. 

What is Domain?

Domain:

Domain can be defines as a sub network made up of a group of servers and clients under the control of one security database.

• It is a centralized database because in a domain all the database is located and stored on a single location(Server)

Examples:

• Computers on a workplace are usually a part of domain.  
• Microsoft.com

In a domain network all the clients can be controlled by just one user and we don't need go physically to machine for the configuration or performing any other task such as to manage updates, permissions or passwords etc.

In domain

• There is no  limit on number of computer.
• All the computers are controlled by server
• Security is more tight as compared to workgroup
• Each computer can have different security access.

Kebros:-

It is a computer network authentication protocol that works on the basis

 of 'ticket' to allow nodes communicating over a non-secure network

 to prove their identity to one an other in a secure manner.

• Kebros is a protocol used for the authentication of machines connected in a domain network.

DC:-
DC is called domain controller
It is a server that responds to the security authentication requests with in a domain.
In a Microsoft Windows Server it is responsible for allowing the host to access the resources available in that domain.

There are some other terms which are good to be known.

ADC:- 
Stands for Additional Domain Controller and it provides a facility of to be used as a backup if our server is damaged.

RODC:- 
Stands for Read Only Domain Controller and it is a server which provides the facility of hosting an Active Directory Database's read-only partitions and respond to security authentication requests.

What are the types of domains according to their levels?

Types of Domain:

There are the following types of Domain.

Top Level Domains(TLDs):-

These are the domains on which name of every domain ends up. There are a highest level domains such as .com, .org and .net etc. These can be referred as parent domains in the hierarchy of domains. 

Low Level Domains(LLDs):- 

These are the domains which comes just before (on left) of the top level domains such as blogspot.com. Here blogspot is a low level domain and .com is a high level domain. It is also referred as child domain in the domains' hierarchy.
Similarly

• There can be third and fourth and so on levels of domains.

Example

In www.commptech.blogspot.com we are interested to know about the hierarchy of domains then .com will be considered as the Top Level Domain while .blogspot is a low level domain as compared to .com domain but it is a high level domain as compared to .commptech. In other words .com is a parent domain in the whole hierarchy, blogspot is parent domain of .commptech but child domain of .com.

There are some other terms better to know while configuring a server or in domain network or client server model. Such as

Member Server:-
A computer is said to be a member server if it runs on an operating system in Microsoft Windows Server families, belongs to a domain and is not a domain controller.

Stand-Alone Server:-
A server is said to be a Stand Alone Server if it runs alone and it is not a part of a group. In other words it does not belongs to a domain or is not governed by a Windows domain.

Here i have given a short comparison between workgroup and domain. I hope it would be a helpful topic for you.

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