| In order to understand Novell eDirectory, you must first invert the standard view of network architecture. Many people assume that because the directory requires a Network Operating System (NOS) on which to run that it is part of the NOS. In reality, it is just the opposite. The directory defines the "world" of your network. As such, network servers are part of the directory, not vice versa. This is a critical shift in thinking if you are going to work effectively with directories in today's complex computing environments. In the simplest of terms, eDirectory is a distributed and replicated database of network information that provides your network with four key services: Discovery eDirectory makes it possible to browse, search, and retrieve information about the network. You can search for objects such as users, printers, and applications, or for specific properties of objects such as names, phone numbers, and configurations. Security eDirectory provides a central point for authentication and access control across your entire network. You can grant specific rights to users or groups of users, control the flow of data across the network, and protect sensitive or personal information through the use of cryptographic technologies. Most importantly, eDirectory provides the foundation for managing security across networks, so you can safely and efficiently communicate with partners, suppliers, and customers without having to create a separate infrastructure to do so. Storage eDirectory is at its heart a database. As such, it includes the capabilities to safely and securely store network data and protect it from corruption. It also provides a way to classify different data types, so you can manage the type of data in eDirectory and determine how it can be used. Finally, eDirectory allows you to split the database into discrete pieces and distribute those pieces across multiple servers to provide fault tolerance and improved performance for network users. Relationship eDirectory allows you to model relationships between objects on the network. This allows you to move configuration information away from specific devices and make it global. Practically, this means that users can receive their profiles, privileges, and services regardless of location, connection device, or network access point. This is the foundation for providing a relatively new set of services known as Secure Identity Management (SIM), none of which is possible without a robust directory at its core.
Novell released its first version of eDirectory, then known as NetWare Directory Services (NDS), in 1993 with NetWare 4. It has been in constant improvement since that time, making it the most advanced and widely used directory in the world. The name was changed to Novell Directory Services with the release of NetWare 5 in 1998. In 2000, Novell's directory was rechristened Novell eDirectory, and was modularized so that it can be installed on platforms other than NetWareincluding Linux, Windows 2000/XP, and various flavors of Unix. The following sections provide you with an overview of eDirectory architecture, design considerations, and common administrative tasks and the tools for doing them. |
