Optimizing NTLM authentication flow in multi-domain environments

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  1. Client (GUYTEWKS) sends username (EMEA\guyte) to FILESRV01.americas.bigcorp.net
  2. FILESRV01 generates NTLM challenge and sends it back to the client
  3. The client sends NTLM response, containing the encrypted user password hash, to FILESRV01
  4. FILESRV01 passes the authentication request to a DC in the domain it is member of to which it has a secure channel active (USDC01.americas.bigcorp.net in our case)
  5. The USDC01 DC sees that the authentication request is not for its own domain and consults the trust information. AMERICAS domain does not have a direct trust with EMEA domain, but the forest root domain does, hence the DC in AMERICAS domain decides to rout the request to a DC in ROOT domain
  6. USDC01 passes the authentication request to a DC in ROOT domain to which it has an active secure channel (ROOTDC01.bigcorp.net)
  7. ROOTDC01 receives the request, but can not authenticate it locally. Fortunately ROOT domain has a trust with EMEA domain and ROOTDC01 routs the request to a DC in EMEA domain
  8. ROOTDC01 passes the authentication request to a DC in EMEA domain to which it has an active secure channel (EUDC01.emea.bigcorp.net)
  9. EUDC01 sees that it can authenticate the request locally and verifies the credentials.
  10. We are going all the way back (the way we came from) to FILESRV01 to tell it whether the authentication attempt was successful

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