Meaning – A central directory, or a central directory server, is a network node that is responsible for maintaining a directory of resources throughout the network. The CDS server provides some similar function to that of a CMC host in a subarea network. While a CMC is a central place for network management information that operates and controls the network, a CDS manages only the directory functions, not the operational and network management functions that a CMC also provides.
When a network node needs to search for a resource, it first sends request to the central node, which then searches for the location of the resource and relays it to the respective network node.
Example of usage – “If the resource is still not found, the central directory server notifies the node that originally requested the search that the search is unsuccessful.”
