So, I got this task to set up a “trusty relationship” between two domains. Honestly, I wasn’t even 100% sure what that meant at first. Sounded kinda formal and complicated, you know?
First thing I did was hit up Google, obviously. I needed to figure out the basic idea. Turns out, it’s all about letting users from one domain access resources in another domain, like they’re all part of one big, happy family. Okay, I can work with that.
Digging into the Details
Next, I needed a plan. I found some Microsoft documentation, but it was, well, very Microsoft-y. Lots of jargon, not a lot of “do this, then do that.” So, I started piecing together my own steps based on what I read and what made sense to me.
- Step 1: DNS is King. I knew both domains needed to be able to find each other. So I made double, triple sure that my DNS servers were set up correctly. I added the necessary forward lookup zones and made sure each domain could ping the other by its full name. No shortcuts here!
- Step 2: Firewalls, My Old Nemesis. Gotta make sure the firewalls weren’t blocking the party. I opened up the necessary ports between the domain controllers. I won’t bore you with the port numbers, but let’s just say I spent a good chunk of time checking and double-checking those settings.
- Step 3: Time to Get “Trusty”. This is where the actual “trust” part happened. On one of the domain controllers, I went into the “Active Directory Domains and Trusts” tool (which, by the way, sounds way more intimidating than it actually is). I right-clicked on my domain, went to “Properties,” and then the “Trusts” tab.
- Step 4: New Trust Wizard. I clicked on “New Trust” and that started a little wizard. It asked me for the name of the other domain. Typed that in, making sure I got the spelling exactly right.
- Step 5: Trust Type. Then it asked me what kind of trust I wanted. I went with a “two-way” trust, which means users from both domains can access each other’s stuff. There were other options, like “one-way,” but two-way seemed like the best fit for my situation.
- Step 6: Trust Password Set a complex password.
- Step 7: Sides of the Trust. The wizard asked me if I wanted to create the trust on both sides. I chose to do it from just one side, figuring I could always go back and do the other side later if needed. Less clicking, you know?
- Step 8: Outgoing Trust Authentication. I chose “Domain-wide authentication,” meaning users from the other domain would automatically be trusted. There was a “Selective authentication” option, but that sounded like more work, and I was aiming for simplicity.
- Step 9: Confirm and Finish. Finally, the wizard showed me a summary of everything I was about to do. I looked it over, took a deep breath, and clicked “Finish.”
The Moment of Truth
After the wizard did its thing, I held my breath. I went to a computer in one domain and tried to access a shared folder in the other domain. And… it worked! I saw the folder, I could open files, it was beautiful. I felt like a networking wizard myself.
Then, I did the same thing from the other domain, just to be sure. And yep, it worked there too. Success! It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. Just a matter of taking it step by step and making sure the basics (like DNS and firewalls) are solid. I’ve definitely learned the value to setting up my own practice environment.
