Creating distribution list on premises

[BathalaS]

In Microsoft active directory v2 spoke we have create group action in that we have different types in that what is global distribution group means?
My question is by using that "global distribution group" type can we create Distribution list on premises?
or
Is there any OOTB spoke action that will create Distribution List on premises?

[kmohammed]

Hi Bathala,

Yes — for on-premises Active Directory, a distribution group is the distribution list. There is no separate AD Spoke v2 action called Create Distribution List; the Create Group action is the right one.

What global distribution group means:

- Distribution vs. security: a distribution group is for email distribution only. It cannot be used to grant permissions to resources. A security group is the opposite — it can grant access, and it can also be mail-enabled, but if you only need a mailing list, distribution is the correct type.

- Global scope: global means the group can contain users and groups from its own domain only. If your distribution list needs members from multiple domains in the same forest, use a universal distribution group instead. Domain local scope is mainly for resource access within one domain, so it is not the usual choice for a distribution list.

One important caveat for on-premises mail:

Creating the AD group with the AD Spoke creates the group object in Active Directory, but it does not by itself make it a working Exchange distribution list. For Exchange on-premises, the group also has to be mail-enabled (an email address and the Exchange attributes on the group). If mail is not flowing to the group after you create it, that mail-enabling step is the missing piece — it is normally done through Exchange tooling or a PowerShell step, not through the AD Spoke Create Group action alone.

So, in short: use Create Group with a distribution type — global if all members are in the same domain, universal if members span domains — and then confirm the group is mail-enabled in Exchange before you treat it as a live distribution list.

Thanks,

Karimuddin