DS (Directory Services) Forest (This page has been migrated to Confluence)

https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CSCFINF/pages/44314329112/DS+Directory+Services+Forest

Based upon Microsoft Active Directory, CSCF Directory Services is structured in the following manner.

• One Forest
  • The Forest Root Domain being DS (ds.uwaterloo.ca) since it was the first to be established.
• One Tree
  • DS is also the Tree Root Domain for this single tree forest.
• Three Domains
  • DS, GENERAL (general.ds.uwaterloo.ca) domain and TEACHING (teaching.ds.uwaterloo.ca) domain. Both GENERAL and TEACHING domains are considered child domains or sub-domains of DS - the Forest Root.
• DS, as a forest root domain, is empty of computers and users save domain controllers, and domain administrators.
• GENERAL and TEACHING domains are "production domains" for the support of SCS users and computing services.
  • They also correspond to former xhier core and teaching regions respectively.

Domain Controller Distribution

• To preserve redundancy in the event of a failure or necessary shut down of one domain controller.
• To provide an alternate replication route within a domain if some part of the network becomes disabled.
• To properly distribute key domain Operational Masters across the domain.
  • PDC Emulator - PDC
  • RID Master - RID
  • Infrastructure Master - Infra
• To support other key domain and forest services services
  • Global Catalogue - GC
  • Dynamic DNS - DNS - for maintaining forest SRV records in DNS.
  • Schema Master - Schema - Forest Root only.
  • Domain Naming Master - DNOM - Forest Root only.
  • Forest Certificate Authority - CA - Forest Root only.
• CSCF coincidentally maintains its servers in three separate data centres in three separate buildings on the UW campus. Our forest domain controllers are equally distributed amongst these locations.
  • MC 3015
  • DC 3558
  • M3 3101

So the current support layout for the DS forest is as follows. NOTE: All domain controllers in GENERAL domain have a Global Catalogue (GC) in order to support 2FA authentication for the SCS VPN service.

• DS (Forest Root):
  • CURTISII.ds.uwaterloo.ca - PDC - MC
  • armatum.ds.uwaterloo.ca - RID, DNS, Schema, DNOM, CA - M3
  • BOLTONI.ds.uwaterloo.ca - Infra, GC - DC
• GENERAL:
  • LESTES.general.ds.uwaterloo.ca - RID, GC - M3
  • DRYAS.general.ds.uwaterloo.ca - Infra, GC, DNS - DC
  • FULVA.general.ds.uwaterloo.ca - PDC, GC - MC
• TEACHING:
  • MIXTA.teaching.ds.uwaterloo.ca - RID, GC - DC
  • PANTALA.teaching.ds.uwaterloo.ca - PDC, GC, DNS - MC
  • SPONSA.teaching.ds.uwaterloo.ca - Infra - M3