DynamicGroup 2020.1 – Service Update and Group Managed Service Accounts
FirstWare DynamicGroup 2020.1 update released. The update further improves automatic group memberships in Active Directory. With version 2020.1, the DynamicGroup service is further stabilized. In addition, it is easier to use Group Managed Service accounts for the service.
Index
Service update and Group Managed Service Accounts
Service update
The new version brings updates for the DynamicGroup console (GUI) and the DynamicGroup service. The service has been further revised and now offers a higher level of fail-safety. In addition to the existing possibility to implement the service redundantly on several servers, the update also ensures the restart of the individual services in case of unforeseeable failures. This gives more security e.g. for automatic department groups. The update informs that the service components are also updated and asks for confirmation during installation.
Service with gMSA
The service can also be installed via Group Managed Service Account (gMSA). This means that three paths are now available:
- Local System
- Service User and
- Group Managed Servcie Account
To use a Group Managed Service account, enter the account name manually in the follwing format: Domain\gmsa$. The input is checked by DG. A detailed explanation can be found in the documentation. (Basics about gSMA e.g. at Microsoft and Rebeladmin).
Log analysis
The event log report has been revised. The log can be evaluated via PowerShell script to track changes to group settings. This allows you to find and restore old settings.
A detailed explanation on ‘How to search the event log for group changes using PowerShell’ can be found in the documentation. It may happen that changed group settings turn out to be impractical/wrong. In this case you need them to be rolled back. This is why being able to look up the old settings in the log became important for many customers. The setting is often checked when filters for AD security groups are changed. Here, IT security often requires complete traceability.
Others
Minor bugfixes were fixed. Installer and install wizards received adjustments.
The current DynamicGroup 2020.1 version is now available for download.