Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services
Purpose
Microsoft Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) is an independent mode of Active Directory that provides dedicated directory services for applications.
Where applicable
Although AD LDS independently provides directory storage and access for applications, AD LDS uses the same standard application programming interfaces (APIs) as Active Directory to manage and access the application data. The resulting conceptual and programming compatibility makes AD LDS ideal for applications that require directory services, but do not require the complete infrastructure features of Active Directory.
Developer audience
AD LDS is a directory services solution for developers who are familiar with programming for Active Directory. Developers who are unfamiliar with Active Directory will find that integrating AD LDS as a directory service for their applications is easier than using the complete features of Active Directory. In both cases, AD LDS provides a directory services solution for developers who seek compatibility and consistency with Active Directory.
Run-time requirements
AD LDS runs with the full feature set on the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 operating system. Previous versions of AD LDS (ADAM) can run on any edition of Windows Server 2003 and on Microsoft Windows XP Professional.
In this section
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General information about AD LDS.
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Tasks and examples of programming with AD LDS.
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AD LDS programming elements.
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