Apple 10.3 manual Open Directory, Using Apple Directories

Models: 10.3

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Open Directory

Open Directory is Mac OS X Server’s directory services framework.

Directory services are the means by which a server and its clients (users and services) locate and retrieve information needed for authentication, network resource discovery, and other crucial system activities. User and group information is needed to authenticate users when they log in and to authorize their access to services and files. Information about network resources is used to make printers and other devices visible for browsing.

Directory services retrieve this information from directories—repositories of information about users and computing resources.

Open Directory lets your server retrieve information from:

Directories on Mac OS X Server computers

Directories on non-Apple servers

Configuration files on Mac OS X Server or other servers

Open Directory also supports several protocols for discovering network resources:

Rendezvous

Server Message Block (SMB)

AppleTalk

Service Location Protocol (SLP)

The Open Directory administration guide provides complete details about how to set up and use Open Directory. Some highlights of the many features that Open Directory offers follow.

Using Apple Directories

Mac OS X Server can host LDAP directories and legacy NetInfo domains:

NetInfo is the legacy Mac OS X directory system. Every Mac OS X computer has a local NetInfo directory, which stores information visible only to the computer on which it resides.

While version 10.3 of Mac OS X Server can be configured to support existing NetInfo directories, Open Directory LDAP, based on OpenLDAP, is the primary way to store directory information that you want to share with other computers.

Open Directory LDAP directories are LDAPv3 directories that host shared directory data—data you want to be used by other computers. Open Directory LDAP directories are easy to manage, can be replicated for performance and backup, and support a much higher volume of information than NetInfo directories.

Apple directories offer you read-write control over directory data.

Chapter 2 Inside Mac OS X Server

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Apple 10.3 manual Open Directory, Using Apple Directories