REDMOND, Wash., June 3, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of version 2.5 of the Microsoft® Active Directory TM Service Interfaces (ADSI), enabling a wide range of developers to have applications ready for the release of the Active Directory directory service in the Windows® 2000 Server operating system later this year. ADSI 2.5 adds many new Active Directory-centric features, improves ADSI support for building directory-enabled applications using familiar client/server tools, and provides a way for those in the independent software vendor (ISV) community to extend ADSI with their own plug-in features.
Historically, integrating applications with directory services has been a time-consuming process that has required developers to write many lines of complex code to accomplish basic tasks. Earlier versions of ADSI greatly simplified application development for standards-based directory services and Novell’s NDS but did not provide specific support for Active Directory or several popular data access methods needed for advanced features within popular development tools. With ADSI 2.5, developers can take full advantage of the Active Directory feature set and access directory data within sophisticated queries and joins. Further, new extensibility features enable ISVs to add value to ADSI, ensuring continual improvements and innovation.
“Historically, the complexity of writing directory-enabled applications has resulted in directory services moving little beyond their initial role of user account management,” said Mike Nash, director of marketing for Windows NT® Server operating system and infrastructure products at Microsoft.
“ADSI 2.5 will enable a wide range of application developers to deliver significantly more customer value on top of Active Directory, in time for the release of Windows 2000.”
Based on the Microsoft Component Object Model (COM) and integrated with the Microsoft OLE DB common data access framework, ADSI puts directory-enabled application development within the reach of millions of developers who are already familiar with development tools such as the Visual Basic® development system and database programming languages such as SQL. ADSI 2.5 contains several important new features:
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Support for Active Directory. ADSI provides a single programming interface, with no loss of functionality, to most popular directory services. ADSI 2.5 adds support for features unique to Active Directory. Other supported directory services include Novell’s NDS and those that are compliant with version 3 of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) such as the Netscape Directory Service.
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Additional support for OLE DB. ADSI integration with the Microsoft OLE DB common data access framework enables the millions of developers who understand database-centric client/server programming to write directory-enabled applications with no new learning required. ADSI 2.5 adds support for heterogeneous joins, distributed query features in Microsoft SQL Server TM 7.0, and Microsoft OLE DB DataLink to enable quick reporting and simplified development of forms-based applications.
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An extensibility model. ADSI includes a framework of COM objects that simplifies common directory programming tasks. ADSI 2.5 provides a way for application developers to extend this framework with their own COM objects to add functionality to ADSI while maintaining the same simple and consistent paradigm.
“ADSI 2.5 is what enables Entevo’s DirectManage product to manage user accounts and resource access in Windows NT Server 4.0, Microsoft Exchange Server, Novell’s NDS and Windows 2000 from a single management interface,”
said Prashanth Viswanath, president and chief technology officer of Entevo Corp.
“The fact that we were able to interface with these directories entirely using ADSI 2.5 enabled us to shorten our product cycle significantly, offer greater functionality to our customers and be ready for Windows 2000.”
Further Information
ADSI 2.5 is available for download immediately from the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/adsi/ . More information about Windows 2000 and its Active Directory directory service can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/ .
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“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, Active Directory, Windows, Windows NT and Visual Basic are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
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For more information, press only:
Troy Zaboukos, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 443-7000, [email protected]
