Infrastructure Information

Infrastructure information determines how the components of a directory service behave and how directory entry information is interpreted. It includes the directory schema, knowledge information, and component configuration information.

Schema

The directory schema is the set of rules that describes the data that can be stored in the directory. It defines the types of entries permitted, their attribute structure, and the syntax of the attributes. Sun Directory Services contains a pre-defined schema, which you can modify, with certain restrictions. See "Modifying the Schema" for details of how to modify the schema.

Knowledge Information and Referrals

A directory server uses knowledge information to pass requests for information to other servers. The knowledge information held by a directory server is a reference to a directory server holding other naming contexts. When a server receives a request for information, it checks whether it can respond to the request using the information in the local data store. If it cannot, it checks the referral defined for the data store, and returns the details of an alternate directory server to the directory client. The client can then send the request to the other directory server. Some clients contact the alternate server automatically, so the referral mechanism is transparent to the user. Other clients return the referral information to the user.

See "Example: Naming Contexts in XYZ Corporation" for an example of how referrals are used.