Enhances Windows NT Server With the Only Directory Service to Integrate With Internet and Intranet Environments
SAN JOSE, Calif., June 13, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. today demonstrated its next-generation Directory Server, designed to combine the best of DNS and X.500, integrated in one easy-to-use, flexible implementation. The product is slated to be a key component of the future version of Windows NT®
Server (code-named
“Cairo”
). A preview version is scheduled to be available for the Windows NT Server version 4.0 operating system in the second half of 1996.
The next-generation Directory Server addresses key areas that directly benefit businesses, providing a general-purpose directory service that can reduce administrative costs associated with maintaining multiple name spaces for all users, services and network resources. Directory Server has been tested with more than 10 million objects, offering unparalleled scalability while at the same time offering unparalleled simplicity for the smallest businesses.
Directory Server is seamlessly integrated with Windows NT Server, allowing a single point of administration for all resources, including files, peripheral devices, host connections, databases, Web access, users and arbitrary other objects. Directory Server embraces Internet standards such as lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) and will also support X.500 standards, including directory access protocol (DAP), directory system protocol (DSP) and directory information shadowing protocol (DISP), to provide a high level of interoperability.
“Our goal is to provide a scalable, easy-to-use directory server that satisfies the needs of users on the Internet and on corporate intranets,”
said Jim Allchin, senior vice president, desktop and business systems division at Microsoft.
“We’ve gone way beyond the protocols to build a directory service that is flexible enough to change with the needs of business, and reliable and scalable enough to be the basis for mission-critical applications.”
This directory is a key remaining component of the Microsoft
“Cairo”
set of technologies. Other components, such as the user interface and Distributed Common Object Model (DCOM), have already been made available.
Demonstrated today, OLE Directory Service (DS) is an industrywide initiative to help businesses and application developers access and manage multiple directory services through a common API. It provides access to NetWare®
3.x and 4.x directories as well as any LDAP-compatible directory. Microsoft Directory Server has been designed to support OLE DS.
Key features of the Windows NT Server Directory Server include the following:
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Internet and intranet universality. Windows NT domain names are DNS names so resources are easily accessible via URLs. Users will find the same simple naming used on the Internet in the Windows NT next-generation Directory Server.
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Backward compatibility. Built-in backward compatibility to earlier versions of Windows NT. The Directory Server provides complete emulation of Windows NT 3.5x and 4.0 directory service.
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Extensibility. Open object repository with online dynamic schema updates.
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Open standards. Both Internet and international standard protocols are supported.
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Distributed security. Accommodates both public and private key security using the same Access Control List (ACL) support model of the underlying operating system.
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Multi-master replication. Individual changes made in one copy of the directory are automatically replicated to all other appropriate copies of the directory, whether connected via point-to-point or store-and-forward environments.
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Simple administration. Objects can be hierarchically organized so that they can be linked together to model large organizations. The administration service provides a graphical user interface that allows visual administration and drag-and-drop capabilities.
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Global Catalog. Designed for extreme performance, the Global Catalog allows users to easily find an object, regardless of where it is in the tree, while searching by arbitrary attributes. Most common queries can be resolved from the Global Catalog without requiring a lookup in the source domain.
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Scalability. Over 10 million objects per domain and an unlimited number of domains make the directory scale unrivaled.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
NetWare is a registered trademark of Novell Inc.
