# Samba Active Directory

**Can you run Active Directory without Windows Server?**

Yes. Samba can provide an Active Directory domain on Linux that Windows PCs join like a Windows Server. User management, group policies and DNS work as usual, without Windows Server or CAL licences.

Samba is a long-running open source project. As a domain controller it speaks Kerberos, LDAP, DNS and group policy distribution, managed with the usual Microsoft tools.

Limits apply to products that strictly require Windows Server, such as on-prem Exchange. An assessment before switching clarifies which applications are affected.

For resilience at least two domain controllers run and replicate with each other.

## Related terms
- [Permission model and least privilege](https://vetosec.at/en/it-security/berechtigungskonzept/)
- [Hardening](https://vetosec.at/en/it-security/haertung/)
- [Single sign-on](https://vetosec.at/en/it-security/single-sign-on/)

## Source
https://vetosec.at/en/it-security/samba-active-directory/ (vetosec, grundlagen)