Directory services matter to nearly every organization because they help centrally manage information and thereby reduce the costs of computing services. LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a set of protocols that have become the internet standard for accessing directories. Many people need to understand directory services and LDAP in order to make decisions for their business. The books currently available are too advanced for technical managers and those new to directory services. This book is designed to fill that need. The author spends the first half of the book exploring how directory services and LDAP work and then the second half discussing the most popular implementations - OpenLDAP, Microsoft Active Directory, and Directory Server - for those who are trying to compare products. This book provides the technical foundation that will enable IT managers to make sound business decisions and developers to move on to more advanced books.

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Book Description Understanding Directory Servicesclarifies the complex topic of directory services, starting with basic theory and archetypes, and then working its way up to the current directory service implementations. It describes the basic idea behind directory services, explaining the underlying conceptual models, design characteristics, and methods of managing distributed information. The book begins with an overview of directory services and their core characteristics, highlighting critical aspects of directory information, distribution, and storage. The evolving nature of the information the directory contains, and the factors involved in organizing and managing it are discussed in detail, and then methods of information distribution and storage are examined at length. After exploring the basics of directory service, the book progresses to in-depth chapters on each of the critical technologies being used to implement directory services: * The X.500standards are explained to help you understand the foundations of directory services and provide a basis for comparison of the other directory technologies. *Lightweight Directory Access Protocol(LDAP) and its emerging role as a directory access standard is described in detail, with thorough explanations of models, naming, and operations. *The Domain Name System(DNS) is examined from a directory service perspective, noting parallels in structures and operations. This knowledge of directory services is then used to describe the design of X.500 and LDAP based directory service products, as well as NDS eDirectory and Active Directory, highlighting the architectural and operational implications of vendor's design decisions. This book: * Explores X.500-based directory products (eTrust, DirX, Nexor), and highlights implementation approaches and capabilities. * Describes the LDAP-based directory products (OpenLDAP, SecureWay, iPlanet), identifying similarities and differences between them. * ExplainsNDS eDirectorydescribing the underlying directory architecture and its foundations in X.500, and its evolution from an NOS-based directory to a general purpose directory service. * Examines howActive Directoryintegrates NT 4, LDAP, and DNS technologies into a directory service that leverages established Windows networks. * Explores the information management issues that meta-directories (Siemens DirXmetahub, iPlanet meta-directory, Microsoft Meta-directory Services, Novell DirXML) are designed to address, and characteristics of different types of meta-directory solutions (as well as Radiant Logic'sRadiant Onevirtual directory server). * Identifies the design of XML-based directory markup languages that map directory schema, objects, and operations providing directory interoperability. The final chapter is focused on helping you evaluate directory services in the context of your business and network environment. Information, business, and network control factors are identified, and key factors in directory service assessment are explained. Understanding Directory Servicesis an excellent reference for directory service technologies that includes extensive references and aglossarycontaining 385 directory service terms. By explaining key directory technologies, and the integration of those technologies, this book provides the information you need to understand the design and operations involved in all directory services. From the Back Cover Understanding Directory Servicesis the most in-depth resource available on directory services theory, architecture, and design. It provides the conceptual framework and critical technical information for IT professionals who are using directory services in their networks or e-business solutions. The 1st edition of this book covered the underlying directory service technologies (X.500, LDAP, DNS), and integrated the information from a networking perspective with a special focus on eDirectory and Active Directory. The 2nd Edition extends this coverage to the LDAP-based directories (such as iPlanet and SecureWay) and the X.500-based enterprise directory services (including eTrust, DirX, and Nexor), as well as the emerging meta-directory technologies and products which are crucial to the integration of the multiple directories in an enterprise networking environment. By explaining the origins and technologies of directory services, and clarifying the integration of key directory technologies into network and e-commerce platforms,Understanding Directory Servicesgives you the information you need to understand the underlying design and operations involved in all directory services. Reviews of the first edition Warren E. Wyrostek -- MCP Magazine ...superb, comprehensive...highly recommend it to all network professionals...a must read for anyone wrestling with deploying a directory service... Douglas Ludens -- About.com ...clearly organized and well written...a great book, I highly recommend it...essential to doing well with Windows 2000...