Specifications

22 Chapter 1 Directory Service Concepts
After login, the user could choose “Connect to Server” from the Go menu and connect
to Mac OS X Server for file service. In this case, Open Directory on the server searches
for the user’s record in the server’s local directory domain. If the server’s local directory
domain has a record for the user (and the user types the correct password), the server
grants the user access to the file services.
When you first set up a Mac OS X computer, its local directory domain is automatically
created and populated with records. For example, a user record is created for the user
who performed the installation. It contains the user name and password entered
during setup, as well as other information, such as a unique ID for the user and the
location of the user’s home directory.
About Shared Directory Domains
While Open Directory on any Mac OS X computer can store administrative data in the
computer’s local directory domain, the real power of Open Directory is that it lets
multiple Mac OS X computers share administrative data by storing the data in shared
directory domains. When a computer is configured to use a shared domain, any
administrative data in the shared domain is also visible to applications and system
software running on that computer.
If Open Directory does not find a user’s record in the local domain of a Mac OS X
computer, Open Directory can search for the user’s record in any shared domains to
which the computer has access. In the following example, the user can access both
computers because the shared domain accessible from both computers contains a
record for the user.
Local
directory
domain
Local
directory
domain
Log in to
Mac OS X
Connect to Mac OS X
Server for file service
Shared
directory
domain
Local
directory
domain
Local
directory
domain
Log in to
Mac OS X
Connect to Mac OS X
Server for file service
LL2352.Book Page 22 Friday, August 22, 2003 3:12 PM