Red Hat Directory Server 8.0 Administrator's Guide

Configuring 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.
1. Creating and Maintaining Suffixes
Different pieces of the directory tree can be stored in different databases, and 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 3.1, “A Sample Directory Tree with One Root Suffix”.
Figure 3.1. A Sample 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.
This section describes creating suffixes on Directory Server and associating them with
databases.
Chapter 3.
47