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# Getting Started

> The lessons in the Getting Started trail offer a quick introduction to the Java Naming and Directory InterfaceTM (JNDI), providing the background information for understanding the rest of the material in this tutorial. They touch on the fundamental concepts in naming and directory systems, give a brief JNDI overview, and show how to write a simple Java application that uses the JNDI. If you are already familiar with naming and directory concepts, then you can skip this trail and proceed to The Basics trail.

> The Naming and Directory Concepts lesson talks about fundamental concepts in naming and directory systems. It describes the role of such services in computer systems and what it means for an application to be directory-enabled.

> The JNDI Overview describes the JNDI architecture and gives a quick rundown of its three major components: the naming model, the directory model, and the service provider model.

> > Before you go on: We strongly encourage you to try the examples that accompany this tutorial as you go along. To do that, you will need the JNDI classes and a 1.1.2 or higher version of the Java platform software (such as the Java Development Kit (JDK) software). The examples in this tutorial can also be downloaded from the JNDI Web site.

> > The JDK provides a compiler that you can use to compile Java programs. It also provides an interpreter for running Java applications. To run Java applets, you can use the JDK Applet Viewer or any Java-compatible Web browser, such as the HotJava browser.

> The Examples lesson provides two examples that use the JNDI. The first shows how to look up an object and the second shows how to read an attribute from a directory service.

> The Common Problems lesson contains descriptions and solutions to common problems that you might encounter when you first start using the JNDI.

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