Types of Service Information

Active Directory can store information that includes data describing the methods of service instantiation and client binding, a critical part of which is binding information. Binding information is information a client uses to connect, or bind, to a service that is available on a network. Binding information encompasses a wide range of possible types of data.

Directory-enabled services can store in Active Directory the type of information that is listed in Table 5.1.

Table   5.1 Types of Service Information That Directory-Enabled Services Can Store

Service Information in Active Directory	Description
client bindings	Service name and connection methods used by the clients of a service to access the service.
administrative bindings	Service name and connection methods used by administrative programs to connect to a service for administrative operations. A single binding can be used for both client and administrative functions.
configuration data	Persistent configuration data about a service can be stored in the directory to use the security and replication capabilities of Active Directory. For example, a database service could store its default configuration for database servers in Active Directory. When a new instance of the database service is installed, the configuration information can be dynamically accessed to simplify installation and ensure consistent configuration.
other service-specific data	Service-specific extensions to the Active Directory schema and object classes that are useful client or administrative information.