NCS maintains an online database, often referred to as the ph directory, which contains information about faculty, staff, and students. The ph directory was deployed in November 1994, and has since evolved to become an integral part of the University's operations. The ph directory now provides several services in addition to being the campus electronic phonebook. The ph directory was created to help people find telephone numbers and email addresses. Ph and QI were developed by the Computing and Communication Services Office, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Directory services provide authentication and authorization for some services.
The ph directory currently provides authentication for TNS' ERA service, CAS'UNIX account registration, and some campus WWW servers. ERA users dialing into the authenticated modem pool enter their ph name and password, and the system verifies that the person dialing in is actually authorized to do so. A unique name or alias is automatically assigned to each person, using the first initial and last name. For example, the ph alias for Cathy Smith would be csmith. When a new name would map to an alias that has already been assigned, a number is appended.