Lesson 3. Accessing Mac OS X Server Directory Services
Data is valuable only if it can be stored and accessed. With multiple vendors of directory services solutions competing for your business, you may worry that their disparate systems will not be able to interoperate and that it will be difficult for clients to support multiple vendors. Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) addresses these concerns by providing a protocol that all vendors can support while still being able to differentiate themselves on the basis of additional features, over and above what a simple data access protocol dictates. This lesson introduces you to the LDAP specification and explains Mac OS X support for this nearly universal protocol. In Lesson 2, "Accessing Local Directory Services," you saw how Open Directory provides a means of retrieving information from a local data store to identify and authenticate user accounts on the local computer. Now you'll learn how to request and retrieve identification information stored in an LDAP directory on the network, in particular, the LDAP directory on Mac OS X Server. By accessing the directory in Mac OS X Server on your network, you can take advantage of features such as automounting share points, preferences management, and mobile user accounts. |