# IAM Identity Center configurable AD sync IAM Identity Center configurable Active Directory (AD) sync enables you to explicitly configure the identities in Microsoft Active Directory that are automatically synchronized into IAM Identity Center and control the synchronization process. + With this sync method, you can do the following: + Control data boundaries by explicitly defining the users and groups in Microsoft Active Directory that are automatically synchronized into IAM Identity Center. You can [add users and groups](manage-sync-add-users-groups-configurable-ADsync.md) or [remove users and groups](manage-sync-remove-users-groups-configurable-ADsync.md) to change the scope of the sync at any time. + Assign synchronized users and groups single sign-on [access to AWS accounts](useraccess.md) or [access to applications](assignuserstoapp.md). The applications can be AWS managed applications or customer managed applications. + Control the synchronization process by [pausing and resuming the sync](manage-sync-pause-resume-sync-configurable-ADsync.md) as needed. This helps you regulate the load on production systems. ## Prerequisites and considerations Before you use configurable AD sync, be aware of the following prerequisites and considerations: + **Specifying users and groups in Active Directory to sync** Before you can use IAM Identity Center to assign new users and groups access to AWS accounts and to AWS managed applications or customer managed applications, you must specify the users and groups in Active Directory to sync, and then sync them into IAM Identity Center. + **Configurable AD sync** – IAM Identity Center doesn't search your domain controller directly for users and groups. Instead, you must first specify the list of users and groups to sync. You can configure this list, also known as the *sync scope*, in one of the following ways, depending on whether you have users and groups that are already synced into IAM Identity Center, or you have new users and groups that you are syncing for the first time by using configurable AD sync. + Existing users and groups: If you have users and groups that are already synced into IAM Identity Center, the sync scope in configurable AD sync is prepopulated with a list of those users and groups. To assign new users or groups, you must specifically add them to the sync scope. For more information, see [Add users and groups to your sync scope](manage-sync-add-users-groups-configurable-ADsync.md). + New users and groups: If you want to assign new users and groups access to AWS accounts and to applications, you must specify which users and groups to add to the sync scope in configurable AD sync before you can use IAM Identity Center to make the assignment. For more information, see [Add users and groups to your sync scope](manage-sync-add-users-groups-configurable-ADsync.md). + **Making assignments to nested groups in Active Directory** Groups that are members of other groups are called *nested groups* (or child groups). + **Configurable AD sync** – Using configurable AD sync to make assignments to a group in Active Directory that contains nested groups might increase the scope of users who have access to AWS accounts or to applications. In this case, the assignment applies to all users, including those in nested groups. For example, if you assign access to Group A, and Group B is a member of Group A, members of Group B also inherit this access. + **Updating automated workflows** If you have automated workflows that use the IAM Identity Center identity store API actions and IAM Identity Center assignment API actions to assign new users and groups access to accounts and to applications, and to sync them into IAM Identity Center, you must adjust those workflows by April 15, 2022 so that they function as expected with configurable AD sync. Configurable AD sync changes the order in which user and group assignment and provisioning occur, and the way in which queries are performed. + **Configurable AD sync** – Provisioning occurs first, and it is not automatically performed. Instead, you must first explicitly add users and groups to the identity store by adding them to your sync scope. For information about the recommended steps for automating your sync configuration for configurable AD sync, see [Automate your sync configuration for configurable AD sync](automate-sync-configuration-configurable-ADsync.md). **Topics** + [ ## Prerequisites and considerations ](#prerequisites-configurable-ADsync) + [ # How configurable AD sync works ](how-it-works-configurable-ADsync.md) + [ # Configure attribute mappings for your sync ](manage-sync-configure-attribute-mapping-configurable-ADsync.md) + [ # First-time Active Directory to IAM Identity Center sync setup ](manage-sync-configurable-ADsync.md) + [ # Add users and groups to your sync scope ](manage-sync-add-users-groups-configurable-ADsync.md) + [ # Remove users and groups from your sync scope ](manage-sync-remove-users-groups-configurable-ADsync.md) + [ # Pause and resume your sync ](manage-sync-pause-resume-sync-configurable-ADsync.md) + [ # Automate your sync configuration for configurable AD sync ](automate-sync-configuration-configurable-ADsync.md) # How configurable AD sync works IAM Identity Center refreshes the AD-based identity data in the identity store by using the following process. To learn more about the prerequisites, see [Prerequisites