!!! Apple Directory Services
Rather than repeat it all here, I will defer to [Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Open_Directory|target='_blank'] for most information.

Basically Apple uses [OpenLDAP] and a corresponding authentication model composed of Apple Password Server and [Kerberos] 5 tied together using a modular Directory Services system.


!!!Directory Services Framework
In a more general sense, Open Directory can describe the plugins model used by Directory Utility and the directory services framework in Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server. This could be thought of as analogous to the [Name Service Switch|Name Service Switch] systems of some other Unix-like operating systems. When connected to a directory system, a Mac OS X client or Server can authenticate users, lookup contacts, perform service discovery and name resolution with the following types of directories:
* Authentication & Contacts
** [Microsoft Active Directory]
** [LDAPv3], including an Open Directory domain or [RFC 2307]-compliant system
** Apple/NeXT NetInfo domains
** [BSD] flat files and [NIS]
* Service Discovery & Name Resolution
** [AppleTalk]
** [Microsoft Windows] ([NetBIOS] and [WINS])
** [Service Location Protocol] ([SLP])
** Multicast [DNS] ([Bonjour]/[Zeroconf])

! [Apple Computer OID|1.3.6.1.4.1.63]
[Apple Computer OID|1.3.6.1.4.1.63] is used to define their custom [LDAP Schema|LDAP Schema] extensions.

!! More Information
There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:
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