Top 10 Active Directory Interview Questions and Answers [Updated 2024]

Sample Answer
Group Policy Objects, or GPOs, are a feature of Windows Server using which admins can manage policies for users and computers in an organization. GPOs allow admins to control a broad range of settings like security settings, software installation, and script execution, among others.

For instance, an admin could use a GPO to enforce a certain Wallpaper on all computers within a particular organizational unit (OU). This GPO would then propagate to all computers within that OU upon their next refresh cycle. Similarly, GPOs can be used to enforce password policies, user permissions and many other settings.

Sample Answer
An Organizational Unit (OU) in Active Directory is a container that can contain users, groups, computers, and other OUs. They are used to create a hierarchy within an AD environment, allowing for easier management and delegation of administrative tasks. For example, an organization might create separate OUs for different departments, such as HR, IT, and Finance. This way, permissions and policies can be applied at the OU level, affecting all objects contained within. Also, specific administrative tasks can be delegated to appropriate personnel within each OU, improving security and efficiency.

Sample Answer
Delegation of control in Active Directory involves giving a user or group the permissions necessary to perform certain tasks. This allows administrators to delegate tasks to other users or teams, reducing the workload of the administrator and improving efficiency. The process involves right-clicking on the object you want to delegate control over, whether that’s an organizational unit, a user, or a group, and then selecting ‘Delegate Control’. From there, you can select the user or group to delegate to and the tasks you want to delegate. It’s important to only delegate the necessary tasks to maintain as tight a security stance as possible. In my previous role, I regularly used delegation of control to assign tasks to our junior administrators and helpdesk team, which helped us manage our workload more effectively.

Sample Answer
Active Directory replication is a process that copies changes made on one Domain Controller to others within the network. It’s crucial for ensuring consistency and updated availability of directory data across all controllers. When an object is created, modified, or deleted, the changes are stored in a unit called a Replication Unit. These units are then replicated to all other Domain Controllers in the network. The changes are tracked through Update Sequence Numbers (USNs) and the process is controlled by the Knowledge Consistency Checker (KCC). The KCC generates a replication topology based on the site link costs, ensuring an efficient replication process.

Sample Answer
To install and configure Active Directory, the first step is to install the Domain Services role on your server through the ‘Add Roles and Features’ wizard. After this, you promote your server to a Domain Controller, during which you will choose your forest and domain functional level, and create the AD DS database, log files and SYSVOL folder. The final step is to confirm the options you’ve chosen, install, and reboot the server. Once the server is back up, you can confirm the installation through the ‘Active Directory Users and Computers’ snap-in.

Sample Answer
Sure. First, to recover a deleted object, the Active Directory Recycle Bin feature must be enabled. This is done via the Active Directory module for PowerShell or the Active Directory Administrative Center. Once the feature is enabled, it cannot be disabled and it does not impact the performance of the system. After a deletion, the object moves to a ‘Deleted’ state, but it maintains all its attributes and can be restored to the same consistent logical state. To recover the object, you can use the ‘Restore’ option in the context menu in the Active Directory Administrative Center, or use the ‘Restore-ADObject’ cmdlet in PowerShell for the same. It’s important to note that the recycle bin only holds the deleted objects for a certain period, defined by the tombstone lifetime, and objects are permanently deleted after that.

Sample Answer
A trust relationship in Active Directory is a link between two domains that allows for authenticated communication. Essentially, it allows users in one domain to be authenticated by a domain controller in another domain. This is particularly important in large organizations with multiple domains or forests, as it allows for secure and efficient access to resources across these domains. For example, if an organization has separate domains for its sales and marketing departments, a trust relationship would allow a sales employee to access resources in the marketing domain without requiring separate authentication.

Sample Answer
To create a new user account in Active Directory, you would first access the ‘Active Directory Users and Computers’ snap-in. You would then navigate to the appropriate container, for example, an Organizational Unit, right-click on it, and select ‘New User’. After filling in the necessary details like the user’s name, logon name, and password, you would click ‘Next’ and then ‘Finish’ to complete the process. Once the user account is created, you can manage it by right-clicking on the user’s name in the snap-in. This allows you to reset the user’s password, disable or enable the account, move the account to a different Organizational Unit, or manage the user’s group memberships.

Sample Answer
Active Directory heavily relies on DNS for name resolution and service location. DNS is crucial in allowing clients to locate domain controllers, which are pivotal for user login and authentication, Group Policy application, and other services. DNS stores several types of records, including SRV records, which are used by AD to locate services across the network. Moreover, DNS zones and Active Directory domains are usually integrated, meaning that changes in the AD domain, such as the addition or removal of domain controllers, are automatically updated in the DNS zone. This integration ensures the smooth operation and synchronization of services in a network environment.

Sample Answer
In Active Directory, cloning is a process of creating an exact copy of an object, like a user or a computer. A full clone is a complete copy of the original object, containing all the attributes and properties of the original. This is useful when you want to create a new object that is very similar to an existing one, but it consumes more storage and processing resources. On the other hand, a linked clone is a copy of an object that maintains a link to the original. This means that changes made to the original object are reflected in the clone, which can be useful for maintaining consistency across multiple objects. However, linked clones can be affected by changes to the original object, which could be a drawback in some situations.