The NDS database can be divided into smaller portions called Directory partitions. Directory partitions are distinct segments of the Directory tree. Directory partitions can be used to decrease possible WAN traffic and to enable more efficient network management.
Note that NDS Directory partitions are not related to the logical disk partitions that exist on server hard disks.
Because an NDS database can be separated into partitions located on servers across the network, it is a distributed database.
Partitioning NDS information is completely transparent to network users, making the network look like a single, cohesive collection of resources.
A partition is a subtree or branch of the Directory tree. A partition is named according to the [Root]-most container object within the partition (the one that is closest to the [Root] object).
The [Root] object is always included in the first partition created, which is known as the [Root] partition.
When a partition is subordinate to another in the Directory tree, it is referred to as a child partition. The partition above it is referred to as the parent partition.
The following illustration shows a parent partition in relation to its child partition in a Directory tree:
Parent and Child Partitions
Some characteristics of a Directory partition are as follows: