Does Azure AD connect only apply to on-prem domain controllers and not cloud based domain controllers? I currently have Active Directory Domain Services on a VM and I'm looking to sync up the users to our Azure Active Directory.

An "on-prem domain controller" and a "cloud based domain controller" as you have described them are the same thing, except that one is hosted on server hardware either at a company's office or another hosting provider (e.g.: a co-located datacenter), whereas the "cloud based domain controller" is hosted on server/compute hardware provided by Azure IaaS (Infrastructrure-as-a-Service). It's the same server operating systems, same Windows Server Active Directory, etc. AAD Connect will work exactly the same in either case.

Azure AD Connect only work with on-prem domain controller?

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Danny Zollner 10,056 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2022-03-28T19:17:05.227+00:00

An "on-prem domain controller" and a "cloud based domain controller" as you have described them are the same thing, except that one is hosted on server hardware either at a company's office or another hosting provider (e.g.: a co-located datacenter), whereas the "cloud based domain controller" is hosted on server/compute hardware provided by Azure IaaS (Infrastructrure-as-a-Service). It's the same server operating systems, same Windows Server Active Directory, etc. AAD Connect will work exactly the same in either case.
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Yim, Sam 126 Reputation points

2022-03-28T19:45:43.81+00:00

gotcha, thanks! follow up question, does AAD Connect need to be installed on a separate VM or can it be installed on the same VM as the domain controller? Or is it mainly just preference?

Danny Zollner 10,056 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2022-03-28T19:47:40+00:00

It's supported to install it on a domain controller but in instances where you need to troubleshoot, upgrade, reinstall, etc, having them separated has a lot of benefits. Having to reboot a domain controller to reinstall AAD Connect, for instance, adds more logistical considerations than if it were on a standalone server.

Yim, Sam 126 Reputation points

2022-03-28T20:09:15.13+00:00

understood! I think we were thinking towards putting it in its own server. lastly, do you by any chance have any links or know where I can get started on how to get AAD Connect pre-installed on the server using DSC?

Danny Zollner 10,056 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2022-03-28T20:10:46.433+00:00

I'm not sure what DSC is (my knowledge is really limited in some areas...) but AAD Connect doesn't support silent/command line installations, so the answer there is probably that you can't and will need to download/run the installer.
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Azure AD Connect only work with on-prem domain controller?

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