Overview

Just like a telephone directory (which typically stores names, phone numbers, and addresses) active directory stores information about organizations, users, sites, and any other network objects - and the attributes about those objects -  that an organization might wish to track. 

Features

Active Directory is the means by which users and groups are given varying levels of permissions.  It's also the way that networked printers, for instance, are made available to campus users.  

Designed For

Active directory is designed to give system administrators an efficient and precise means of managing objects within the organization's network(s).  

Getting Started

End users are not likely to interact directly with SPU's Active Directory.  However, a user who one day is in a specific group might the next day not be a member of that group if a required attribute changes.  For instance, an employee who terminates would lose employee-only computing privileges the day after the "employee" attribute is removed.  If you encounter a problem with a computer resource, it's possible the problem is related to Active Directory.  Please contact the Help Desk at help@spu.edu, (206) 281-2982, or submit a help ticket via the web.

Support

A handful of users across campus will have permission to view or edit Active Directory settings, via the Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) tool box. These are typically group membership managers, and they can grant permission for users to access department documents, SharePoint sites, distribution lists, multi-function printers, etc.  Contact CIS if you have questions about this.  

Administration and Maintenance

CIS maintains the SPU Active Directory.