| Primary domain controller (PDC) and backup domain controller
(BDC) are roles that can be assigned to a server in a network of computers
that use the Windows NT operating system. Windows NT uses the idea of a
domain to manage access to a set of network resources (applications, printers,
and so forth) for a group of users. The user need only to log in to the
domain to gain access to the resources, which may be located on a number
of different servers in the network. One server, known as the primary domain
controller, manages the master user database for the domain. One or more
other servers are designated as backup domain controllers. The primary domain
controller periodically sends copies of the database to the backup domain
controllers. A backup domain controller can step in as primary domain controller
if the PDC server fails and can also help balance the workload if the network
is busy enough.
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