Azure AD Connect

Azure AD Connect is a tool for connecting on-premises identity infrastructure to Microsoft Entra ID. The wizard deploys and configures prerequisites and components required for the connection, including synchronization scheduling and authentication methods. Azure AD Connect encompasses functionality that was previously released as Dirsync and AAD Sync. These tools are no longer being released individually, and all future improvements will be included in updates to Azure AD Connect.

Azure AD Connect synchronizes on-premises objects present in Active Directory to a corresponding Azure AD service within a Microsoft 365 tenant. Supported on-premise objects include user accounts, group memberships, and credential hashes. Synchronization can be configured to operate in two directional flow configurations. In a one-way configuration changes to an object on-premise updates the corresponding object in Azure AD. Two-way or bidirectional synchronization configurations allow for object changes to be made either on-premise or within Azure AD/Microsoft 365 and update the corresponding object on the opposite end.

Azure AD Connect GA was released to the public on 24 June 2015 and is currently on Version 2.1.16.0. On 31 August 2022 all 1.x versions of Azure AD Connect were retired. On 15 March 2023 Versions 2.0.3.0 through 2.0.91.0 will be retired.

The current release offers the following high level options:

Dirsync Upgrade
Organizations with an existing Dirsync deployment can upgrade in place (for directories with less than 50,000 objects) or otherwise migrate their Dirsync settings to Azure AD Connect.

Express Settings
Express Settings is the default option and deploys sync with the password hash sync option for a single-domain, single-forest on-premise Active Directory domain. This allows for authentication and authorization to resources in Azure/Microsoft 365 based on Active Directory passwords.

Custom Settings
With custom settings, the administrator can connect one or multiple Active Directory domains and forests and choose between password hash sync, pass-through authentication, and Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) for authentication. Custom settings also allows the administrator to choose sync options such as password reset write back and Exchange hybrid deployments.

What it does
When an administrator installs and runs the Azure AD connect wizard, it performs the following steps:


 * 1) Installs pre-requisites like the .NET Framework, Azure Active Directory Powershell Module and Microsoft Online Services Sign-In Assistant
 * 2) Installs and configures the sync component (formerly named AAD Sync), for one or multiple Active Directory forests, and enables synchronization in the Azure AD tenant
 * 3) Configures either password hash sync or AD FS with Web Application proxy, depending on which authentication option the administrator has chosen, and including any required configuration in Azure

Use with PowerShell
The Azure AD PowerShell module allows administrators granular control over synchronization behaviors. To begin working with the Azure AD PowerShell module it must be imported: To manually run a synchronization with current configurations: To retrieve current synchronization schedule settings: To change the current synchronization schedule settings: