Abbreviation for “Windows NT LAN Manager”
The NTLM protocol was the default for network authentication in the Windows NT 4.0 operating system. It is retained in Windows 2000 for compatibility with down-level clients and servers. NTLM is also used to authenticate logons to standalone computers with Windows 2000. Computers with Windows 3.11, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0 will use the NTLM protocol for network authentication in Windows 2000 domains. Computers running Windows 2000 will use NTLM when authenticating to servers with Windows NT 4.0 and when accessing resources in Windows NT 4.0 domains.*
NTLM uses a challenge-response mechanism for authentication, in which clients are able to prove their identities without sending a password to the server. It consists of three messages, commonly referred to as Type 1 (negotiation), Type 2 (challenge) and Type 3 (authentication). The protocol continues to be supported in Windows 2000 but has been replaced by Microsoft Kerberos as the default/standard.
* [ Source: Microsoft Knowledge Base]
