Joining a Domain

When Windows 7 is first installed, it is a member of a workgroup by default. Workgroups are used in small offices, home offices, and home networks to allow users to share resources among themselves.

However, networks of more than 10 users implement domains. A domain is easier to manage and provides better security than a workgroup. One important benefit of a domain is that it provides single sign-on capabilities. In a domain, each user has one account that they can use to log on to almost any computer in the domain. In a workgroup, users need a separate account for each computer.

A Windows domain includes at least one server acting as a domain controller and hosting Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). Desktop computers (such as Windows 7 computers) are then joined to the domain so that users can access the domain resources.

AD DS includes objects such as users, computers, and groups. In order for a user to log on to the domain, the user needs a user account. In addition, the user must log on to a computer that is joined to the domain. If the computer isn't a member of the domain, the user won't be able to log on even if the user has a domain account.

It is important to know how to join a computer to a domain. In the following section, you'll have an opportunity to create a virtual test environment that includes a single domain controller hosting a domain. You can then use this to join a Windows 7 computer to the domain.