Skip to Main Content
Networking Bible
book

Networking Bible

by Barrie Sosinsky
September 2009
Intermediate to advanced content levelIntermediate to advanced
912 pages
25h 20m
English
Wiley
Content preview from Networking Bible

Chapter 21. Domains and Directory Services

IN THIS CHAPTER

  • Learning what a directory service is

  • How information enables intelligent network applications

  • Directory services organize networks into domains

  • Microsoft Active Directory

Directory services play a central role in the current network operating systems' client-server architecture. They provide a name service, store information about objects on the network, and allow this information to be propagated to other servers and applications. There are many directory services in use today, and modern networks use them heavily.

The smallest fundamental unit in a directory service is the domain. A domain is a collection of systems that share the same security database. Domains can be of various types and contain elements such as organizational units, user and machine accounts, and other objects that can be addressed using a unique Distinguished Name.

Most modern directory services are based on the X.500 standard. The LDAP version of X.500 was created for TCP/IP networks and is used for most of the products that are available today. The different directory services and their characteristics will be described. Among the features presented are policy engines, replication and synchronization, single sign-on, namespaces, identity management, and role-based access control.

Microsoft Active Directory (AD) is the best known and most widely used directory service. AD was built to store objects of various kinds, and includes aspects of security properties. ...

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Start your free trial

You might also like

Fundamentals of Communications and Networking, 3rd Edition

Fundamentals of Communications and Networking, 3rd Edition

Michael G. Solomon, David Kim

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9780470431313