and considerations](provision-users-from-ad-configurable-ADsync.md#prerequisites-configurable-ADsync). ## Creation After you connect your self-managed directory in Active Directory or your AWS Managed Microsoft AD directory that is managed by Directory Service to IAM Identity Center, you can explicitly configure the Active Directory users and groups that you want to sync into the IAM Identity Center identity store. The identities that you choose will be synchronized every three hours or so into the IAM Identity Center identity store. Depending on the size of your directory, the sync process might take longer. Groups that are members of other groups (called *nested groups* or *child groups*) are also written to the identity store. You can only assign access to new users or groups after they are synchronized into the IAM Identity Center identity store. ## Update The identity data in the IAM Identity Center identity store stays fresh by periodically reading data from the source directory in Active Directory. IAM Identity Center syncs data from your Active Directory every hour in a sync cycle by default. It may take 30 minutes to 2 hours for the data to sync into IAM Identity Center, based on the size of your Active Directory. User and group objects that are in the sync scope and their memberships are created or updated in IAM Identity Center to map to the corresponding objects in the source directory in Active Directory. For user attributes, only the subset of attributes listed in the **Attributes for access control ** section of the IAM Identity Center console are updated in IAM Identity Center. It may take one sync cycle for any attribute updates you make in Active Directory to reflect in IAM Identity Center. You can also update the subset of users and groups that you synchronize into the IAM Identity Center identity store. You can choose to add new users or groups to this subset, or remove them. Any identities that you add are synchronized at the next scheduled sync. Identities that you remove from the subset will stop being updated in the IAM Identity Center identity store. Any user who isn't synchronized for more than 28 days will be disabled in the IAM Identity Center identity store. The corresponding user objects will be automatically disabled in the IAM Identity Center identity store during the next sync cycle, unless they are part of another group that is still part of the sync scope. ## Deletion Users and groups are deleted from the IAM Identity Center identity store when the corresponding user or group objects are deleted from the source directory in Active Directory. Alternatively, you can explicitly delete user objects from the IAM Identity Center identity store by using the IAM Identity Center console. If you use the IAM Identity Center console, you must also remove the users from the sync scope to ensure that they aren't re-synced back into IAM Identity Center during the next sync cycle. You can also pause and restart synchronization at any time. If you pause synchronization for more than 28 days, all your users will be disabled. # Configure attribute mappings for your sync For more information about available attributes, see [Attribute mappings between IAM Identity Center and External Identity Providers directory](attributemappingsconcept.md). **To configure attribute mappings in IAM Identity Center to your directory** 1. Open the [IAM Identity Center console.](https://console.aws.amazon.com/singlesignon) 1. Choose **Settings**. 1. On the **Settings** page, choose the **Identity source** tab, choose **Actions**, and then choose **Manage Sync**. 1. Under **Manage Sync**, choose **View attribute mapping**. 1. Under **Active Directory user attributes**, configure **IAM Identity Center identity store attributes** and **Active Directory user attributes**. For example, you might want to map the IAM Identity Center identity store attribute `email` to the Active Directory user directory attribute `${objectguid}`. **Note** Under **Group attributes**, **IAM Identity Center identity store attributes** and **Active Directory group attributes** cannot be changed. 1. Choose **Save changes**. This returns you to the **Manage Sync** page. # First-time Active Directory to IAM Identity Center sync setup If you are synchronizing your users and groups from Active Directory into IAM Identity Center for the first time, follow these steps. Alternatively, you can follow steps outlined in [Change your identity source](manage-your-identity-source-change.md) to change your identity source from IAM Identity Center to Active Directory. ## Guided setup 1. Open the [IAM Identity Center console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/singlesignon). **Note** Make sure that the IAM Identity Center console is using one of the AWS Regions where your AWS Managed Microsoft AD directory is located before you move to the next step. 1. Choose **Settings**. 1. At the top of the page, in the notification message, choose **Start guided setup**. 1. In **Step 1 – *optional*: Configure attribute mappings**, review the default user and group attribute mappings. If no changes are required, choose **Next**. If changes are required, make the changes, and then choose **Save changes**. 