What Is ADSI?

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We've seen one way to access the directory—by using the CDO library. CDO provides a set of objects that allows you to query information stored in the Exchange Server directory under the AddressEntry section of the CDO hierarchy. Another way to access the Exchange Server directory is to use Microsoft Active Directory Services Interfaces (ADSI).

ADSI is a set of COM interfaces that allow you to manipulate objects in different directories, including Exchange Server 5.5. ADSI supports different protocols including Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), NetWare Directory Services (NDS), and Microsoft Windows NT Directory Services (NTDS). The advantage of ADSI is that it is not designed based on a specific Application Programming Interface (API), which makes it more flexible. Also, ADSI can be used with multiple programming languages, such as Microsoft Visual Basic, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript), Java, and Microsoft Visual C++.