1.1.1.4 Groups

A group is a collection of user accounts, computer accounts, and other groups, all of which are called group members. A group has a name and an identifier. Group membership can either be specified in Active Directory or be local to a particular computer.

Except on Windows NT operating system and Windows 2000 Server operating system, all applicable Windows Server releases have several built-in security groups that are preconfigured with the appropriate rights and permissions to perform specific tasks. Starting with Windows 2000 operating system, Windows provides two types of groups:

Security groups: These groups contain members and can be granted permissions to control access to network resources. Security groups can contain users, other groups, and even computers.

Distribution groups: These groups are used for nonsecurity functions, such as grouping users together to send email messages. Unlike security groups, these groups cannot be used to control access to network resources.