Identifying Data Sources - Red Hat DIRECTORY SERVER 8.1 - DEPLOYMENT Deployment Manual

Chapter 2. Planning the Directory Data
• 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:
Application
Phonebook
Web server
Calendar server
Table 2.1. Example Application Data Needs
After identifying the applications and information used by each application, it is apparent that some
types of data are used by more than one application. Performing this kind of exercise during the data
planning stage can help to avoid data redundancy problems in the directory, and show more clearly
what data directory-dependent applications require.
The final decision about the types of data maintained in the directory and when the information is
migrated to the directory is affected by these factors:
• The data required by various legacy applications and users
• The ability of legacy applications to communicate with an LDAP directory

2.3.2. Identifying Data Sources

To identify all of the data to include in the directory, perform a survey of the existing data stores. The
survey should include the following:
• Identify organizations that provide information.
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Class of Data
People
People, groups
People, meeting rooms
Data
Name, email address, phone
number, user ID, password,
department number, manager,
mail stop.
User ID, password, group name,
groups members, group owner.
Name, user ID, cube number,
conference room name.