Highlights

Windows NT Distributed Security Services has many new features to simplify domain administration, improve performance, and integrate Internet security technology based on public-key cryptography. The highlights of the Windows NT Distributed Security Services Technology preview include:

• Integration with the next generation Windows NT Server Directory Services to provide scalable, flexible account management for large domains, with fine-grain access control and delegation of administration.
• Kerberos Version 5 authentication protocol, a mature Internet security standard, is implemented as the default protocol for network authentication and provides a foundation for authentication interoperability.
• Strong authentication using public-key certificates, secure channels based on Secure Sockets Layer version 3.0, and CryptoAPI version 2.0 deliver industry-standard protocols for data integrity and privacy across public networks.

This White Paper describes the Windows Nt Distributed Security Services Technology preview that provides features to support the demands of the Internet-based Enterprise. Most of the material described here is scheduled to be delivered in the next release of Windows NT to follow after Windows NT version 4.0. These features are not currently available in Windows NT 4.0, except where noted.