Glossary for ADSys¶
Overview of technical terms used in the documentation.
- active directory¶
A directory service developed by Microsoft that provides centralized authentication, authorization, and management of users, computers, and resources in a networked environment.
- adcli¶
A command-line tool for managing Active Directory domain membership on Linux.
- administrative templates¶
A set of policy settings that allow administrators to configure user and computer settings in a Windows-based Active Directory environment, often managed via Group Policy Objects (GPOs).
- ADSys¶
A tool that allows system administrators to manage Ubuntu machines using Microsoft Active Directory.
- adsysctl¶
A command-line utility for interacting with the ADSys service in Ubuntu.
- adwatchd¶
A daemon that monitors and enforces compliance with Active Directory policies on Ubuntu systems, helping ensure settings are consistently applied.
- AppArmor¶
A Linux security module that enforces mandatory access control policies on programs to limit their capabilities.
- apt¶
The Advanced Package Tool. A package management system used in Debian-based distributions like Ubuntu to install, update, and remove software.
- certmonger¶
A service that monitors and renews certificates, commonly used in enterprise environments.
- clients¶
In the context of ADSys, the “client” refers to an Ubuntu Desktop or Ubuntu Server that is managed using Microsoft Active Directory.
- D-Bus call¶
A command or API request used to communicate with system services via D-Bus, a message bus system for interprocess communication.
- dconf¶
A low-level configuration system used by GNOME-based environments to store application and system settings, providing a centralized way to manage configurations.
- DNS server¶
Translates domain names into numerical IP addresses.
- domain controller¶
A server in an Active Directory network that authenticates users, enforces security policies, and manages domain-wide resources.
- FQDN¶
The Fully Qualified Domain Name. A complete domain name that specifies the exact location of a device within the DNS hierarchy.
- getcert¶
A command-line tool used to request, monitor, and renew security certificates, often used with certmonger.
- GNOME¶
A popular open-source desktop environment for Linux systems, designed for ease of use and accessibility, providing a modern graphical user interface.
- Group policies¶
A feature in Active Directory that allows administrators to define security settings, software installations, and user preferences across multiple computers in a domain.
- GSettings¶
A system for storing application and desktop settings in GNOME-based environments.
- GVfs¶
The GNOME Virtual File System. A user-space virtual filesystem that provides access to remote locations, such as FTP, SMB, and Google Drive.
- Kerberos¶
A network authentication protocol that uses tickets to securely authenticate users and services.
- LDAP¶
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. A protocol for accessing and managing directory information, commonly used for authentication.
- LTS¶
A Long Term Support (LTS) release of Ubuntu is an enterprise grade release that receive extended support.
- Netplan¶
A utility to configure networking on Ubuntu machines using YAML files. Ubuntu Desktop also has support for graphical configuration of networking.
- NTP¶
Network Time Protocol is a networking protocol for clock synchronization
- On-premises¶
ADSys is designed to bridge Ubuntu clients with Active Directory running on the local infrastructure of an organization. For cloud-based infrastructure, authd can be used for authentication.
- PAM¶
Pluggable Authentication Modules. A framework for integrating various authentication methods into Linux systems.
- Policy templates¶
Active Directory administrative templates define the settings available in when editing group policies.
- Polkit¶
A toolkit for defining and handling system-wide privileges in Linux.
- PowerShell¶
A shell program that is pre-installed on Windows, which has its own language for scripting and automation.
- realmd¶
A service that allows automatic discovery and enrollment of Linux machines into Active Directory or other identity domains.
- Samba¶
A software suite that enables file and print sharing between Linux and Windows systems using the SMB/CIFS protocol.
- Security Identifier¶
The Security Identifier, or SID, is a unique identifier assigned to users, groups, and other objects in Windows-based systems.
- Server¶
In the context of ADSys, the “server” refers to a Windows Server running Active Directory , which manages and enforces policies for Ubuntu clients.
- Server manager¶
Tool for managing servers that is pre-installed on Windows Server and opens automatically on launch.
- SSSD¶
The System Security Services Daemon. A service that manages authentication and authorization with identity providers like Active Directory or LDAP. SSSD is used with ADSys for managing authentication and policies.
- Static IP¶
A static IP address is an IP address that remains constant after being assigned to a device. Static IP addresses can be configured in the network manager of your OS.
- sudo¶
A command that allows users to run programs with elevated (superuser) privileges on Linux systems.
- systemd¶
A modern system and service manager for Linux, responsible for initializing and managing system processes.
- systemd journal¶
A logging system that collects and organizes system logs for troubleshooting and auditing.
- Ubiquity installer¶
The default graphical installer for Ubuntu, designed to simplify OS installation.
- Ubuntu Pro¶
A subscription service from Canonical that provides extended security updates (ESM), compliance tools, and enterprise support for Ubuntu systems. A Pro subscription is required for some features of ADSys, such as scripts execution. The subscription is free for up to five machines: get your subscription here.
- visudo¶
A command used to safely edit the sudoers file, a file which controls user permissions for executing commands with elevated privileges.
- Winbind¶
A component of Samba that allows Linux systems to authenticate users against a Windows domain. It can be used as an alternative to SSSD.
- Windows Server¶
A server-oriented edition of the Windows operating system. Includes Active Directory as a set of processes and services.