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What is a Directory Service?
However, the DNS server stores only two types of information: names and IP
addresses. A true directory service stores virtually unlimited types of information.
Directory Server stores all of your information in a single, network-accessible
repository. The following are a few examples of the kinds of information you might
store in a directory:
•
Physical device information, such as data about the printers in your
organization (where they reside, whether they are color or black and white,
their manufacturer, date of purchase, and serial number)
•
Public employee information, such as name, email address, and department
•
Private employee information, such as salary, government identification
numbers, home addresses, phone numbers, and pay grade
•
Contract or account information, such as the name of a client, final delivery
date, bidding information, contract numbers, and project dates
Directory Server serves the needs of a wide variety of applications. It also provides
a standard protocol and application programming interfaces (APIs) to access the
information it contains.
The following sections describe global directory services and the Lightweight Data
Access Protocol (LDAP).
About Global Directory Services
Directory Server provides global directory services, meaning it provides
information to a wide variety of applications. Until recently, many applications
came bundled with their own proprietary databases. While a proprietary database
can be convenient if you use only one application, multiple databases become an
administrative burden if the databases manage the same information.
For example, suppose your network supports three different proprietary email
systems, each system with its own proprietary directory service. If users change
their passwords in one directory, the changes are not automatically replicated in
the others. Managing multiple instances of the same information results in
increased hardware and personnel costs, a problem referred to as the n + 1
directory problem.
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Netscape Directory Server Deployment Guide • December 2001
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