NetWare 4.1/9000 Concepts

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NetWare Glossary
D
Directory services request
A request made to the Directory database by users or network supervisors.
NetWare Directory Services requests can be divided into three types:
• Directory access requests. These requests are submitted by users who are
accessing or network supervisors who are managing the Directory database’s
contents.
These requests support the Directory database’s interface and allow objects to be
created, modified, and retrieved.
• Directory access control requests. These requests set access rights to Directory
objects. In this respect, directory access rights resemble file access rights.
• Directory management requests. These requests are submitted by network
supervisors who manage the Directory database’s physical distribution, such as
partitioning.
Directory structure, file system
The system NetWare uses to organize data. Each file is given a filename and
stored at a specific location in a hierarchical system so that it can be located
quickly.
The directory structure consists of
• Directories
• Subdirectories
• Files
NetWare uses a modified hierarchical file system, with multiple root nodes
called volumes. Each volume has its own tree structure with the root node as
the highest point in the structure. Users must switch volumes to access a
volume’s resources.
A volume contains one or more directories. A directory can contain
subdirectories, files, or both. A subdirectory can contain other
subdirectories, files, or both. A file contains data or executable code, but
cannot contain other files or subdirectories.
The file system is analogous to an office filing system, as illustrated in the
following figure.