All policies are stored in a central configuration repository, such
as an LDAP server. A profile is the term for a group
of semantically coherent configuration settings. A Configuration Agent, running
on each client machine, is responsible for retrieving the profile data from
the LDAP server, and for caching the data locally. The Configuration Agent periodically
checks for any changes on the LDAP server, and updates the cache accordingly.
Furthermore, the Configuration Agent sends notifications to all interested applications.
Desktop applications, such as StarOffice
, Mozilla
, Evolution
or GNOME
, read the policies by means of corresponding adapters. These
adapters encapsulate the necessary communication with the cache and the Configuration Agent.