OSI Directory Service defines a powerful mechanism for storing and retrieving information about objects, and for arranging those objects in a hierarchical structure. Many types of objects and information can be stored in The Directory, including white pages information, application information, service information, etc. The OSI protocol defined to allow access to this information is the Directory Access Protocol (DAP). The DAP, being an OSI application-layer program, is fairly heavy-weight and requires a substantial amount of computing power and coding investment to implement. The DIXIE protocol is designed for use by smaller hosts (e.g., Macintoshes and PCs) that do not have the computing power or necessary software to implement a full OSI protocol stack. The DIXIE protocol is also useful for any Internet application that wants a simple interface to X.500 that requires very little coding investment.