NetWare Directory Services

NetWare Directory Services (NDS) is an object-oriented implementation of directory services that allows you to build sophisticated naming schemes and databases across network-wide resources.

The NDS architecture provides global access to all network resources regardless of where the resources are physically located, forming a single information system.

The following list provides a brief discussion of the features and benefits of NDS.

Note that you will encounter several new terms as you work with NDS. These are defined in the following discussion of the basic architecture and design of NDS.

Simple Administration

The single point of administration provided in the NDS architecture allows for simple and cost-effective management of your entire network and its resources. Each supervisor of your network uses the same management utilities and database of resource objects regardless of each supervisor's physical location on the network. Network resources, such as users and groups, also maintain a single point of access to the network. This allows you to maintain a single identity for each resource you create throughout the entire network.

Advanced Security

The NDS architecture provides the possibility of improved security. It incorporates the advanced RSA (Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman, developers of this particular public key encryption system) security features that make encrypted, single-login authentication to network resources possible. NDS security is based on a top-down architecture. All rights to network resources are established through Access Control Lists (ACLs) that allow for sophisticated, but easily managed, administration.

Usability

The hierarchical database structure of the NDS design reduces network traffic and makes retrieving objects and properties very easy and efficient. You can search the entire Directory tree to locate an object, or a search can be initiated at any level of the Directory tree. Enhanced searching techniques allow objects to be located in a variety of ways, such as using relational expressions and wild cards. Also, objects in the Directory tree do not advertise. Traffic is generated only when an application asks the Directory for information and to allow for synchronization of NDS databases.

Reliability

The replicated nature of NDS creates a fault-tolerant system to ensure that you have no single point of failure in your network system. If implemented correctly, your network maintains operation through routine hardware and software maintenance. Synchronization of Directory replicas is automatic and does not require any administrative intervention.

Flexibility

The hierarchical design of NDS allows for easy alteration of the network structure. Components of the network can be merged or split as needed. You can move objects from one part of the Directory tree to another.

Scaleability

NDS has a modular design that allows you to customize it for any size and type of network. This means that as your organization changes to incorporate more resources and services, or downsizes to meet more specialized needs, the architecture and management of your network remains the same.

Interoperability

NDS provides compatibility with existing products. Specifically, NDS is capable of providing bindery services used in the bindery-based NetWare network operating systems. This allows for an easier and more flexible transition of bindery-based NetWare servers, utilities, and client software to NDS. Furthermore, NDS provides centralized management of your bindery-based server and resources in the network.

Future-Looking

The functionality that defines how the Directory tree is constructed can be modified and expanded to suit your present and future needs. If the default definitions do not meet your needs, you can create an entirely new set of definitions or make modifications to parts of the existing definitions.