You can separate the 2 roles. You can put the admin site on a non-dc server.
Sincerely,
Dèjì Akómöláfé, MCSE+M MCSA+M MCP+I
Microsoft MVP - Directory Services
www.readymaids.com - we know IT
www.akomolafe.com
Do you now realize that Today is the Tomorrow you were worried about
Yesterday? -anon
________________________________
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Al Mulnick
Sent: Wed 10/19/2005 6:32 PM
To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org
Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Virtual Servers in Branch Offices
Strange, I was just having this conversation today with a co-worker. :)
My thoughts? I'd say make it a GC and put the f/p in the virtual. Why?
because you still need to protect the physical, but the virtual you can give
out access to. The downside is that the virtual machine requires IIS (in
Microsoft products) meaning you have a vector for attack. But nothing that
requires changing the security otherwise for the GC.
I prefer not to put IIS on a GC for security reasons, but if you can get away
without it then I should think that this method would provide greater ability
to secure it. Keep in mind that physical access is still warranted. It's
just that you wouldn't have to worry about somebody taking the GC home on a
USB key like they otherwise could ;)
It's not pretty no matter which way you turn IMHO. Could be better.
Al
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Noah Eiger
Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 11:42 AM
To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org
Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Virtual Servers in Branch Offices
I assume you are refering to the fact that the the host could be
compromised over the network and the virtual hard drive or virtual machine
itself simply copied. (Just for the record, this is covered in the white
paper. Did not mean to imply that it is not. Security in this respect is
refered over to NTFS permissions).
So given that you could have a single physical machine at a branch
office and that you must have a DC and F/P service, what is the prefered
configuration?
-- nme
P.S. thanks for keeping this thread going.
________________________________
From: Dean Wells [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 8:42 PM
To: Send - AD mailing list
Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Virtual Servers in Branch Offices
"Does placing the DC inside a virtual machine add any
security? Would it be harder for someone with physical access to compromise
the DC? The white paper does not really make this clear. Also, I am assuming
that a host machine would be a domain member, right? Does it authenticate off
the virtual DC?"
<Dean>
Virtual DCs effectively weaken the broader-definition of
security in a number of ways including the context of physical access ...
this is due primarily to the relative ease with which the entire DC's state
can be duplicated, subsequently, becoming portable and reproduced in a
running state elsewhere with little to no effort.
The host machine has no bearing ... it's rather like saying
"the rack in which the server is physically housed has to be a domain member"
(or any further extension of that particular metaphor). Keep in mind the VM
(for the most part) doesn't even realize it's virtual.
</Dean>
--
Dean Wells
MSEtechnology
* Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
http://msetechnology.com <http://msetechnology.com/>
________________________________
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Noah Eiger
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2005 12:01 PM
To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org
Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Virtual Servers in Branch Offices
Thanks for the thoughts. And thanks Tony for the reference --
just finished reading it.
Unfortunately, deploying the DC at HQ or simply
authenticating over the WAN is not really an option. The WAN links are ok
(and getting better) but are located in places where environmental (as in the
weather) conditions often cause short interruptions.
Does placing the DC inside a virtual machine add any
security? Would it be harder for someone with physcial access to compromise
the DC? The white paper does not really make this clear. Also, I am assuming
that a host machine would be a domain member, right? Does it authenticate off
the virtual DC? [1]
Thanks again.
-- nme
[1] This sort of reminds me of the scene in Animal House when
they talk about the "whole universe as we know it existing under the
fingernail of some other giant being..." Whoa, dude!
________________________________
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2005 12:48 AM
To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org
Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Virtual Servers in Branch
Offices
Other important factors in this scenario must be the
physical and logical security of the server housing the DC role.
1. Will the server be securely locked away in the
branches? If not, do not deploy a DC.
2. Do you trust the file server admins to have
physical access to the server hosting the DC role?
3. Who administers the server that hosts the file and
DC roles? Are they also trusted?
When designing the branch office, I would always ask
the questions below, too:
1. Is a local DC required? i.e. what are the
drawbacks if a DC is not deployed?
2. Is logon/startup traffic over the WAN larger than
replication traffic over the WAN? If not, consider not deploying a local DC.
3. Does a local DC offer redundancy in the event of a
WAN failure? If other apps are accessed over the WAN, then consider deploying
the DC at a central location and not at the branch.
hth,
neil
___________________________
Neil Ruston
Global Technology Infrastructure
Nomura International plc
________________________________
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tony Murray
Sent: 13 October 2005 01:12
To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org
Subject: RE: [ActiveDir] Virtual Servers in Branch
Offices
Here's a link to a Microsoft document that covers
what you need to do to run a production DC on Virtual Server 2005.
http://tinyurl.com/5enjd
Tony
________________________________
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Noah Eiger
Sent: Thursday, 13 October 2005 11:30 a.m.
To: ActiveDir@mail.activedir.org
Subject: [ActiveDir] Virtual Servers in Branch
Offices
Hi -
Just to follow up on the design thread.... Since I am
placing DCs in small branch offices is there a value in using Virtual Server
2005 to create separate virtual boxes (DC & file server) running on the same
physical box? Some users have administrative access to the file server, and
I'd love to keep them off the DCs. I am also curious about optimal physical
and virtual drive configurations for such a box.
I reviewed the thread here about Virtual Domain
Controllers but it seemed to focus on using them as backups. I am talking
about production.
Any thoughts most welcome.
-- nme
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