1. In **Step 2 – *optional*: Configure sync scope**, choose the **Users** tab. Then, enter the exact username of the user that you want to add to your sync scope and choose **Add**. Next, choose the **Groups** tab. Enter the exact group name of the group that you want to add to your sync scope and choose **Add**. Then, choose **Next**. If you want to add users and groups to your sync scope later, make no changes and choose **Next**. 1. In **Step 3: Review and save configuration**, confirm your **Attribute mappings** in **Step 1: Attribute mappings** and your **Users and groups** in **Step 2: Sync scope**. Choose **Save configuration**. This takes you to the **Manage Sync** page. # Add users and groups to your sync scope **Note** When adding groups to your sync scope, sync groups directly from the trusted on-premises domain rather than from groups in the AWS Managed Microsoft AD domain. Groups synced directly from the trusted domain contain actual user objects that IAM Identity Center can access and synchronize successfully. Add your Active Directory users and groups to IAM Identity Center by following these steps. **To add users** 1. Open the [IAM Identity Center console.](https://console.aws.amazon.com/singlesignon) 1. Choose **Settings**. 1. On the **Settings** page, choose the **Identity source** tab, choose **Actions**, and then choose **Manage Sync**. 1. On the **Manage Sync** page, choose the **Users** tab, and then choose **Add users and groups**. 1. On the **Users** tab, under **User**, enter the exact user name and choose **Add**. 1. Under **Added Users and Groups**, review the user that you want to add. 1. Choose **Submit**. 1. In the navigation pane, choose **Users**. If the user that you specified doesn't display in the list, choose the refresh icon to update the list of users. **To add groups** 1. Open the [IAM Identity Center console.](https://console.aws.amazon.com/singlesignon) 1. Choose **Settings**. 1. On the **Settings** page, choose the **Identity source** tab, choose **Actions**, and then choose **Manage Sync**. 1. On the **Manage Sync** page, choose the **Groups** tab, and then choose **Add users and groups**. 1. Choose the **Groups** tab. Under **Group**, enter the exact group name and choose **Add**. 1. Under **Added Users and Groups**, review the group that you want to add. 1. Choose **Submit**. 1. In the navigation pane, choose **Groups**. If the group that you specified doesn't display in the list, choose the refresh icon to update the list of groups. # Remove users and groups from your sync scope For more information about what happens when you remove users and groups from your sync scope, see [How configurable AD sync works](how-it-works-configurable-ADsync.md). **To remove users** 1. Open the [IAM Identity Center console.](https://console.aws.amazon.com/singlesignon) 1. Choose **Settings**. 1. On the **Settings** page, choose the **Identity source** tab, choose **Actions**, and then choose **Manage Sync**. 1. Choose the **Users** tab. 1. Under **Users in sync scope**, select the check box beside the user that you want to delete. To delete all users, select the check box beside **Username**. 1. Choose **Remove**. **To remove groups** 1. Open the [IAM Identity Center console.](https://console.aws.amazon.com/singlesignon) 1. Choose **Settings**. 1. On the **Settings** page, choose the **Identity source** tab, choose **Actions**, and then choose **Manage Sync**. 1. Choose the **Groups** tab. 1. Under **Groups in sync scope**, select the check box beside the user that you want to delete. To delete all groups, select the check box beside **Group name**. 1. Choose **Remove**. # Pause and resume your sync Pausing your sync pauses all future sync cycles and prevents any changes that you make to users and groups in Active Directory from being reflected in IAM Identity Center. After you resume the sync, the sync cycle picks up these changes from the next scheduled sync. **To pause your sync** 1. Open the [IAM Identity Center console.](https://console.aws.amazon.com/singlesignon) 1. Choose **Settings**. 1. On the **Settings** page, choose the **Identity source** tab, choose **Actions**, and then choose **Manage Sync**. 1. Under **Manage Sync**, choose **Pause sync**. **To resume your sync** 1. Open the [IAM Identity Center console.](https://console.aws.amazon.com/singlesignon) 1. Choose **Settings**. 1. On the **Settings** page, choose the **Identity source** tab, choose **Actions**, and then choose **Manage Sync**. 1. Under **Manage Sync**, choose **Resume sync**. **Note** If you see **Pause sync** instead of **Resume sync**, the sync from Active Directory to IAM Identity Center has already resumed. # Automate your sync configuration for configurable AD sync Automate sync configuration To ensure that your automated workflow works as expected with configurable AD sync, we recommend that you perform the following steps to automate your sync configuration. **To automate your sync configuration for configurable AD sync** 1. In Active Directory, create a *parent sync group* to contain all users and groups that you want to sync into IAM Identity Center. For example, you can name the group *IAMIdentityCenterAllUsersAndGroups*. 1. In IAM Identity Center, add the parent sync group to your configurable sync list. IAM Identity Center will synchronize all users, groups, sub-groups, and members of all groups contained within the parent sync group. 1. Use the Active Directory user and group management API actions provided by Microsoft to add or remove users and groups from the parent sync group.