On the Application Directory Partition page, you can create a new application directory partition during setup for Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS). An application directory partition holds data that is specific to one or more directory-enabled applications. The Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services Setup Wizard does not require that you create an application directory partition. You can also create application directory partitions anytime after you create an AD LDS instance.

If you choose to create an application directory partition, you must specify a distinguished name for the new partition. AD LDS supports both X.500-style and Domain Name System (DNS)–style distinguished names. When you specify an application partition in AD LDS, you can use any of the distinguished name attribute types in the following table. You must include at least one attribute in the distinguished name that you specify.

Distinguished name attribute Type

C

Country/region

CN

Container

DC

Domain component

L

Locality

O

Organization

OU

Organizational unit

Example:

CN=Partition1,DC=Woodgrove,DC=COM

Important

If you want to add organizational unit (OU) containers in your application directory partition, limit the distinguished name that you specify to the following object classes: OU, C, O, and DC. By default, OUs can be added only under these object classes. For example, you can add an OU to o=Microsoft,c=US. You cannot add an OU to cn=test,o=Microsoft,c=US.

Additional references