Directory Services (ldap)

A directory service is a central database from which a large number of applications can read certain data. These data can be user accounts and passwords, email addresses, network IP addresses, group information, telephone numbers. The advantages of directory services are clear: user administration becomes centralized. For example you no longer have to change your password on several machines.

Applications that can read from a directory service are amongst others mailservers such as Qmail, mailclients such as Outlook or Evolution, proxy servers, fileservers. A directory service can also be used for workstation login authentication.