Domain Engineering for Mission Critical Environments

Windows NT has grown quickly as an integrated solution for file and print services in Microsoft environments. Engineering NT solutions beyond the workgroup to integrate into heterogeneous environments is a task that in the past has required a large amount of trial and error. This paper addresses some real world issues that affect global NT deployments. The structure of the NT domains and their relationships is built upon organizational and performance requirements. The logical domain architecture affects the NT deployment from day one. Name services under NT are critical to day to day operations and must be engineered to incorporate fault tolerance while avoiding shortcomings in product. Authentication under NT must be molded to fit security and organizational requirements, while keeping cross platform and performance issues in mind.