Netscape NETSCAPE CONSOLE 6.0 - MANAGING SERVERS, Manual

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Chapter 1
Introducing Netscape Console and
Administration Server
Netscape Console and Administration Server Version 6.0 are two parts of a system
that lets you manage Netscape software and users in your enterprise. This chapter
presents a high-level overview of what this system is and how you can use it to
work with resources across your network.
In order to run most Netscape software, you must first install Netscape Directory
Server. By default, when you do this, Netscape Console and Administration Server
are automatically installed for you. Although Netscape Directory Server, Netscape
Console, and Netscape Administration Server work tightly with one another, each
plays a specific role in the management of servers, applications, and users.
Netscape Directory Server stores server and application configuration settings as
well as user information. This data is used by other servers in the enterprise.
Typically, application and server configuration information is stored in one subtree
of Netscape Directory Server while user and group entries are stored in another
subtree. If you have a large enterprise, however, you can store your configuration
and user information in separate
instances of Directory Server (which can be on the
same host machine or on two different host machines). When the terms
configuration directory and user directory are used in this guide, they refer to where
the configuration information and the user information is stored—either in the
subtrees of a single instance of Directory Server or in two separate instances of
Directory Server.
Netscape Console is the front-end management application for Netscape software
in your enterprise. It finds all servers and applications registered in your
configuration directory, displays them in a graphical interface, and lets you
manage and configure them. In addition, Netscape Console provides graphical
tools for locating and managing entries in the user directory. Figure 1-1 shows
Netscape Console’s interface.