# Create LDAP Server or Active Directory Server elements

If you want to use an external directory server, you must create an element to define the parameters for contacting the server and the LDAP object classes.

You define the directory parameters in an LDAP Server element. If you are using an Active Directory server, you can define both the directory and the authentication parameters in the same Active Directory Server element. If you use administrative Domains, use a separate external LDAP Server or Active Directory Server in each Domain to create user accounts that are specific to each Domain.