All Active Directory objects provide two methods—GetInfo and SetInfo—to provide simple caching for properties. Operations that involve getting and setting properties occur in the cache.
A caller can obtain a property value from an Active Directory object at any time after obtaining the object. The caller need not call GetInfo first. If the property in question has not been previously retrieved, the provider is responsible for retrieving and caching it to satisfy the request. Subsequent requests will be satisfied from the cached value.
GetInfo is called to explicitly refresh the object's cached properties from the underlying directory. By calling GetInfo, the caller ensures that the property values are current as of the time of the GetInfo call. If the GetInfo method is executed after changes are made to the local object's cache but before the SetInfo method is executed, the changes are discarded. GetInfo allows the client to provide hints about which properties it uses, so that the provider can optimize network access.
SetInfo is called to write an object back to the underlying directory. No changes are made to an object's properties within the directory until the SetInfo method is called.