Microsoft® Windows Server 2003: Administrator’s Companion

Active Directory

A directory service is a tool that connects the directories across the network and acts like a big phone book for all users. Using general input (for example, “where are the printers?”), a user can receive a listing of printer resources. All versions of Windows Server 2003 except Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, include Active Directory as the directory service.

Active Directory combines X.500 naming standards, the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS) as a locating device, and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) as the core protocol. Active Directory allows a single point of administration for all resources, including users, files, peripheral devices, host connections, databases, Web access, services, and network resources. ...