User's Manual

Glossary-3
CDS
See Cell Directory Services (CDS)
Cell Directory Services (CDS)
An external naming method that enablesusers to use Oracle tools transparently and
applications to access Oracle Database databases in a Distributed Computing
Environment (DCE).
certificate
An ITU x.509 v3 standard data structure that securely binds an identify to a public
key.
A certificate is created when an entity's public key is signed by a trusted identity, a
certificate authority. The certificate ensures that the entity's information is correct
and that the public key actually belongs to that entity.
A certificate contains the entity's name, identifying information, and public key. It is
also likely to contain a serial number, expiration date, and information about the
rights, uses, and privileges associated with the certificate. Finally, it contains
information about the certificate authority that issued it.
certificate authority
A trusted third party that certifies that other entities—users, databases,
administrators, clients, servers—are who they say they are. When it certifies a user,
the certificate authority first seeks verification that the user is not on the certificate
revocation list (CRL), then verifies the user's identity and grants a certificate,
signing it with the certificate authority's private key. The certificate authority has its
own certificate and public key which it publishes. Servers and clients use these to
verify signatures the certificate authority has made. A certificate authority might be
an external company that offers certificate services, or an internal organization such
as a corporate MIS department.
certificate chain
An ordered list of certificates containing an end-user or subscriber certificate and its
certificate authority certificates.
certificate request
A certificate request, which consists of three parts: certification request information,
a signature algorithm identifier, and a digital signature on the certification request
information. The certification request information consists of the subject's
distinguished name, public key, and an optional set of attributes. The attributes may