In an LDAP distinguished name, which component becomes less specific as it progresses from left to right?

In an LDAP distinguished name (DN), the structure is hierarchical, where each component represents a specific level of the directory's structure. As the distinguished name progresses from left to right, it typically starts with the most specific element and moves to the more general ones.

The concept of relative distinguished names (RDNs) is crucial here. The RDN is composed of an attribute and its associated value, and it uniquely identifies an entry within its parent context. When you move from the leftmost side of the DN (which includes the RDN and is specific to a particular entry) to the rightmost side (where you typically find components such as the domain or organizational units), each succeeding component represents a broader organizational or domain context.

Thus, as you progress from left to right in a DN, the relative distinguished names become less specific, eventually leading to larger and less defined scopes, such as country or organization level components. This reflects a generalization in the hierarchy of the directory entries.

The other options do not capture this relationship as accurately. Common names are often part of the relative distinguished names but do not inherently denote the specificity of the DN structure as a whole. Directory attributes and attribute values relate to properties and descriptions of entries but do not function