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Netscape Directory Server (Directory Server) provides a centralized directory
service for your intranet, network, and extranet information. Directory Server
integrates with existing systems and acts as a centralized repository for the
consolidation of employee, customer, supplier, and partner information. You can
extend Directory Server to manage user profiles and preferences, as well as
extranet user authentication.
This chapter describes the basic ideas you need to understand before designing
your directory. It includes the following sections:
•
What is a Directory Service? (page 13)
•
Introduction to Directory Server (page 15)
•
Directory Design Overview (page 21)
•
Other General Directory Resources (page 24)
What is a Directory Service?
The term directory service means the collection of software, hardware, and
processes that store information about your enterprise, subscribers, or both and
make that information available to users. A directory service consists of at least one
instance of Directory Server and one or more directory client programs. Client
programs can access names, phone numbers, addresses, and other data stored in
the directory.
One common directory service is a Domain Name System (DNS) server. A DNS
server maps a computer host name to an IP address. Thus, all of the computing
resources (hosts) become clients of the DNS server. The mapping of host names
allows users of your computing resources to easily locate computers on your
network by remembering host names rather than numerical IP addresses.
Introduction to Directory Server
Chapter 1
13
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