User:JenField/sandbox

Azure AD Connect is a tool and guided experience for connecting on premises identity infrastructure to Microsoft Azure AD. The wizard deploys and configures pre-requisites and components required for the connection, including sync and sign on. Azure AD Connect encompasses functionality that was previously released as Dirsync and AAD Sync. These tools are longer being released individually, and all future improvements will be included in updates to Azure AD Connect.

Azure AD Connect Public Preview 1 was released to the public on 15 December 2014 and offers the following options:

Express Settings

Express Settings is the default option and deploys sync with the password hash sync option for a single forest. This allows sign on to cloud resources based on Active Directory passwords.

Custom Settings

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

Once the administrator chooses a solution based on the organization's requirements, the wizard performs the following steps:

1) Downloads and 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 sync in the Azure AD tenant

3) Configures either password hash sync or AD FS with Web Application proxy, depending on which sign-on option the administrator has chosen, and including any required configuration in Azure