Inside Windows® Server 2003

Brief History of Directory Services

There's an old saying that you can't get to where you're going unless you know where you've been. Before analyzing Active Directory, let's start with a look at the history of directory services in general. This is not an academic exercise. It's important to understand the reason behind the decisions made when directory services were formulated and who made those decisions.

ITU-T

The directory service story starts with a smallish document called X.500, “Data Networks and Open System Communications—Directory.” The cast of characters in this story includes a group of standards bodies and vendors from all over the world.

First and foremost is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The ITU is a United ...