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Systems & Data Center · Advanced

Group Managed Service Account (gMSA)

An AD account for services whose complex password is automatically managed and rotated by domain controllers and usable on multiple servers.

Definition

gMSAs require a KDS root key and let authorized hosts retrieve the password, eliminating manual service-account password management. Standalone MSAs work on a single server.

Example

New-ADServiceAccount -Name svcWeb -DNSHostName svcWeb.corp.local -PrincipalsAllowedToRetrieveManagedPassword WebServers

Exam tip

Choose gMSA when a service runs on multiple servers, such as a farm or cluster, and needs automatic password rotation.

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