Active Directory Integration for Serv-U MFT Server

Name: Active Directory Integration for Serv-U MFT Server
Uploaded: 2026-06-14T13:06:16-04:00
Duration: 2 min 51 s
Description: TL;DR Serv-U MFT Server integrates natively with Windows Active Directory, allowing users to authenticate with their existing AD credentials instead of separate Serv-U accounts. The Windows User Group feature enables administrators to configure setting...

Solarwinds

06/14/2026

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Transcript

This lets you leverage Active Directory authentication for user logon instead of authenticating against regular Serv-U user credentials or those stored in a database. Make sure Serv-U MFT Server is installed on a server that is a member of a Windows domain. You will be using this for user authentication. Go to Users, Windows Authentication, and check the option Enable Windows Authentication. By default, Serv-U uses the home directory of the client's Windows account. Sometimes, there may or may not be any home directory associated with the Windows user account. Serv-U lets you change the setting by enabling this option. Optionally, enter the Windows domain name in the field below and hit Save. When an Active Directory user logs into Serv-U, entering the Windows account username and password is sufficient. If the user is already logged into their Windows account, these credentials will be passed through for Serv-U authentication. Serv-U allows you to configure all Windows users in a group instead of configuring individual user accounts. All settings configured in this group are inherited by its members and can be used to change properties such as IP access rules, bandwidth limitations, or additional directory access rules. By default, Windows and Active Directory user accounts do not require any directory access rules to be configured. This is because Serv-U applies the NTFS permissions of the user accounts. This eliminates the need for administrators to configure permissions beyond those already defined on the network, saving time and documentation efforts. However, for greater control, home directories and permissions can be manually configured and overridden in the Windows User Group Configuration page. Serv-U MFT Server permits logon with multiple Active Directory or Windows accounts, as long as all these accounts are part of the same AD environment where Serv-U is installed. For this to work, leave the Windows Domain Name field blank in the Windows Authentication settings. Users must login with their full user principal name, which is typically username at domainname.com. There must be a trust between all domains which the Serv-U MFT Server will authenticate. For all users who are part of the Windows User Group, you can easily create a virtual path and share folders. Click on the Configure Windows User Group button and select the Virtual Paths tab. Now add a physical path and a virtual path name. When users login, their home directory will contain a shortcut to C-Shared Files, named Company Files. This will be visible to all users who belong to this Windows User Group. Using the Organizational Unit Group settings, you can create additional Windows subgroups to assign different permissions and settings. First, you have to map your OU tree in the Domain Controller to the Windows User Group in Serv-U. The Add and Add Child buttons will then help you easily create user groups. Now you can edit and apply permissions to each of these subgroups representing OUs in the Active Directory.

TL;DR

Serv-U MFT Server integrates natively with Windows Active Directory, allowing users to authenticate with their existing AD credentials instead of separate Serv-U accounts.
The Windows User Group feature enables administrators to configure settings and permissions at the group level, which are automatically inherited by all member accounts.
NTFS permissions from Active Directory user accounts are automatically applied in Serv-U, eliminating the need to duplicate permission configurations and reducing administrative overhead.

Summary

This tutorial demonstrates how to configure native Active Directory integration in SolarWinds Serv-U Managed File Transfer Server. The video walks through enabling Windows authentication to allow users to log in with their existing AD credentials instead of separate Serv-U accounts. Key configuration steps include setting up the Windows User Group, managing NTFS permissions inheritance, and creating virtual paths for shared resources. The demonstration also covers advanced scenarios such as multi-domain authentication using user principal names and organizational unit mapping for granular permission control. By leveraging existing Active Directory infrastructure, administrators can eliminate duplicate credential management and apply consistent access policies across their file transfer environment.

Chapters

0:00 - Active Directory Integration Overview
0:22 - Enabling Windows Authentication
0:56 - Configuring Windows User Groups
1:37 - Multi-Domain Authentication Setup
2:03 - Virtual Paths and Shared Folders
2:28 - Organizational Unit Group Mapping

Key Quotes

1:17 "This is because Serv-U applies the NTFS permissions of the user accounts."
1:22 "This eliminates the need for administrators to configure permissions beyond those already defined on the network, saving time and documentation efforts."
1:58 "There must be a trust between all domains which the Serv-U MFT Server will authenticate."

FAQ

Does Serv-U require the server to be domain-joined for Active Directory integration?

Yes, the Serv-U MFT Server must be installed on a server that is a member of the Windows domain you will be using for user authentication.

Can users from multiple Active Directory domains log into the same Serv-U server?

Yes, Serv-U supports logon with multiple Active Directory or Windows accounts as long as all accounts are part of the same AD environment where Serv-U is installed and there is trust between all domains. Users must login with their full user principal name (username@domainname.com).

Categories:

» Data Protection » Backup & Recovery
» Data Protection

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TL;DR

Summary

Chapters

Key Quotes

FAQ

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