Apple G0442 manual Open Directory Server, Why directory services?

Technology Overview 14

Mac OS X Server

Service Deployment and Administration

Why directory services?

A key component of any modern computing environment, directory services allow organizations to centralize informa- tion about users, groups, and computing resources. A network-based repository consolidates resources, simplies system management, and reduces support and administration costs—all while providing strong authentication and password- protected access to network resources.

For example, when an employee leaves the company, the administrator can change that user’s password, archive the user’s network home directory, and delete the user’s account quickly and easily, all from the administrator’s own desk.

Mac OS X Server v10.4 comes with a wide range of Internet and workgroup services based on open standard technologies. Mac OS X Server integrates these robust technologies and enhances them with a unied, consistent management interface that takes full advantage of the renowned Mac ease of use. The result is simplied deployment and administration that permit novices to congure and maintain core network services, while providing the advanced features and functionality required by experienced IT professionals.

Open Directory Server

Mac OS X Server includes a robust LDAP directory server and a secure Kerberos password server to provide directory and authentication services to Mac, Windows, and Linux clients.

Apple has built the Open Directory server around OpenLDAP, the most widely deployed open source LDAP server, so that it can deliver directory services for both Mac-only and mixed-platform environments. LDAP provides a common language for directory access, enabling administrators to consolidate information from di!erent platforms and dene one namespace for all network resources. This means a single directory for all Mac, Windows, and Linux systems on the network; there’s no need to maintain a separate server or separate user records for each platform. It also results in a streamlined user experience: Users can authenticate to Mac OS X Server and access network resources from any platform using a single password.

To store directory information, the Open Directory server uses Berkeley DB, one of the world’s most scalable databases, for high-performance indexing of hundreds of thousands of user records. In addition, a robust replication feature maximizes availabil- ity and scalability. The ability to replicate directory and authentication servers enables organizations to maintain failover servers for high availability, as well as remote servers for fast client interaction on distributed networks.