1 About the Dropbox Connector
The Oracle Identity Manager Connector for Dropbox (Dropbox connector) integrates Oracle Identity Manager with the Dropbox target system.
The following topics provide a high-level overview of the Dropbox connector:
1.1 Introduction to the Dropbox Connector
Microsoft Active Directory is configured as a user source for performing all of the user management operations (create, update, delete, disable, and enable users) in Dropbox, and the user management data is directly stored in AD.
Note:
The Oracle Identity Manager Connector for Dropbox is referred to as Dropbox connector in this guide. Similarly, the Oracle Identity Manager Connector for Microsoft Active Directory User Management is referred to as OIM AD connector, and the Dropbox Business Active Directory Connector is referred to as Dropbox AD connector.The Dropbox connector uses the following connectors to synchronize data between Oracle Identity Manager and Dropbox:
Oracle Identity Manager Connector for Microsoft Active Directory User Management
The Oracle Identity Manager Connector for Microsoft Active Directory User Management (OIM AD connector) allows synchronization of the Dropbox user and group information between Oracle Identity Manager and AD. It uses AD as a managed (target) resource of the identity data. The OIM AD connector is configured to run in the account management mode (or target resource management). This mode enables the following operations:
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Provisioning
Provisioning involves creating, updating, or deleting users on AD through Oracle Identity Manager. When you allocate (or provision) a Microsoft Active Directory resource to an Oracle Identity Manager User, the operation results in the creation of an account on Microsoft Active Directory for that user. In the Oracle Identity Manager context, the term "provisioning" is also used to mean updates (for example enabling or disabling) made to the AD account through Oracle Identity Manager.
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Target resource reconciliation
In target resource reconciliation, data related to newly created and modified accounts on AD can be reconciled and linked with existing Oracle Identity Manager Users and provisioned resources. To perform target resource reconciliation, the Active Directory User Target Recon scheduled job is used.
Depending on the data that you want to reconcile, you use different scheduled jobs.
To understand the OIM AD connector in detail, including certified languages, supported features, and lookup definitions used during connector operations, see About the Connector in Oracle Identity Manager Connector Guide for Microsoft Active Directory User Management.
Dropbox Business Active Directory Connector
Dropbox uses a lightweight Dropbox Business Active Directory Connector (Dropbox AD connector) behind the firewall to synchronize the Dropbox user and group information between AD and Dropbox directory services.
The Dropbox AD connector automates provisioning of User and Group accounts in Dropbox from AD. These User and Group accounts are included as members of a Microsoft Active Directory group (specified as values of the AD Sync Group attribute of AD), which is used for synchronizing the accounts from AD to Dropbox through the Dropbox AD Connector scheduled task.
For more information on the Dropbox AD connector, visit the Dropbox website at https://www.dropbox.com/, navigate to Help Center, and search for Dropbox Active Directory Connector.
1.2 Certified Components for the Dropbox Connector
These are the software components and their versions required for installing and using the connector.
Table 1-1 Certified Components
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
|
Oracle Identity Governance or Oracle Identity Manager |
You can use one of the following releases of Oracle Identity Governance or Oracle Identity Manager:
|
|
Target system |
Dropbox Note: Oracle Identity Manager manages Dropbox by using Microsoft Active Directory (AD) as a middleware. Therefore, AD is configured as a user source for performing all of the user management operations in Dropbox. |
|
Connector Server |
11.1.2.1.0 |
|
Oracle Identity Manager Connector for Microsoft Active Directory User Management |
11.1.1.6.0 |
|
Dropbox Business Active Directory Connector |
2.0.850300 |
1.3 Architecture of the Dropbox Connector
The user management operations are implemented in Dropbox by using Microsoft Active Directory (AD) as a middleware.
As discussed earlier, the Dropbox connector uses the OIM AD connector and Dropbox AD connector to synchronize the Dropbox user and group information between Oracle Identity Manager, AD, and Dropbox directory services.
Figure 1-1 Architecture of the Dropbox Connector
Description of "Figure 1-1 Architecture of the Dropbox Connector"
As shown in Figure 1-1, AD is configured as a target resource of Oracle Identity Manager. The OIM AD connector is a .NET framework-based connector that is implemented using the Integrated Common Framework (ICF) component. The ICF component provides basic reconciliation and provisioning operations that are common to all Oracle Identity Manager connectors. In addition, ICF provides common features that developers would otherwise need to implement on their own, such as connection pooling, buffering, time outs, and filtering. ICF is distributed together with Oracle Identity Manager. Therefore, you do not need to configure or modify ICF.
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The OIM AD connector creates or updates User and Group accounts in AD through the provisioning operations that are performed on Oracle Identity Manager.
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The Dropbox AD connector automates provisioning of the User and Group accounts in Dropbox by fetching the attributes from AD and then synchronizing the data with Dropbox through the Dropbox AD Connector scheduled task. Based on the data fetched from AD, the User and Group accounts are automatically created or updated in Dropbox.
Through reconciliation, account data that is created and updated directly on AD is fetched into Oracle Identity Manager and stored against the corresponding Oracle Identity Manager Users.
For more information on the architecture of the OIM AD connector, see Connector Architecture in Oracle Identity Manager Connector Guide for Microsoft Active Directory User Management.
For more information on the Dropbox AD connector, visit the Dropbox website at https://www.dropbox.com/, navigate to Help Center, and search for Dropbox Active Directory Connector.
1.4 Operations Supported by the Dropbox Connector
These are the user management operations supported by the Dropbox connector.
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Create User
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Update User
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Delete User
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Enable User
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Disable User
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Create Group
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Update Group
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Assign Group to User
1.5 Use Cases Supported by the Dropbox Connector
Dropbox is a cloud-based application that offers file-hosting services, such as cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud, and client software. The Dropbox connector enables Oracle Identity Manager to manage identities and access privileges for Dropbox users and groups.
The following are some of the most common scenarios in which the Dropbox connector can be used:
Dropbox User Management
The Dropbox connector automates provisioning and deprovisioning of Dropbox User accounts. Because Dropbox involves accessing and sharing content with users or groups across various locations, this connector ensures a secure access by granting it to users with appropriate access rights. For example, after a user joins an organization, a Dropbox user account is automatically provisioned to the user based on the predefined access policies in Oracle Identity Manager. Similarly, this account is deactivated after the user leaves the organization.
Dropbox Group Management
The Dropbox connector automates provisioning and deprovisioning of Dropbox Group accounts. You can configure a parent group by adding multiple users or groups (these groups may further include a set of users) in a flat group hierarchy. This configured group is then synchronized with Dropbox, and the associated user and group details are created.
This connector also helps in managing access rights for Dropbox Group accounts by ensuring specific access to various teams or departments in an organization.