HP-UX Directory Server 8.1 administrator guide

2 Configuring directory databases
The topics include:
• Overview
• “Creating and maintaining suffixes” (page 31)
• “Creating and maintaining suffixes” (page 31)
• “Creating and maintaining databases” (page 39)
• “Creating and maintaining database links” (page 52)
• “Using referrals” (page 89)
2.1 Overview of directory databases
The directory is made up of databases, and the directory tree is distributed across the databases.
This chapter describes how to create suffixes, the branch points for the directory tree, and how
to create the databases associated with each suffix. This chapter also describes how to create
database links to reference databases on remote servers and how to use referrals to point clients
to external sources of directory data.
For a discussion of concepts about distributing directory data, see the HP-UX Directory Server
deployment guide
2.2 Creating and maintaining suffixes
Different pieces of the directory tree can be stored in different databases, then these databases
can be distributed across multiple servers. The directory tree contains branch points called nodes.
These nodes may be associated with databases. A suffix is a node of the directory tree associated
with a particular database. For example, a simple directory tree might appear as illustrated in
Figure 2-1 “Directory tree with one root suffix”.
Figure 2-1 Directory tree with one root suffix
The ou=people suffix and all the entries and nodes below it might be stored in one database,
the ou=groups suffix on another database, and the ou=contractors suffix on yet another
database.
• “Creating suffixes”
• “Maintaining suffixes”
2.1 Overview of directory databases 31