Class of Service (CoS) is a mechanism that allows a user to share attributes between directory entries in a way transparent to an application. A CoS scheme includes a CoS Definition entry and a CoS Template entry. These two entries interact to provide attribute values to target entries within their CoS "scope". In Classic CoS, an attribute-value pair is matched with a target entry based on the target entry's DN. The CoS Definition entry, which is stored as an LDAP subentry below the branch at which it is effective, identifies the type of CoS being used. The Template entry contains a list of attribute values that are shared. Any change made to the template entry's attribute values is automatically applied to all entries that share the attribute.