Thread: use of directories

what is the use of directories

Directory is a technology created by Microsoft that provides a variety of network services, including:

* Lightweight Directory Access Protocol LDAP is the industry standard directory access protocol, making Active Directory widely accessible to management and query applications. Active Directory supports LDAPv3 and LDAPv2.
* Kerberos-based authentication
* DNS-based naming and other network information (Guts of DNS, Stable DNS is needed for AD to work properly)
* Central location for network administration and delegation of authority [2]
* Information security and single sign-on for user access to networked based resources [3]
* The ability to scale up or down easily [4]
* Central storage location for application data [5]
* Synchronization of directory updates amongst several servers [6]

Using the same database, for use primarily in Windows environments, Active Directory also allows administrators to assign policies, deploy software, and apply critical updates to an organization. Active Directory stores information and settings in a central database. Active Directory networks can vary from a small installation with a few computers, users and printers to tens of thousands of users, many different domains and large server farms spanning many geographical locations.