Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services, Second Edition

Chapter 1. Directory Services Overview and History

• What a Directory Is

• What a Directory Can Do for You

• What a Directory Is Not

• The History and Origins of LDAP

• Further Reading

• Looking Ahead

The fact that you picked up this book and started to read it suggests that you have some idea what a directory service is and what it can do for you. This chapter assumes that you have an everyday understanding of directories and expands on that notion to answer three simple but important questions

1. What is a directory? In brief, a directory is a specialized database. In this chapter you'll learn what makes a directory specialized, what separates it from a traditional database, what the defining characteristics of a directory are, and why they are important.

2. What can ...