Chapter 6   Views in Meta-Directory


In joining data, Meta-Directory lets you view information in two ways, in connector views and in meta views. A connector view displays data from an external data source. A meta view displays integrated data from a number of connector views. This chapter contains the following sections:

• Connector Views

• Meta View

• Participating Views

• Refreshing the Views

Connector Views

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A connector view is an LDAP representation of data that resides in an external source. Connector views provide LDAP-ready information to the join engine, which uses this information to build the meta view. In order for data from the connector view to become part of the meta view, the connector view must be enabled as a participating view, in effect, allowing connector view data to flow. Only connector views added to the participating views list will synchronize entries to and from the meta view. (Data can flow in both directions between the meta view and the participating connector view.) The following sections explain how to add and remove connector view instances.

To Add a Connector View Instance

1. Select Connector Views from the Meta-Directory console navigation tree, and right-click.

   A context menu appears.

   
   
   

2. Select New View.

   The New Instance Creation dialog appears.

   
   
   

3. Provide information for the following fields:

   View Name	Enter a name for the connector view. The default is CV#, where # is an integer.
   View ID	Enter no more than five characters to represent a unique ID for the connector. The default is CV#, where # is an integer.
   View Base DN	Enter the base DN under which the view's information will be stored. The default is o=CV#, where # is an integer. (If you are creating a connector view instance for the Universal connector, do not create the location under the root for all Netscape products, o=NetscapeRoot.)
   Data Server URL	Select (or enter) a Directory Server or Oracle database URL where the data will be stored.
   Data Server Bind DN	Enter a DN with which the join engine will authenticate to the Directory Server.
   Data Server Bind Password	Enter the password associated with the bind DN.

4. Click OK.

   The Load Schema dialog box appears:

   
   
   

5. Click Yes to load the schema.

   If the base entry of your schema does not exist, the Subschema Subentry dialog box appears:

   
   
   

   This dialog box appears because Meta-Directory has proprietary attributes that are not contained within the Directory Server.

6. Accept the default location of cn=schema, or provide another subentry, to store these attributes and click OK.

7. The system will create the new instance, which may require several minutes.

   The message "Instance Creation Succeeded" appears after the instance has been created.

   
   

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   Note

   While loading the Meta-Directory schema to a Directory Server instance which does not contain the join engine and meta view configuration information, "cannot delete" error messages might result from the ldapmodify utility trying to delete an entry that does not exist. These messages are not serious. For more information, see Appendix C "Troubleshooting Meta-Directory."

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To Remove a Connector View Instance

1. In the Meta-Directory console, highlight the instance in the navigation tree that you want to remove, and right-click.

   A context menu appears.

2. Choose Delete View.

   The instance is deleted.

Providing a Connector View Description

Descriptive information can be added to an existing or new connector view instance using the following procedure.

1. In the navigation tree of Meta-Directory console, select the connector view for which you want to add a description.

   The General tab displays the values for the View ID, Name, and DN fields that were provided in the New Instance Creation dialog box. These values cannot be changed.

2. Enter descriptive text in the Description field.

3. Click Save.

An Enabled Connector View

The connector view has the same monitoring options as the join engine. These options can be accessed through the Status tab of Meta-Directory console. See "Connector Operations" of Chapter 14 "Monitoring Meta-Directory Components" for more information.

By clicking the Status tab and then selecting the Operations tab, you can check that your connector view is enabled. By default, the connector view is always enabled unless the data is being refreshed, in which case Enabled, in the View window, is replaced by either Refreshing CV.

Meta View

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The meta view is a unified view of entries from one or more connector views; it represents the result of the join process. After the join engine processes the information received from a connector view, it transfers the information to the meta view. (Like the connector view, the meta view is a sub-tree on a Directory Server.) From the meta view, you can view linked entries as well as modify them and send the changes back to the original entries via the connector views. When you create an instance of the join engine, the meta view is created at the same time. You can see the meta view icon in the Meta-Directory console navigation tree under the join engine instance you created. It is an empty meta view until it is joined with at least one connector view. Meta-Directory supports only one meta view per join engine instance.

For information on creating instances of the join engine and creating a meta view, see "Creating the Join Engine Instance" of Chapter 5 "Configuring The Join Engine."

Providing a Meta View Description

Descriptive information can be added to a meta view using the following procedure.

To Provide Descriptive Information for a Meta View

1. Select Meta View from the Meta-Directory console navigation tree.

   The General tab displays the values for the View ID, Name, and DN fields that were provided in the New Instance Creation dialog. These values cannot be changed.

   
   
   

2. Enter descriptive text in the Description field.

3. Click Save.

Participating Views

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In order for a connector view to be accessed by the meta view it must be added as a participating view and configured to participate in the join process. Once a connector view becomes a participating view and is enabled, data can flow bi-directionally between that view and the meta view.

Once a participating view is added, it is configured by applying join process rules to it. Each participating connector view is configured separately. Enabling the participating view is the final step in allowing the connector view to participate in the join process.

