Difference between Likewise Storage and Active Directory

Difference between Likewise Storage and Active Directory

Likewise Storage Services and Active Directory: How are they related?

Active Directory is the Framework use by Microsoft Windows Server which starts on 1996. The Active Directory was first introduced in Windows 2000 Server. Active Directory is a service where the data is stored about users and information.

Active Directory Service is Categorize into three divisions of network infrastructure in hierarchical form. The divisions are called the Forest which is the highest level, the trees and the domains. Domains are the individual servers which serve to the local network. Inside the Trees are the Domains which are composing of one or more domain and the Forest are the view of the whole Directory Service down to the clients.

Let’s have an analogy to these structures. Open your hard disk drive; let’s say the drive C. Look the structure in your hard drive, the C: which is the root directory, which will be called as the Forest in our analogy. Inside the root directory (C:) you will see folders and those are the Trees in our Active Directory structure and inside those folders are sub-folders which is a sample of domains in our Directory Service Structure and next on that are files which are called to be the local machines or the client to the domains.

Domains are used to set and organized objects within the network. Those objects are computers, printers, devices, folders and files. Policy for each object was managed within the Active Directory Service. This is for the network administration. Users or clients has given the access by the Domain Administrator only to what is set inside the Directory Service. Like for instance a network printer was shared only to the Group of Accounting, Marketing group cannot access to the printer. Another one is all computers within the network can be accessed by IT Group but not the Accounting Department. Files and folders can be restricted also through the directory service. User access to the network can be scheduled. That’s how the Directory Service was used.

Likewise Storage Services is the new Network File System (NFS) module to widen the Cross-Platform network resource access and environment management of the Network and virtual Cloud. It links storage from or across different network environments such as Microsoft Windows platforms, Unix environment and Linux platform. It has the security model to access files and storage across the Microsoft Windows, Linux and UNIX platform. It provides secured access to all data within the network or in the virtual environments as well as on physical and in the cloud.

With this system (Likewise Storage Service), you can access files and folders shared in Microsoft Windows, Linux and UNIX. Not just for accessing file and storage shares but also managing folders and files in Microsoft Windows, Linux and UNIX clients.

How it Works?

Likewise Storage System provides Server Side and Client Side systems with common windows network functions or Common Internet File System or the CIFS. Also integrated to the system are the Server Message Block or the SMB and SMB2 and the Network File System V3 support In order to communicate Windows, Linux and UNIX clients over the network. This will enable both of them can access Files and Folders within their cloud. For the Active Directory compatibility which is known in Windows platform users in Linux side needs to have installed FUSE module or the Likewise Storage Services File system in User space.

Likewise Storage Services was shortly describe as the mediator between Windows, Linux and UNIX networks. Just like the Internet which is the foundation of the system wherein different languages understand each other.

For Likewise Open free download go to here: http://download.cnet.com/Likewise-Open/3000-2651_4-10891782.html