Windows Server® 2012 Unleashed

Defining Organizational Units

As defined in the RFC for the LDAP standard, organizational units (OUs) are containers that logically store directory information and provide a method of addressing AD DS through LDAP. In AD DS, OUs are the primary method for organizing user, computer, and other object information into a more easily understandable layout. As shown in Figure 4.7, the organization has a root organizational unit where three nested organizational units (marketing, IT, and research) have been placed. This nesting enables the organization to distribute users across multiple containers for easier viewing and administration of network resources.

Figure 4.7. An organizational unit structure provides a graphical view of network resource ...