What is the Diffrence between Domain and Workgroup?

Answer 1

A domain will allow you to control the Environment from a centralized point. All the information related to the domain (Users, passwords, groups, contacts, printers, comnputers,etc etc) will be saved in a Domain Controller. This domain controller will provide the informations to the Client computers whenever its needed. You can have more fine controles and restrictions on our network if we are using a Domain.

In the case of a workgroup, each system is having individual database of all objects (users, computers, groups, etc). So the administrator has to go to each computer for managing the network. No centralised administration is possible.

If you have a domain, you can link your domain objects with other applications (like Exchange Server for messaging, SMS Servers, etc)

Answer 2

A Windows Domain is centrally controlled by one or more Windows Server (NT/2000/2003) domain controllers using Active Directory. All users will have accounts in the Windows Domain in Active Directory, as setup by the Domain Administrator. Instead of logging into the local machine, a user sitting at a local machine would instead have the username and password checked against the information in the domain. This centralization makes administration much easier, sharing resources easier, etc.

A workgroup is the old Windows 3.11 way of doing things, although it still works with later versions of Windows. Instead of centralized control with a domain controller, each PC can offer to share resources or not, and then access resources on other PCs. There's typically no central server in a workgroup, although it is possible that everyone is sharing resources from just one PC. It's harder to authenticate users in a workgroup (all one has to do is set the workgroup name on their PC on the same network and they're in your workgroup) and somewhat more difficult to administer, but it's much cheaper in that it doesn't require a server operating system or computer.

Editted to add: Without changing my original post, I have to concede to Andy that the Domain concept was around before Active Directory... and even, in a different form, before Windows NT (when you consider earlier versions of Novell centralized services, for instance).

In today's real world, when someone talks about a Windows domain, they're more than likely talking about Active Directory. It is wrong to assume that a Windows domain has to be Windows NT; it can be run on NT, 2000 or 2003. I do stand corrected on my portion of the history lessons, but stand behind my 'present day' original answer, and throw in some other aspects to complete the history lesson on domain administration (since "windows" was never specified in the original question).

Answer 3

An easy way to put it is the company is the domain and the seperate departments are work groups. Workgroups can be seperated out of the domain for sharing of data, printers etc. A domain usually is used for an Interface with the INTERnet and normally connect through a WAN. A workgroup is an interface with the INTRAnet and normally connected through a LAN.

Answer 4

A domain is a larger fully organized network that is centralized with (hopefully so in Microsoft's way) Windows NT Server Edition. The centralized machine is called Primary Domain Controller, backup machine optional/BDC, last I know that Linux's Samba Suite can turn into a mode that tricks everyone that it is a PDC managing Windows NT accounts; and some piracy trick to turn an NT Workstation Edition into Server Edition and do PDC that way.

Workgroup has no PDC or central in any form. BTW: PDC usually takes care of Windows login accounts; previous post must be by a relatively new sysop that think Active Directory is integral to PDC; Windows Domainized network precedes AD by nearly a decade ever since NT was born.

Answer 5

a woekgroup is just a network of computers, while a domain is a network with a domain controller. users log on to the network, so u can log on to every computer on the network even if u dont have an account on it.

Answer 6

Domain is a large area of network as like can't limitation of user and wrok. and store the all data centraly base.
Workgoup is a small area of network but can't store centraly data and limitation of user and group.