Atomic Rules

When choosing join process rules for a participating view, Attribute Flow rules and DN Mapping rules contain a selection called Atomic. Atomic refers to Meta-Directory default rules that flow, map, and join LDAP attributes that are clearly the same. For example, when the join engine applies an atomic attribute flow rule, attributes in the source entry that have no match in the destination entry will not be flowed. When the join engine applies an atomic DN mapping rule, the RDN of the source entry is added to the base DN of the destination view to form a full DN. For instance, an RDN of user1 in a connector view located in cn=user1,ou=cv1,o=iplanet.com would remain the same when applied atomically to the meta view as cn=user1,o=mv.

To Add a Participating View

1. In the navigation tree of the Meta-Directory console, right-click the Participating Views object.

   A context menu appears.

   
   
   

2. Choose Add Participating View.

   The Select View dialog box appears.

   
   
   

3. Select the connector view or views you want to participate in a synchronization to the meta view.

4. Click OK.

   Selected views are added to the navigation tree as shown below.

   
   
   

To Remove a Participating View

1. Highlight the view you want to remove, and right-click.

   A context menu appears.

2. Select Delete View.

   The view is deleted.

Configuring a Participating View

Before enabling a participating view, you need to configure it so that data flow between the connector view and the meta view can be managed. Join process rules are applied to the participating view which the join engine will then apply to the connector view entries. In addition, you can specify capability settings, refresh schedules and group filters for each participating view.

To Configure a Participating View

1. Select the participating connector view you want to configure and choose the Configuration tab from the right panel.

   The Configuration tab for a participating connector view contains a set of drop-down lists that allow you to apply the rules for the join process.

   
   
   

2. Select the appropriate combinations of rules from the drop-down list boxes, and click Save.
   1. Select rule sets for Attribute Flow, Join Rules, DN Mapping Rules, and Filters. The choices are derived from the rules that you set up in "Creating the Join Engine Instance" of Chapter 5 "Configuring The Join Engine."

   2. For Entry Default Ownership, select Connector or Meta View for each of these two drop-down lists:
      • The selection made in To Connector specifies the view that owns the entries replicated from the meta view to the connector view.

      • The selection made in To Meta View specifies the view that owns the entries replicated from the connector view to the meta view.

      When an entry is owned by either the meta view or the connector view, it can only be deleted through that view. By default, an entry is owned by the view from which it originates; the default ownership can be changed with this option.

      
      

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      Note

      Ownership here is not the same as granularity and ownership discussed in Chapter 7 "Connectors and Connector Rules." The values discussed here refer to ownership of entries shared between the connector view and the meta view. Chapter 7 refers to ownership of entries shared between the data source and a connector view.

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   3. For Entry Default Membership, select Member of CV or Not A Member of CV for each of these two drop-down lists:
      • The selection made in To Connector specifies whether new entries will or will not be members of the connector view as the data flows from the meta view to the connector view.

      • The selection made in To Meta View specifies whether new entries will or will not be members of the connector view as the data flows from the connector view to the meta view.

      Membership identifies an entry within a connector view that is native to the data source represented by the connector view. Rules can then be configured and applied based on the attributes that are already present in the data source.

3. Select the Capabilities tab.

   
   
   

   The Capabilities tab contains a set of options that control the behavior of data flow back and forth between the meta view and connector view. Select the Capabilities you want:

   Attributes Flow to Connector View	Additions and changes to attributes in a meta view entry are sent to the connector view if there are suitable attribute flow rules.
   Attributes Flow to Meta View	Additions and changes to attributes in a connector view entry are sent to the meta view if there are suitable attribute flow rules.
   Entries Flow to Connector View	Entries added to a meta view are sent to the connector view if there are suitable DN mapping and attribute flow rules.
   Entries Flow to Meta View	Entries added to a connector view are sent to the meta view if there are suitable DN mapping and attribute flow rules.
   Delete Entry from Connector View	Deletes the entry in connector view if either: The corresponding meta view (or different connector view) entry has been deleted, or The connector view you are configuring does not own the entity.
   Re-Add Entry to Connector View	Re-adds a deleted connector view entry if either: An agent other than the join engine has deleted the connector view entry, or The connector view you are configuring does not own the entity.

4. Select the Schedule tab.

   
   
   

   In the Schedule tab, you can configure a refresh schedule for the participating connector view. (If no schedule is configured, the view will only be refreshed manually.)

   1. Click New to add a new schedule entry.

      The scheduler can operate as many times as once every second; therefore, the finest granularity occurs every second.

   2. Change the default values in the list boxes and field entries at the bottom of the window to schedule the desired task.

      Alternatively, you can provide settings in a tabular format by clicking Advanced... The Advanced Schedule Options dialog box appears.

      
      
      

      Numerals can be used in the Advanced Schedule Options fields:

      Field Name	Value
      Second Specifier	Enter a value from 0 to 59.
      Minute Specifier	Enter a value from 0 to 59.
      Hour Specifier	Enter a value from 0 to 23.
      Day Specifier	Enter a value from 1 to 31.
      Month Specifier	Enter a value from 1 to 12.
      Day of the Week Specifier	Enter a value from 0 to 6, where 0 is Sunday and 6 is Saturday.

