Every object in the Microsoft Active Directory directory service is an instance of an object class that is defined in the Active Directory schema. An object class represents a category of objects that share a set of common characteristics, such as users, printers, or programs. The definition for each object class contains a list of the attributes that can be used to describe instances of the class.
The
InetOrgPerson object class is a general purpose object class that defines attributes about people in Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and X.500 directories and that is included with the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory.
Note The
InetOrgPerson objects are based on the standard defined in Internet RFC 2798, and are provided primarily for interoperability with third-party systems.
The
InetOrgPerson object is designed to be used as an outward facing security context. Therefore, it is ideal for use as e-mail recipients for external users or for Internet access to mail in a hosting scenario.
Note You can only create
InetOrgPerson objects if you are running a Windows Server 2003 domain controller.
InetOrgPerson objects can be mail-enabled or mailbox-enabled only in a native Exchange 2003 topology.
When you right-click the
InetOrgPerson object in the Active Directory Users and Computers management console, the object does not always have an
Exchange tasks option. Only computers that are running Exchange 2003 components, such as Exchange System Manager or the Active Directory Connector (ADC) services snap-in will have the
Exchange tasks option for the
InetOrgPerson object.
Exchange 2003 support for mail-enabled or for mailbox-enabled
InetOrgPerson objects appears in the following table:
Exchange Versions in the Site Mail-enabled InetOrgPerson Supported?
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Exchange 2003, Exchange 2000, Exchange Server Not Supported
Exchange 2003, Exchange Server Not Supported
Exchange 2003, Exchange 2000 Supported on servers with the Exchange 2003 Maildsmx.dll registered
Exchange 2003 Supported
The Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in automatically loads code in Maildsmx.dll to display additional tabs when you view the properties of a user account.
Exchange Server mailboxes can be configured to have an associated Windows account (Primary Windows NT accounts) that are
InetOrgPerson objects. The ADC may partially replicate these objects, however this is not a supported scenario as
InetOrgPerson objects are not supported in scenarios with an ADC installed.