Red Hat DIRECTORY SERVER 7.1 - ADMINISTRATOR Administrator's Manual page 620

attribute Holds descriptive information about an entry. Attributes have a label and a value. Each
attribute also follows a standard syntax for the type of information that can be stored as the
attribute value.
attribute list A list of required and optional attributes for a given entry type or object class.
authenticating directory server In pass-through authentication (PTA), the authenticating
Directory Server is the Directory Server that contains the authentication credentials of the
requesting client. The PTA-enabled host sends PTA requests it receives from clients to the host.
authentication (1) Process of proving the identity of the client user to the Directory Server. Users
must provide a bind DN and either the corresponding password or certificate in order to be granted
access to the directory. Directory Server allows the user to perform functions or access files and
directories based on the permissions granted to that user by the directory administrator.
(2) Allows a client to make sure they are connected to a secure server, preventing another computer
from impersonating the server or attempting to appear secure when it is not.
authentication certificate Digital file that is not transferable and not forgeable and is issued by a
third party. Authentication certificates are sent from server to client or client to server in order to
verify and authenticate the other party.
base DN Base distinguished name. A search operation is performed on the base DN, the DN of
the entry and all entries below it in the directory tree.
base distinguished name See base DN.
bind DN Distinguished name used to authenticate to Directory Server when performing an
operation.
bind distinguished name See bind DN.
bind rule In the context of access control, the bind rule specifies the credentials and conditions
that a particular user or client must satisfy in order to get access to directory information.
branch entry An entry that represents the top of a subtree in the directory.
browser Software, such as Mozilla Firefox, used to request and view World Wide Web material
stored as HTML files. The browser uses the HTTP protocol to communicate with the host server.
620 Red Hat Directory Server Administrator's Guide • May 2005