TABLE OF CONTENTS A Windows Server 2003 domain is group of networked computers that share a common Active Directory database, and a common namespace. You can think of a domain as a limited boundary of network security and administrative control. A namespace is a hierarchical collection of service and object names, typically stored within DNS and Active Directory.
There are some similarities between the Active Directory namespace and the DNS namespace, both of which are required by Windows Server 2003. For example, the name of an Active Directory tree is derived from the DNS name of the tree root, which means that both namespaces share the same root. When you rename the root domain, you must automatically rename all child domains in the tree to match; hence, all levels of both namespace hierarchies. The Active Directory and DNS namespaces, by Microsoft definition, must have the same name. Exceptions do exist, however, such as during a domain rename procedure.
Among the differences in the two namespaces is the ability of DNS to split a domain name into two separate zones. In split-DNS, one zone typically provides name resolution for resources outside the firewall, while the other zone provides name resolution for the inside. Inside users can locate and use external resources. An Active Directory domain cannot be split in the same way and continue to fully interoperate.
Another difference...
