Configuring the DirectoryService Process

You use the Directory Access application (located in /Applications/Utilities) to configure DirectoryService, thus allowing the possibility of searching more than the local NetInfo database (recall that Mac OS X always searches the local NetInfo database first, and this behavior cannot be changed using the Directory Access application). When more than two data stores are searched, you can also decide in what order they are searched.

Directory Access is also used to select which plug-ins to enable. For each plug-in, you can configure that service by selecting the service and clicking the Configure button.

Activating

a particular plug-in simply allows DirectoryService to place requests using that plug-in; it does not guarantee that the referenced directory service or data store is enabled or configured properly.

The BDS plug-in for DirectoryService (which doubles as the NIS plug-in) does not require any configuration when used strictly for enabling the searching of BDS files. Once it is enabled and the change applied, it will be eligible to be added to the search policies for both authentication and contacts.