Vision

Standards

Performance Metrics

Organizational coordination, standardization across applications, ease of implementation, ease of administration.

Usage and Dependencies

Industry Usage: Directory services provide a unified structure for data used by many applications within one comprehensive database. This provides a stable but flexible foundation for continued development of applications and cybersecurity infrastructures. However, for 90 percent of all enterprises, a single enterprise directory will not be able to be achieved through year-end 2002 (Gartner Group).

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server supports Active Directory as the primary Windows 2000 directory service. AD will provide single login and management to LDAP-based directories, NT Server Active Directory, and NDS, among others. It will support diverse "directory-enabled" applications such as e-mail, fax servers, and databases. These features support better management of Internet- and Intranet-based applications and users.

SC Usage: Novell Directory Services (NDS) has been removed from the SC network. Currently, NT Shares (Windows NT) provide the Access Control Lists for users, and Exchange 5.5 provides DLs for email.

SC will implement Active Directory at some point after all the servers have been migrated to Windows 2000 and Exchange 2000. Since an Active Directory forest should be created with an enterprise-wide scope, this deployment may be constrained by the DOE CIO schedule.

SC Application Impacts: Most or all identified applications will benefit from standardized directory services. Active Directory will support almost all other application-based technology elements at SC. It is particularly important for supporting the Cybersecurity upgrades.

References

Previous TPS Report
MS Active Directory