Using Apple Open Directory in macOS is a great way to manage user accounts and groups across multiple devices within your organization. To set up and use Open Directory, follow these simple steps:1. Open the “System Preferences” on your Mac.2. Click on “Users & Groups” and then on the lock icon to enter your administrator password.3. Click on the “+” button to add a new network account server.4. Select “Open Directory Utility” from the list of available servers.5. Click on the gear icon in the bottom left corner and choose “Change Settings.”6. Enter the IP address or hostname of the Open Directory server and click “Bind.”7. Enter the administrator credentials for the Open Directory server to authenticate the connection.8. Once connected, you can now manage user accounts and groups using the Open Directory utility.By following these steps, you can easily set up and use Apple Open Directory in macOS to streamline user account management in your organization.

Directory Services provides a central place to store users and passwords for corporate and enterprise users. Here’s how to use it on macOS.

Many enterprises today have a need for a central place to store information about users, passwords, groups, computers, and other networked entities.

In most organizations, this need is filled by the use of either Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) servers or, in the case of Windows Server Microsoft’s directory services built on LDAP, Active Directory.

When Apple bought NeXT in 1997 and released Mac OS X in 2000, it offered its own directory services included with OS X called NetInfo.

Along with NetInfo, Apple shipped an app called NetInfo Manager which was later renamed to Directory Utility. This allowed users to access NetInfo servers for user and group information.

Collectively these services are known as Directory Services. The idea behind directory services is to consolidate all user and device info in one place and use those services to authorize users for network resource access.

NetInfo was not popular with users or administrators, and it was removed from Mac OS X in version 10.4 Tiger. Instead, Apple began to migrate towards LDAP as it had become the standard for directory services.

Mac OS X Server

After Apple shipped Mac OS X Server, which included an LDAP server as well as other services, Mac OS X Server was later consolidated into an add-on app simply called “Server.” The app be downloaded from the Mac App Store and added to the retail version of macOS.

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