A replacement for the NetInfo service in NeXTSTEP and early Mac OS X, Open Directory is an LDAPv3 service delivered as Directory Services, and essential to permissions, authentication and more.
Open Directory
Advanced settings for users have been moved out of Users & Groups, but are still accessible in Directory Utility for those who are careful not to do anything hazardous.
The first version of its predecessor, NetInfo, also handled DNS lookups. When they failed, users found they were locked out of everything else. This has improved!
Accessing information about you as a user and a great deal more, using the Advanced Options dialog for user accounts, and Directory Utility.
Changing permissions is straightforward in the Finder or command line. But how would you go about changing a file/folder’s owner or group?
These services don’t often appear in the limelight, but the recent vulnerability in High Sierra reminds us how important they still are.
It is possible for a server administrator to lock themselves out of a Mac server. Here’s how to break back in.
The Eclectic Light Company 