AWS Directory Service and AWS Organizations

AWS Directory Service for Microsoft Active Directory, or AWS Managed Microsoft AD, lets you run Microsoft Active Directory (AD) as a managed service. AWS Directory Service makes it easy to set up and run directories in the AWS Cloud or connect your AWS resources with an existing on-premises Microsoft Active Directory. AWS Managed Microsoft AD also integrates tightly with AWS Organizations to allow seamless directory sharing across multiple AWS accounts and any VPC in a Region. For more information, see the AWS Directory Service Administration Guide.

Use the following information to help you integrate AWS Directory Service with AWS Organizations.

Enabling trusted access with AWS Directory Service

For information about the permissions needed to enable trusted access, see Permissions required to enable trusted access.

You can enable trusted access using either the AWS Directory Service console or the AWS Organizations console.

Important

We strongly recommend that whenever possible, you use the AWS Directory Service console or tools to enable integration with Organizations. This lets AWS Directory Service perform any configuration that it requires, such as creating resources needed by the service. Proceed with these steps only if you can’t enable integration using the tools provided by AWS Directory Service. For more information, see this note.

If you enable trusted access by using the AWS Directory Service console or tools then you don’t need to complete these steps.

To enable trusted access using the AWS Directory Service console

To share a directory, which automatically enables trusted access, see Share Your Directory in the AWS Directory Service Administration Guide. For step-by-step instructions, see Tutorial: Sharing Your AWS Managed Microsoft AD Directory.

You can enable trusted access by using the AWS Organizations console.

AWS Management Console

To enable trusted service access using the Organizations console

1. Sign in to the AWS Organizations console. You must sign in as an IAM user, assume an IAM role, or sign in as the root user (not recommended) in the organization’s management account.

2. In the navigation pane, choose Services.

3. Choose AWS Directory Service in the list of services.

4. Choose Enable trusted access.

5. In the Enable trusted access for AWS Directory Service dialog box, type enable to confirm it, and then choose Enable trusted access.

6. If you are the administrator of only AWS Organizations, tell the administrator of AWS Directory Service that they can now enable that service to work with AWS Organizations from the service console .

Disabling trusted access with AWS Directory Service

For information about the permissions needed to disable trusted access, see Permissions required to disable trusted access.

If you disable trusted access using AWS Organizations while you are using AWS Directory Service, all previously shared directories continue to operate as normal. However, you can no longer share new directories within the organization until you enable trusted access again.

You can only disable trusted access using the Organizations tools.

You can disable trusted access by using the AWS Organizations console.

AWS Management Console

To disable trusted service access using the Organizations console

1. Sign in to the AWS Organizations console. You must sign in as an IAM user, assume an IAM role, or sign in as the root user (not recommended) in the organization’s management account.

2. In the navigation pane, choose Services.

3. Choose AWS Directory Service in the list of services.

4. Choose Disable trusted access.

5. In the Disable trusted access for AWS Directory Service dialog box, type disable to confirm, and then choose Disable trusted access.

6. If you are the administrator of only AWS Organizations, tell the administrator of AWS Directory Service that they can now disable that service from working with AWS Organizations using tthe service console or tools;.