HP-UX Directory Server 8.1 deployment guide

• Determine data ownership.
For each piece of data, determine the person responsible for ensuring that the data is
up-to-date.
• Determine data access.
If data are imported from other sources, develop a strategy for both bulk imports and
incremental updates. As a part of this strategy, try to master data in a single place, and limit
the number of applications that can change the data. Also, limit the number of people who
write to any given piece of data. A smaller group ensures data integrity while reducing the
administrative overhead.
• Document the site survey.
Because of the number of organizations that can be affected by the directory, it may be helpful
to create a directory deployment team that includes representatives from each affected
organization to perform the site survey.
Corporations generally have a human resources department, an accounting or accounts receivable
department, manufacturing organizations, sales organizations, and development organizations.
Including representatives from each of these organizations can help the survey process.
Furthermore, directly involving all the affected organizations can help build acceptance for the
migration from local data stores to a centralized directory.
2.3.1 Identifying the applications that use the directory
Generally, the applications that access the directory and the data needs of these applications
drive the planning of the directory contents. Many common applications use the directory:
• Directory browser applications, such as online telephone books
Decide what information (such as email addresses, telephone numbers, and employee name)
users need, and include it in the directory.
• Email applications, especially email servers
All email servers require email addresses, user names, and some routing information to be
available in the directory. Others, however, require more advanced information such as the
place on disk where a user's mailbox is stored, vacation notification information, and protocol
information (IMAP versus POP, for example).
• Directory-enabled human resources applications
These require more personal information such as government identification numbers, home
addresses, home telephone numbers, birth dates, salary, and job title.
• Microsoft Active Directory
Through Windows User Sync, Windows directory services can be integrated to function in
tandem with the Directory Server. Both directories can store user information (user names
and passwords, email addresses, telephone numbers) and group information (members).
Style the Directory Server deployment after the existing Windows server deployment (or
vice versa) so that the users, groups, and other directory data can be smoothly synchronized.
When examining the applications that will use the directory, look at the types of information
each application uses. The following table gives an example of applications and the information
used by each:
2.3 Performing a site survey 19