Active Directory
A directory of network information about users, computers, and applications that links multiple domains together.
Active Directory site
A set of IP subnets representing a physical location that is used by Active Directory to control replication.
application partition
An Active Directory partition created by an administrator to hold and replicate application-specific information. It is replicated only to specified domain controllers.
configuration partition
The Active Directory partition that holds general information about the Active Directory forest and application configuration information. It is replicated to all domain controllers in the Active Directory forest.
device identification string
One or more identifiers included in a hardware device that is used by Windows 7 to locate and install an appropriate driver for a hardware device.
device setup class
An identifier included with a hardware device driver that describes how the device driver is to be installed.
domain
A logical grouping of computers and users in Active Directory.
domain controller
A server that holds a copy of Active Directory information.
domain partition
The Active Directory partition that holds domain-specific information, such as user and computer accounts, that is replicated only between domain controllers within the domain.
forest
Multiple Active Directory trees with automatic trust relationships between them.
forest root domain
The first domain created in an Active Directory forest.
global catalog server
A domain controller that holds a subset of the information in all domain partitions for the entire Active Directory forest.
Group Policy
A feature integrated with Active Directory that can be used to centrally manage the configuration of Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 7 clients.
Group Policy object (GPO)
A collection of Group Policy settings that can be applied to client computers.
Group Policy service
The service responsible for retrieving and applying GPOs for a Windows 7 computer.
member server
A server that is joined to an Active Directory domain, but does not hold a copy of Active Directory information.
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)
A set of best practices, scripts, and tools to help automate the deployment of Windows operating systems.
multimaster replication
A replication system where updates can be performed on any server and are replicated to all other servers.
Network Access Protection (NAP)
A system that enforces requirements for client health before allowing client computers to connect to the network.
organizational unit (OU)
A container within a domain that is used to create a hierarchy that can be used to organize user and computer accounts and apply group policies.
schema partition
Holds the definition of all Active Directory objects and their attributes. It is replicated to all domain controllers in the Active Directory forest.
System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)
A software package that can perform inventory, implement a standardized configuration, deploy software, deploy operating systems, and deploy software updates.
tree
A group of Active Directory domains that share the same naming context and have automatic trust relationships among them.
User State Migration Tool (USMT)
A utility with both a command-line and graphical interface that is used to migrate user settings, files, and application configuration from a source computer to a destination computer.
Windows Deployment Services (WDS)
A Windows Server service that is used to simplify the process of applying images to computers.
Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)
A Windows Server application that is used to control the process of downloading and applying updates to Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 7 clients.