With Windows Services for Unix version 2.0, Microsoft has filled in some holes and improved the operational quality of the software. However, new problems have been introduced, and not all of the old problems have been eliminated. In addition, some of the new features are dependent upon the product being deployed on Windows 2000 servers, which is not an option for everyone who wants this functionality.

Windows 2000 uses Dynamic DNS to add and delete resource records in DNS on the fly, letting Windows 2000 systems (or a DHCP server) modify host-name-to-address mappings dynamically without using NetBIOS queries. In addition, Active Directory systems use the DNS Service Location resource record for registering and locating the special-purpose servers, such as the Windows 2000 Active Directory domain controllers and catalog servers.

NetWare 5 signifies a major redefinition for Novell the company, signifying its egress from the general NOS market, and the beginnings of its transformation into a company whose business is based entirely upon directory services.

The biggest problem facing LDAP today is the tight coupling to X.500. The most-vocal proponents of X.500 technology maintain that it should not be expanded beyond general white pages purposes. But if LDAP is to succeed, then it must provide access to a variety of network services other than 'people' data, meaning LDAP must be separated from X.500 entirely.

Continuing their push into corporate networks, Netscape Communications recently released SuiteSpot 3.5, a compilation of Netscape's Web, mail, groupware, and directory-server offerings. The key feature in SuiteSpot 3.5 is an increased focus on directory integration, with the various servers using Netscape's Directory Server as a common authentication and access-control repository.

The first round of products from Novonyx -- the joint effort between Netscape and Novell to port Netscape's SuiteSpot line to the NetWare platform -- debuts today, and for the most part the products work well. However, minor inconsistencies, different management tools, and the normal spate of early-release bugs keep them from being 'must-have' products.

I'm tired of trying to make all my systems speak NFS when they all do such a poor job of it. Likewise, I'm sick of trying to synchronize my NDS-, NIS- and NT-based authentication services when each of the NOSes demand on being the primary source, refusing to even boot without a local copy of the data. So much for cross-platform networking!

First there was e-mail. Then web browsers. According to the folks who ought to know, a unified directory service is going to be networking's next Killer App. Although lots of progress has been made, we're miles away from commodity-class directory access.

Directory services can break the chain of network drudgery and bring unprecedented rewards through increased productivity and management. Then why aren't you running them on your network?

Mainframes. Midrange systems. Unix boxes and LAN servers. PCs, more PCs, Macintoshes and oh-wait-don't-forget-about-those-other-PCs. No wonder you're going crazy. Just as you begin to think of TCP/IP as the panacea for at least a minimal set of unified, vendor-independent network services, you discover that it falls short of providing most of what you'd expect from a contemporary network operating system. It falls way short.