Windows Domain Networking
I have recently run into a few customers network domain issues. When their Internet goes down so does the customers’ ability to run some of their software.
The reason for this is they have set up a Windows Domain controller node. You would think that this should not make that much of a difference but how you set this up can make all the difference.
There are pros and cons to Windows Domain. If you are thinking about setting up your network in this way, you should weigh both the positives and negatives before you implement.
Here an example scenario.
There are 3 stores in a Domain. The Domain Controller is located offsite at corporate headquarters. All stores have a connection to headquarters via the Internet and VPN.
As long as there is an Internet connection networking is functional. When the Internet goes down, at either the stores or at corporate, the networking problems start.
A Windows Domain requires managing user accounts, Windows Updates, security and permissions to be centralized. Being centralized, you can add, update, disable many different settings from one Server instead of going to each workstation to make these changes. In medium and large companies can be a big time saver. That’s one of the pros of having a Windows Domain. The big con in this scenario is, if the Internet goes down, the workstations now cannot authenticate to log in or resolve hostnames resulting in cascading issues. One of the biggest issues is that the workstations no longer have a way to “find” your application server on the network, so the software will not run.
There are a few different ways to approach resolving the issues mentioned above. When your connection to your Domain Controller (or Internet) is lost, you will still be able to do business and get your customers through the checkout line.
If you are thinking of setting up a Windows Domain, or are already set up in a Domain, contact the CCS Support Department to help with setting up a fallback resolution when your Domain Controller (or Internet) is inaccessible.
-Bryan