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| Sun ONE Directory Server 5.2 Product Brief |
Product Brief
Sun ONE Directory Server 5.2 is a powerful and scalable distributed directory server based on the industry-standard Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). Directory Server software is part of the Sun Open Net Environment (Sun ONE), Sun’s standards-based software vision, architecture, platform, and expertise for building and deploying services on demand.
Directory Server is the cornerstone for building a centralized and distributed data repository that can be used in your intranet, over your extranet with your trading partners, or over the public Internet to reach your customers.
This booklet introduces Sun ONE Directory Server 5.2 and contains the following sections:
What is Sun ONE Directory Server?Sun ONE Directory Server provides global directory services, meaning it provides information to a wide variety of applications. Until recently, many applications bundled their own proprietary databases, each with information about the users specific to that application. While a proprietary database can be convenient if you use only one application, multiple databases become an administrative burden if the databases manage the same information.
For example, suppose your network supports multiple proprietary E-mail systems, each system with its own proprietary directory service. If users change their passwords in one directory, the changes are not automatically replicated in the others. Managing multiple instances of the same information results in increased hardware and personnel costs, a situation referred to as the n+1 directory problem.
A global directory service solves the n+1 directory problem by providing a single, centralized repository of directory information that any application can access. Offering a wide variety of applications access to the directory requires that those applications be able to communicate with the directory over the network in a standard way. Sun ONE Directory Server provides two standard protocols through which applications can access its global directory: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), and Directory Services Markup Language (DSML).
Key Features and BenefitsSun ONE Directory Server 5.2 software provides the foundation for the new generation of e-business applications and Web services, bringing you the features needed to deploy extensible, secure, highly-available, global directory services.
New Functionality in Version 5.2
New in Directory Server 5.2:
- Up to 4-way multi-master replication over wide-area networks (MMR/WAN) for high write availability over multiple data centers
- Simplified migration steps for easier upgrades
- 64-bit large cache support for high volume deployments
- Support for multiple, configurable password policies
- Fractional replication for replicating a selected subset of attributes
- Configurable encryption for all attributes, not only userPassword
- Enhanced server management console for simplified handling of configuration and directory data
- Directory access through DSML v2 for web services
- Improvements to replication failover
- Increased concurrent access for replication updates
- Replication monitoring and management tools to handle large topologies
- Flexible role scope for unified management of static and dynamic groups
- Support for StartTLS on Windows platforms
- Support for virtual attributes in search filters
- Full support for both IPv4 and IPv6
- Support for obtaining effective access control rights
- Sun Cluster agents for additional high availability services
- Performance improvements to handle higher rates of mixed update and search operations
Additional Features
The following are a sample of further features included with Directory Server 5.2:
- Flexible, scalable replication with transaction logging for failure recovery
- Support for online, remote installation and maintenance, including backups, configuration changes, schema updates, and indexing
- Open standards support as indicated in Table 2
- Support for multiple platforms as noted in Table 1
- Automatic replication of access control rules and schema definitions
- Large horizontal and vertical scalability, allowing use of multiple databases
- Support for replication with previous versions of Directory Server
- Support for managed, filtered, and nested roles
- Support for class of service, enabling entries to share attribute values
- Support for server-to-server chaining (client request forwarding)
- Configurable account inactivation
- Extensibility through a rich, fully supported server plug-in API
- Development tools for building directory client applications
Directory Server 5.2 product documentation covers what you need to know to use these features and more. Refer to "Documentation Resources" for more information.
Support for Platforms and StandardsSun ONE Directory Server 5.2 supports a variety of platforms, hardware architectures, and industry standards, so you can build an extensible global directory service that fits your existing infrastructure.
Supported Platforms
Sun ONE Directory Server 5.2 offers support for platforms listed in Table 1.
Supported Standards
Sun ONE Directory Server 5.2 supports a wide variety of industry standards, including those listed in Table 2.
The list of supported standards in Table 2 is by no means exhaustive.
Documentation ResourcesSun ONE Directory Server 5.2 product documentation can be found under the following URL:
http://docs.sun.com/coll/S1_DirectoryServer_52
It is recommended that you read the Sun ONE Directory Server Getting Started Guide and Sun ONE Directory Server Deployment Guide before you begin the installation process.
Directory Server product documentation includes the following documents delivered in both HTML and PDF:
- Sun ONE Directory Server Getting Started Guide - Provides a quick look at many key features of Directory Server 5.2.
- Sun ONE Directory Server Deployment Guide - Explains how to plan directory topology, data structure, security, and monitoring, and discusses example deployments.
- Sun ONE Directory Server Installation and Tuning Guide - Covers installation and upgrade procedures, and provides tips for optimizing Directory Server performance.
- Sun ONE Directory Server Administration Guide - Gives the procedures for using the console and command-line to manage your directory contents and configure every feature of Directory Server.
- Sun ONE Directory Server Reference Manual - Details the Directory Server configuration parameters, commands, files, error messages, and schema.
- Sun ONE Directory Server Plug-In API Programming Guide - Demonstrates how to develop Directory Server plug-ins.
- Sun ONE Directory Server Plug-In API Reference - Details the data structures and functions of the Directory Server plug-in API.
- Sun ONE Server Console Server Management Guide - Discusses how to manage servers using the Administration Server and Java based console.
- Sun ONE Directory Server Resource Kit Tools Reference - Covers installation and features of the Sun ONE Directory Server Resource Kit, including many useful tools.