Inside Windows® Server 2003

Directory Service Components

A directory service compiles information about objects of interest in the world and dispenses that information when given a suitably formulated request. The Yellow Pages are a kind of directory service. A library card catalog is another.

People like to have their information classified for easy retrieval. For instance, the Yellow Pages has categories like “Theaters—Movies” and “Restaurants—Outrageously Overpriced.” A library card catalog classifies items into “Books—Fiction,” “Books—Nonfiction,” “Periodicals,” and so forth.

Information needs to be readily accessible, as well. People want one-stop shopping. At the same time, you don't want all the information at a single location. This produces bottlenecks, single ...