A class is a type of object in a Directory, such as a user, a server, or a group. An attribute is a Directory element that defines additional information about a specific object. For example, a User object attribute might be a user's surname or phone number. In NetWare Administrator, classes are called object types or classes and attributes are called properties.
A schema is a set of rules that defines the classes and attributes allowed in a Directory and the structure of a Directory (where the classes can be in relationship to one another). Because the schemas of the LDAP directory and the NDS Directory are different, mapping of LDAP classes and attributes to the appropriate NDS objects and attributes is necessary. These mappings define the name conversion from the LDAP schema to the NDS schema.
LDAP Services for NDS provides default mappings. In many cases, the correspondence between the LDAP classes and attributes and the NDS object types and properties is logical and intuitive. However, depending on your implementation needs, you might want to reconfigure the class and attribute mapping.
In most instances, the LDAP class to NDS object type mapping is a one-to-one relationship. However, the LDAP schema supports a feature called auxiliary class support that allows an object to be associated with more than one class.