Windows Server 2003 Security: A Technical Reference

Logon Process

To access most resources on Windows computers based on NT technologies, a user must know a valid account name in the account database of the computer or domain and the password for that account. Then she must use this information to log on. Users are not the only security principals (objects that can be granted rights and permissions on Windows systems). In a Windows domain, those computers (Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, and Windows Server 2003) that can become domain members are also considered security principals and, like users, must be provided a domain computer account.

Both users and computers use the logon process to authenticate. The details of the logon process may vary based on operating systems, ...