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30 Chapter 2 Inside Mac OS X Server
Open Directory
Open Directory is Mac OS X Server’s directory services framework.
Directory services are the means by which a server and its clients (users and services)
locate and retrieve information needed for authentication, network resource discovery,
and other crucial system activities. User and group information is needed to
authenticate users when they log in and to authorize their access to services and files.
Information about network resources is used to make printers and other devices visible
for browsing.
Directory services retrieve this information from directories—repositories of
information about users and computing resources.
Open Directory lets your server retrieve information from:
• Directories on Mac OS X Server computers
• Directories on non-Apple servers
• Configuration files on Mac OS X Server or other servers
Open Directory also supports several protocols for discovering network resources:
• Rendezvous
• Server Message Block (SMB)
• AppleTalk
• Service Location Protocol (SLP)
The Open Directory administration guide provides complete details about how to set
up and use Open Directory. Some highlights of the many features that Open Directory
offers follow.
Using Apple Directories
Mac OS X Server can host LDAP directories and legacy NetInfo domains:
• NetInfo is the legacy Mac OS X directory system. Every Mac OS X computer has a
local NetInfo directory, which stores information visible only to the computer on
which it resides.
While version 10.3 of Mac OS X Server can be configured to support existing NetInfo
directories, Open Directory LDAP, based on OpenLDAP, is the primary way to store
directory information that you want to share with other computers.
• Open Directory LDAP directories are LDAPv3 directories that host shared directory
data—data you want to be used by other computers. Open Directory LDAP
directories are easy to manage, can be replicated for performance and backup, and
support a much higher volume of information than NetInfo directories.
Apple directories offer you read-write control over directory data.
LL2343.Book Page 30 Thursday, August 14, 2003 5:12 PM