Workgroup vs Domain: Understanding Network Architecture Fundamentals
Network architecture decisions significantly impact organizational efficiency, security, and scalability. Understanding the fundamental distinctions between workgroup and domain configurations enables informed infrastructure planning and implementation strategies for modern IT environments. Workgroup Architecture Fundamentals Workgroup configurations represent peer-to-peer network architectures where each computer maintains independent user accounts and security policies. In workgroup environments, no centralized authentication server exists, requiring local account management on each participating system. Each workgroup computer maintains its own Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database, storing local user accounts, passwords, and security identifiers. This decentralized approach requires administrators to create and maintain separate user accounts on each system where access is required. Resource sharing in workgroups relies on local permissions and share-level security. Users m...