DC
Domain Controller - A server that responds to security authentication requests (logging in, checking permissions) within a Windows Active Directory domain. Modern best practices often involve running these as VMs rather than on physical hardware.
VM
Virtual Machine - A software-based emulation of a physical computer that provides an isolated environment for testing, running, or analyzing, preventing threats from affecting the host system.
FDQN
Fully Qualified Domain Name - is the complete, unambiguous address of a device or resource on the internet or a private network (e.g., server1.example.com). It includes the hostname, subdomain, domain name, and top-level domain (TLD), enabling precise identification in DNS. In cybersecurity, FQDNs are used for secure access control, SSL/TLS certificate validation, firewall whitelisting, and defending against DNS spoofing.
Components Example (webserver.marketing.example.com):
Host: webserver
Subdomain: marketing
Domain: example
TLD (top-level domain): com
