Choosing between the Microsoft and Lithnet agents for LAPS support
Managing local admin passwords safely and securely relies on having a mechanism to generate and store the local admin passwords. There are three supported agents you can use with Access Manager to manage your device local admin passwords. This guide will help you choose the right option for your environment.
Option 1: Legacy LAPS client
Microsoft's tried and true legacy LAPS client provides support for managing LAPS passwords for Active Directory joined devices. It supports a wide range of legacy and modern Windows operating systems.
Pros
Has the broadest support for OS coverage
Easy to deploy and configure via group policy
Cons
Windows only
Supports Active Directory domain-joined machines only
Passwords are stored in the directory in plain-text
Does not store a history of previously used local admin passwords
Deprecated and no longer being updated by Microsoft
When should I use legacy LAPS?
You have an existing deployment of legacy LAPS
You need to support legacy Windows operating system versions
Option 2: Windows LAPS client
In April 2023, Microsoft released LAPS as a built-in Windows feature. This also brought a range of new support for things like password history, encryption, and support for Azure AD joined devices.
Pros
Support for both AD and Azure AD joined devices
Has password history support
Optionally encrypts passwords stored in Active Directory
Built into Windows
Actively supported and developed by Microsoft
Cons
Windows only
No support for older operating systems that are still in support. Only supported on Windows 11, Windows Server 2019 and higher, and Windows 10 versions supported as of April 2023.
When should I use Windows LAPS?
Your organization has modern Windows operating systems either joined to Azure AD or Active Directory
Option 3: Lithnet Access Manager agent
Lithnet Access Manager has its own agent that can be used to manage the local admin passwords of your devices. It has full support for encrypted passwords, password history, and is not just supported on Windows, but macOS and Linux as well.
Pros
Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux
Encrypts all passwords
Has password history support
Supports Windows Server 2012 R2 and higher, as well as Windows 8.1 and higher
Supports domain joined, Azure AD-joined, as well as standalone Windows devices
Cons
No support for out-of-date operating systems. Only supported on Windows 8.1 and above and Windows Server 2012 R2 and above
When should I use the Lithnet Access Manager agent?
You have macOS and Linux devices you want to support
You have Windows devices not joined to a domain
You want fully encrypted local admin passwords in all scenarios
You want one LAPS client solution for your entire Windows and non-Windows fleet
Note, that you are not restricted to the use of a single LAPS client type in your environment.
For example, you can use the legacy LAPS client on legacy operating systems, Windows LAPS on modern operating systems, and Access Manager Agent on macOS and Linux devices.
Access Manager Server can read LAPS passwords from any client listed on this page.
Operating system support
The Microsoft agents works only on Windows AD or Azure AD-joined devices. Lithnet Access Manager agent supports a much wider range of operating systems.
Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8
Windows 8.1
Windows 10
Windows 11 and higher
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2019 and higher
Linux
macOS
Supported join types
Active Directory joined devices
Azure Active Directory joined devices
Azure Active Directory registered devices
Non-domain joined devices (workgroup)
Feature comparison
Regularly rotates the local admin password
Requires a custom schema for AD password storage
Stores a history of previous local admin passwords
Stores passwords in plain-text
Encrypts passwords
Write passwords to Active Directory
Write passwords to Azure Active Directory
Write passwords to the AMS server
1. Custom schema is only required if using the agent on domain-joined devices. Schema is not required when using the agent on non-windows or non-domain-joined devices
2. Access Manager agent can store unencrypted passwords in the Microsoft LAPS attributes when in compatibility mode (applies to domain-joined Windows devices only)
3. Windows LAPS can store passwords in plain text if configured
Compatibility with password retrieval solutions
Microsoft Legacy LAPS passwords stored in AD
Microsoft Windows LAPS passwords stored in AD
Microsoft Windows LAPS passwords stored in Azure AD
Access Manager Agent passwords
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