      When configuring a schedule with numerals, both single values and ranges (such as 1,2,5-7,10/5) can be used.

      Expressions can also be used in the Advanced Schedule Options fields:

      Expression	Definition
      *	Matches any value.
      */step	Matches any value in increments. For example, */2 matches 0,2,4,6... up to the maximum allowed value for values that start with zero, or it matches 1,3,5,7... up to the maximum value allowed.
      x-y	Specifies a range where: Both x and y are greater than or equal to the minimum allowed value. y is less than or equal to the maximum allowed value. x is less than y. The expression matches any value in the range.
      x-y/step	Specifies a range as above, but with a step value that is not necessarily 1.
      x	Specifies a single number within the allowed range.
      x/step	Matches any value starting at x and then at x + step, x + 2*step, and so forth.
      x,y,z...	Specifies a comma-separated list of values.
      x-y,z-q	Specifies a comma-separated list of ranges.

   3. Click Update.

      Your specifications appear in the Current Schedule. For instance, if you wanted to refresh only the meta view beginning at 30 minutes past the hour, every 60 minutes between 2 and 6 on Sunday, the Current Schedule would appear as shown:

      
      
      

5. Select the Group Filters tab.

   
   
   

   The Group Filters tab enables you to create one or more filters for LDAP data sources. You can use the group filters to refresh entries of a connector view only. The format of the filter is (attribute=value). Note that the parentheses are part of the syntax.

   When you refresh groups, the join engine refreshes only the entries that match the group filter or filters you have specified. For information about refreshing groups, see "Join Engine Operations".

6. Click Save when you finished configuring the participating connector view.

To Enable a Participating View

Enabling the participating view is what allows data to flow. You enable the participating view through the Operations tab when the join engine is selected. Before enabling the participating view, make sure it has been added to participating views and has been configured. Then enable it as described next:

1. Click the Status tab from above the navigation tree window in Meta-Directory console.

2. Select the join engine from the navigation tree and click the Operations tab.

3. Select a participating view listed in the View list box that is disabled.

   The View list box has two columns: View and Status. (The size of the View column can be reduced by dragging the column divider to the left; this should make the Status column visible. Both columns can be increased in size by enlarging the console window.) All participating views that have been configured are listed in these columns along with their status: Enabled or Disabled.

4. Choose Enable from the Operation drop-down list.

5. Click Start.

   The status of the view changes from Disabled to Enabled allowing data to flow to the meta view.

Checking Entry Links

There are several reasons why an entry in a connector view might not link up to an entry in the meta view. One reason is that the join engine found more than one entry to link to. Another possible reason is that the external data contains errors. Because of these possibilities, you should check, as a standard procedure, for errors and omissions by doing one or both of the following:

• Review the Directory Server error log for reports of failures. This can be done by using a Perl script or using the command grep -i fail *.log in the log directory.

• As discussed in Chapter 15 "Administration Tools", use the Query Tool to check for entries which were not linked.

If you find errors, you can use join commands in the Fix-It Tool to fix the problems as described in Chapter 15 "Administration Tools."

Refreshing the Views

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To incorporate new or modified data into the meta view or connector view, you use the join engine's Refresh option in the Operations tab within the Status tab of Meta-Directory console. When views are refreshed, the join rules are re-applied (or traversed) to each entry in the targeted view and the data is reconstructed. The other rules are then applied accordingly:

• If the entry is found, the attribute flow rule is applied.

• If the entry is not found, the DN mapping rule is applied.

• If the entry exists, the attribute flow rule is applied.

• If the entry doesn't exist, an entry is created.

  
  

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  Note	If you change any of your rules, you need to refresh the join engine to get the data to flow according tho the new rules.

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To Refresh the Connector View or Meta View

1. Select the join engine in the Meta-Directory console's navigation tree.

2. Select the Status tab; then the Operations tab.

   All participating views are listed in the View field.

3. Select the participating view whose data needs to be refreshed.

4. Choose Refresh, Refresh Unlinked or Refresh Groups from the Operation drop-down menu.
   • If you choose Refresh, the entire view will be scanned for new entries and changes to existing entries.

   • If you choose Refresh Unlinked, the view will be scanned for only entries that are not currently linked.

   • If you choose Refresh Groups, the entire view will be scanned after the application of the Group Filter. (The group filter is an LDAP filter used to select certain entries prior to refresh. Information on configuring group filters can be found on page 118 of this chapter.)

5. Choose Meta View or Connector View from the Traverse menu.

   Choosing Meta View will re-apply join rules to all entries in the meta view and, similarly, choosing Connector View will re-apply join rules to all entries in the connector view.

6. Press Submit Request to begin the process.

   
   

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   Note

   The Refresh command in the View menu at the top of the console window does not refresh Meta-Directory the join engine or connector. It, and the Refresh command seen when a component name in the navigation tree is right-clicked, are commands that refresh the data displayed in the console navigation tree only.

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