Specifications

20 Chapter 1 Directory Service Concepts
• Folder and file access: After logging in successfully, a user can access files and
folders. Mac OS X uses another data item from the user record—the user ID (UID)—
to determine the user’s access privileges for a file or folder that the user wants to
access. When a user accesses a folder or file, the file system compares this user’s UID
to the UID assigned to the folder or file. If the UIDs are the same, the file system
grants owner privileges (usually read and write privileges) to the user. If the UIDs are
different, the user doesn’t get owner privileges.
• Home directories: Each user record in a directory domain stores the location of the
user’s home directory, which is also known as the user’s home folder. This is where
the user keeps personal files, folders, and preferences. A user’s home directory can be
located on a particular computer that the user always uses or on a network file
server.
• Automount share points: Share points can be configured to automount (appear
automatically) in the /Network folder (the Network globe) in the Finder windows of
client computers. Information about these automount share points is stored in a
directory domain. Share points are folders, disks, or disk partitions that you have
made accessible over the network.
• Mail account settings: Each user’s record in a directory domain specifies whether
the user has mail service, which mail protocols to use, how to present incoming mail,
whether to alert the user when mail arrives, and more.
• Resource usage: Disk, print, and mail quotas can be stored in each user record of a
directory domain.
• Managed client information: The administrator can manage the Mac OS X
environment of users whose account records are stored in a directory domain. The
administrator makes mandatory preference settings that are stored in the directory
domain and override users’ personal preferences.
• Group management: In addition to user records, a directory domain also stores
group records. Each group record affects all users who are in the group. Information
in group records specifies preferences settings for group members. Group records
also determine access to files, folders, and computers.
LL2352.Book Page 20 Friday, August 22, 2003 3:12 PM