Resource Information

To fulfill the requests of users, some Oracle components gather data from various repositories and services. To gather the data, these components require the following information:

• Information specifying the type of resource from which the data is to be gathered. The type of resource could be, for example, an Oracle Database. This is called resource type information.

• Information for connecting and authenticating users to the resources. This is called resource access information.

This section contains these topics:

• Resource Type Information

• Resource Access Information

• Location of Resource Information in the DIT

Resource Type Information

Information about the resources that an application uses to service a user request is called resource type information. A resource type can be, for example, an Oracle9i Database Server or a Java Database Connectivity Pluggable Data Source. Resource type information includes such items as the class used to authenticate a user, the user identifier, and the password.

You specify resource type information by using the Oracle Internet Directory Self-Service Console.

Resource Access Information

Information for connecting and authenticating users to the databases is called resource access information. It is stored in an entry called a resource access descriptor (RAD) from which it can be retrieved and shared by various Oracle components.

For example, to service the request of a user for a sales report, Oracle Application Server Reports Services queries multiple databases. When it does this, it does the following:

1. Retrieves the necessary connect information from the RAD

2. Uses that information to connect to those databases and to authenticate the user requesting the data

Once it has done this, it compiles the report.

You specify resource access information by using the Oracle Internet Directory Self-Service Console. You can specify resource access information for each individual user or commonly for all users. In the latter case, all users connecting to a given application use, by default, the same information to connect to the necessary databases. Oracle Corporation recommends defining default resource access information whenever an application has its own integrated account management--for example, where each user is defined within the application itself by means of a unique single sign-on user name.

Location of Resource Information in the DIT

Figure 2-10 shows where resource information is located in the DIT.

Figure 2-10 Placement of Resource Access and Resource Type Information in the DIT

Text description of the illustration oidag126.gif

As Figure 2-10 shows, the resource access and resource type information is stored in the Oracle Context.

Resource access information for each user is stored in the cn=User Extensions node in the Oracle Context. In this example, the cn=User Extensions node contains resource access information for both the default user and for specific users. In the latter cases, the resource access information includes that needed for accessing both the Sales and the Bug databases.

Resource access information for each application is stored in the object identified by the application name--in this example, cn=Oracle Application Server Reports Services, cn=Products,cn=Oracle Context,dc=us,dc=acme,dc=com. This is the user information specific to that product.

Resource type information is stored in the container cn=resource types, cn=common,cn=products,cn=Oracle Context.

See Also: "Managing Resource Access Information" for instructions for an end user to specify resource access information Creating User Entries by Using the Oracle Internet Directory Self-Service Console for instructions for an administrator to specify resource access information when creating user entries "Configuring Default Resource Access Information" for instructions for an administrator to define commonly used resources that all users automatically inherit "Configuring Resource Type Information" for instructions for an administrator to specify resource types "Plug-in Schema Elements" Oracle Application Server Reports Services Publishing Reports to the Web