All computers are peers on the network; no computer can control another.

Each computer has multiple user accounts. To log on to any computer that belongs to a workgroup, you must have on that computer account.

A workgroup usually has no more than twenty computers.

The workgroup is not password protected.

All computers must be in the same local network or subnets.

In the home group:

Computers on a home network must belong to a workgroup, but they can also belong to a homegroup. Sharing your pictures, music, videos, documents, and printers with others is much easier with a Homegroup.

Home group password protected, but it is entered only once when adding a computer to a homegroup.

In the domain:

One or more computers are servers. Network administrators use servers to control security and permissions for all computers in the domain. This makes it easy to change the settings as the changes are automatically made for all computers. Domain users must provide a password or other credentials each time they access the domain.

If the user has an account in the domain, he can log on to any computer. This does not require an account on the computer itself.

The rights to change computer settings may be limited because network administrators want to be sure that computer settings are consistent.

There can be thousands of computers in a domain.

Computers can belong to different local networks.

Domain or working group is commonly caused by incorrectly configured system settings or irregular entries in the Windows registry. This error can be corrected by special software that restores the registry and tweaks system settings to restore stability

If you have a domain or workgroup, we strongly recommend that you Recovery Tool (Domain or Workgroup) .

This article contains information that shows you how to fix Domain Or Workgroup both (manually) and (automatically), In addition, this article will help you troubleshoot some common error messages related to Domain Or Workgroup that you may receive.

We have already mentioned working groups and domains. Let's take a look at how these two networking models fundamentally differ in Microsoft networks.

Working group Is a logical grouping of computers under a common name to facilitate navigation within a network. It is fundamentally important that every computer in the workgroup equal(i.e., the network turns out to be peer-to-peer) and maintains its own local Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database.

This leads to the main problem that does not allow the use of working groups in large corporate networks... Indeed, if we recall that the entrance to the protected system is mandatory, and the direct and network inputs are fundamentally different (direct local computer, and network - remote), then, for example, a user logged into the Comp1 computer under the local user1 account will be denied access to the printer installed on the Comp2 computer, since there is no user named User1 in its local database (Fig. 9.1). Thus, to ensure "transparent" interaction in the working group, it is necessary create the same accounts with the same passwords on all computers, where users work and resources are located.

Windows XP Professional for Workgroups provides special treatment: "Use simple general access to files ", which allows you to bypass the specified problem (this mode is enabled by default). In this case, connect to any network computer is carried out on behalf of its local guest account, which is enabled with Network Setup Wizards(it is disabled by default) and for which the required access level is configured.

For Windows XP Home Edition this method of network communication is the main one and cannot be disabled (therefore, computers with this OS cannot be made members of the domain).

It is clear that you can only manage accounts and resources in a workgroup if small amount computers and users. In large networks, domains should be used.

Domain is a logical grouping of computers united by a common database of users and computers, security policy and management.

Domains are created on the basis of Windows network OS, and the database, as we said, is supported domain controllers. It is important in domains that all computers here do not perform user authentication themselves at login, but delegate this procedure to controllers (Fig. 9.2). This organization of access makes it easy to perform a one-time verification of a user when logging on to the network, and then, without verification, grant him access to the resources of all computers in the domain.

On any PC in your network, for example, a MARIA laptop, run the command Control Panel-Network and Internet and click on the button Join(fig. 28.8).

At the first step of joining a homegroup, specify the network resources that will be shared with computers included in the homegroup's network (Fig. 28.9).

Rice. 28.9.

Next, you need to create an eight-digit password to connect your PC to the homegroup (case is important). In dialogue You have joined a homegroup click on the button Ready(fig. 28.10).

Difference between domain, workgroup and homegroup

Domains, workgroups, and homegroups represent different methods organization of computers in the network. Their main difference is how computers and other resources are managed. Windows computers on the network must be part of a workgroup or domain. Windows computers on a home network can also be part of a homegroup, but this is not required.

• In the working group... Each computer has multiple user accounts. To log on to any computer that belongs to a workgroup, you must have an account on that computer. A workgroup usually has no more than twenty computers. The workgroup is not password protected. All computers must be on the same local network (subnet).
• In a home group... Computers on a home network must belong to a workgroup, but they can also (simultaneously) belong to a homegroup. The homegroup is password protected.
• In the domain... One or more computers are servers. Network administrators use servers to control security and permissions for all computers in the domain. Domain users must provide a password or other credentials each time they access the domain. If the user has an account in the domain, he can log on to any computer. There can be thousands of computers in a domain. Computers can belong to different local networks.

» domains and workgroups - what is it

Operating system Windows Server 2003 and classic Windows NT use two terms that are not related to one another, but often cause confusion for
administrators: "domains" and "workgroups". This is how these terms are defined.

• The domain is an element of the security system. Domain members pass
  authentication using special servers called domain controllers.
• The working group is an element of the resource allocation system. Team members find each other using special servers called browsers.

Anyone who, like me, survived the Cold War will understand where the source of this confusion lies. Remember Khrushchev or Brezhnev? Each of them had unlimited power in the USSR, since each of them held two posts - the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet and the General Secretary of the Communist Party. Likewise, the Primary Domain Controller (PDC) makes domains and workgroups similar to each other, because the PDC stores both the security database and the browser database.

Using working groups

If you are installing a server that does not need to communicate with other servers, you can make it an isolated server that is a member of a workgroup. Clients in the same workgroup on the same IP subnet use the same browser to find the server. Users will be authenticated against the local SAM database on the server every time they connect over the network.
Even if you have a domain, it sometimes makes sense to set up isolated servers. For example, such a server could be installed within a DMZ, where computers do not need to send registration information back through the firewall.

Domain joining

If the server's authentication database is not strong enough, the server must be added to the domain. In this case, the server becomes a member of the domain. Domain members Active Directory authenticate users using the Kerberos protocol. This allows you to achieve high level security and get a fast authentication mechanism. In addition, this authentication mechanism contains authorization information that is required to create the user's local security context.
Classic Windows NT domain members authenticate users using the NT LanMan Challenge-Response protocol. This requires the server to have a direct line of communication with the backup domain controller.
IN operating system Windows NT required administrator credentials to add a computer to the domain. In the operating room Windows system Server 2003 (and Windows 2000) any authenticated user is able to add the computer to the domain. The ability to add computers to the domain is determined group policy for the Domain Controllers Organization Unit in Active Directory. By modifying this Group Policy, you can limit the range of users who are allowed to add computers to the domain.