InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
April 19, 1999
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Directory services can make managing a network easier, but choosing the right one for your needs is critical
By Logan Harbaugh
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arge networks can become very confusing for users--it can be difficult to find the files, printers, applications, etc., that are on the network somewhere, but not necessarily where the user is looking. Directories solve this problem by allowing the user to browse an easy-to-use list that contains all the printers, or all the folders to which the user has access. Directories also make life easier for administrators and users by creating accounts that can span multiple servers, allowing a single login account to access resources across the entire network.A directory is essentially an enterprisewide database that stores information on all network resources and devices, users, groups, passwords, etc. In addition to the database itself, the other critical part of a directory service is the protocol used to communicate with the directory. Novell uses Novell Directory Services and supports the lightweight directory access protocol as well. Microsoft's Active Directory will use the active directory service interface and support LDAP as well. The other products reviewed here use proprietary databases, but support ADSI and in some cases NDS.
This article covers directories on NetWare and Windows-based server platforms--NDS, Active Directory, Entevo's Direct Manage Suite for NT and NetWare, FastLane's DM/Suite for NT, and Mission Critical Software's Enterprise Administrator 4.5 for NT. Unix servers and mainframes also provide directory services, primarily through LDAP and the X.500 standard, using products such as Netscape's Directory Server.
Picking a directory server is complex. NDS, for example, has maturity, a large number of trained network architects and administrators, and a wealth of applications. Active Directory will have the marketing might and developer network of Microsoft--when it's released. There are two other issues with Active Directory: planning for migration to it and the management of heterogeneous networks.
Active Directory will be a dramatic change from the domain-based network structure of existing NT networks. Rather than a large number of domains, there will be a single directory. Heterogeneous networks are another issue--Active Directory will only support NT networks, at least initially. Networks with other types of systems will require different management tools. Some of the products reviewed here will allow the management of both NT and NetWare networks, as well as LDAP-compatible directories or NDS for Unix or IBM System/390.
Novell Directory Services
Novell Directory Services is the most widely used and most mature directory service, at least on network operating systems. The X.500 directory standard has been around for a long time, and NDS was originally based on the X.500 standard. However, NDS has evolved well beyond the X.500 standard, and offers third-generation maturity and stability, as well as many applications such as Z.E.N. Works, a directory-enabled application that distributes and controls access to applications and files, as well as provides version control and automated updates to applications or even workstation operating systems.
NDS is included with NetWare 4.x and 5.x, and is also available for a variety of other network operating systems, including Windows NT Server 4.0, IBM AS/400 and System/390, Sun Solaris, Caldera Linux, and several other varieties of Unix. Managers of heterogeneous networks can use NDS to manage users on all of these systems at once, which is not possible with any other software on the market. NDS for NT will even redirect ADSI calls, allowing compatibility with future Active Directory applications.
Customers who own NetWare 4.x or NetWare 5 are eligible for free matching NDS for Solaris server/ replica licenses (less than or equal to the number of NetWare server licenses). Customers can download NDS for Solaris from Novell's Web site.
The three generations of NDS have provided a maturity that will be difficult to match in a 1.0 version. Tools have evolved not only to create and manage directories, but also to merge or split directories, rename them and perform other functions useful in these days of corporate mergers and acquisitions.
In addition to NWADMIN, the NDS management utility that can manage the NDS directory from an administrator's workstation, Novell has added ConsoleOne, a Java-based server utility that allows NDS management from the server. While Novell's message to developers has been somewhat fragmented, the recent adoption of Java as development standard may encourage further development. In the meantime, there are many applications available for NDS, including data backup programs for networked workstations and servers, application license control and distribution, public and private key encryption software, and virtual private network software.
Novell has recently announced the public beta test of NDS 8, the new Internet service provider version, which has been demonstrated with more than a billion objects in the directory, millions of objects per server, and sub-one-second searches. Given recent announcements of partnerships with operating system vendors and other NDS-related products, it's clear that rumors of Novell's demise are greatly exaggerated.
Microsoft Active Directory
For software still as much as a year away from release, Windows 2000 Server and Active Directory have received a great deal of attention, from the media, developers, and the IT industry. This is not only due to the announced capabilities of Active Directory, but to Microsoft's marketing team and the perceived momentum of Windows NT as a network operating system.
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