Synergetic Windows Client (SynMain) and Azure AD: Solutions for Authentication Compatibility

The Synergetic Windows client, SynMain (a FAT32 application), relies on Kerberos authentication to communicate with on-premises domain controllers (DC). However, when end-user devices are Azure AD-joined, the SynMain client doesn’t function as expected. This is because Azure AD does not natively support Kerberos authentication.

Below are the alternative solutions that can be implemented:

1. Hybrid Azure AD Join (Recommended)

• This solution allows laptops to be both domain-joined and Azure AD-joined.

• Laptops can authenticate against on-premises Active Directory (AD) while also registering with Azure AD for cloud services.

• In this scenario, the SynMain client continues to use domain credentials for authentication via the on-prem AD, ensuring that the application works as expected.

2. Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS) in Azure

• You can set up an Azure Virtual Machine running ADDS, which acts as a domain controller in the cloud.

• This extends your on-premises AD infrastructure to Azure, allowing devices to authenticate with this domain controller.

• By doing this, you maintain the traditional Windows authentication required by the FAT32 application while taking advantage of Azure AD’s cloud services.

3. Remote Access

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3. or Virtualization

• If modifying the environment is not feasible, consider deploying the FAT32 application on a virtual machine (VM) that remains domain-joined.

• Users can then access this VM through Remote Desktop or a similar solution, ensuring the application functions as it would in an on-prem domain-joined environment.

Troubleshooting

TBC