Active Directory (AD) is Microsoft's directory service that stores information about network resources and enables administrators to manage them. It provides authentication and authorization services in Windows domains.
Main components:
Domain: A logical group of network objects (users, computers, groups)
Domain Controller (DC): A server that authenticates users and manages domain objects
Organizational Units (OUs): Containers used to organize objects within a domain
Forest: A collection of one or more domains that share a common schema
Tree: A collection of domains in a contiguous namespace
Global Catalog: A partial replica of all objects in the forest
Schema: Defines the structure and attributes of objects in AD
Rewriting in plainer words…
This answer doesn't lend itself to a diagram - it reads best . No credits were charged.
