PCSC

Active Directory

What is Active Directory?

Active Directory (AD) is Microsoft's network directory service, a centralized system that simplifies management of user accounts and computing resources. At Boston University, AD allows people to use BU login names and Kerberos passwords to log in to Windows PCs in some departments.

Please select your operating system to view the appropriate instructions:

Windows 2000 or Windows XP

Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME

Mac OS X

Mac OS 8.5-9.2.2

Accessing AD resources remotely

If you find that you cannot access an Active Directory resource when you are not directly connected to the BU network, it could mean that you first need to connect to the VPN. Do that as described at www.bu.edu/pcsc/vpn/. Even if you are connected wirelessly via 802.1x, you could still need to launch the VPN in order to use AD resources.

Accessing resources from a computer outside of AD

As Active Directory becomes more pervasive at Boston University, we anticipate that individuals will experience an increasing need to access AD-based resources from computers that have not been integrated into AD. The purpose of these pages is to illustrate how one can access such resources from such a computer, be it in an office, residence hall, or even off campus. The primary resource described here is a file share.

Additional Active Directory information for faculty and staff

Faculty and staff who would like more information about Active Directory at Boston University may be interested in these additional pages about the University-wide Active Directory infrastructure. FACULTY/STAFF ONLY