Glossary - HP 262586-B21 - IP Console Switch 3x1x16 KVM User Manual

Glossary

active directory
Active directory is the latest generation of network directory services offered by Microsoft®. It is supported
by Windows® 2000 and Windows Server™ 2003. As a network directory system, active directory
provides a highly scalable distributed repository for information about objects that reside in the network
environment, such as users, applications, and console switches.
active directory users and computers MMC snap-in
MMC tool used to manage user and computer accounts in active directory. The tool also enables an
administrator to create organizational units and other types of containers. This tool is installed
automatically when active directory is installed.
attribute
Each active directory attribute constitutes a single property of an object stored in the active directory
database. An object is described by the values of its attributes. For example, one of the active directory
object classes is "person." One of the attributes for the object class person is named "info." The value of
the info attribute is set by entering the desired value into the Properties field, accessible by the ADUC
snap-in for the MMC. Another attribute associated with person is SAM Account Name
(sAMAccountName). The value of the sAMAccountName attribute is set by entering the desired value into
the Logon Name field, also accessible by the ADUC. The active directory schema defines the attributes
associated with each object class. Each attribute has a type and one or more values. The attribute type
defines the syntax of its values. The schema specifies the type of each attribute and whether it is multi-
valued. See also object and LDAP Display Name.
child domain
A domain that is not a domain tree root. See also descendant domains.
container
In the context of active directory, the word "container" is used in two general ways. First, it is an object
class defined in the schema and used in several objects created automatically when active directory is
installed. For example, one of these default containers is called "users," a repository for user accounts
and group objects containing user accounts. Group objects containing user accounts can be nested in
various ways, so this container might hold hierarchies of groups as well as ungrouped user accounts.
Active directory allows types of objects to be created in the users container as well. Similarly, there is a
default container called "computers" that is a repository for computer objects, groups thereof, and
hierarchies of (nested) groups. Each active directory install also automatically creates default container
objects for information related to the database schema and the topology of the distributed active directory
name space used to name individual active directory domains. There is no easy way to create new
objects of class container. It can be accomplished, but it would unusual for an active directory
administrator to do so, because such an object cannot have group policies applied to it. In contrast, the
second kind of container, an object class known as OU, is thought of a security boundary because it can
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