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Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services > 5. Defining Your Directory Needs > Determining and Prioritizing Other Environmental Constraints

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Determining and Prioritizing Other Environmental Constraints

The final set of constraints to consider is of those related to the environment in which the directory service is to be deployed. There are many of these potential constraints, and the list will vary depending on your situation, but we do touch on a few of the most important areas in this section.

Computing Hardware and Software

A lot of information about existing systems was discussed earlier in this chapter in the section "Analyzing Your Environment." When thinking about your directory service, consider the computer hardware and operating systems it must support. The use of a standard protocol for directory access such as LDAP largely insulates you from the characteristics of any specific computer platform; however, as a practical consideration your directory service may need to accommodate a variety of existing systems.

Some directory or directory-enabled application software is available for only one or two platforms. Ask yourself the following questions to ensure that you take into account these system-related constraints:

  • Can you purchase new hardware and software to deploy the directory servers, or do they need to run on hardware you already own?

  • What kind of computer hardware and operating systems do your users have?

  • What kind of computer hardware and operating systems will your directory-enabled applications need to run on?

  • What up-and-coming computing platforms do you need to worry about?

There may be a trend away from certain existing systems and toward others, so be sure to note them. For example, suppose the use of the Linux operating system is on the rise and Microsoft Windows 3.1 is on its way out. By the time your directory service is fully deployed, support for Linux may be much more important than support for Windows 3.1.

The Network

Another set of environmental constraints relates to your organization's network. As discussed earlier, the physical deployment of directory servers may be largely governed by the cost, reliability, and performance characteristics of the network your directory service relies on. Even worse , if the network within your organization is managed by a completely separate group , you may be powerless to effect much change in the network (in which case, you will need to design your directory service to fit the existing network constraints). If you can have changes made to the network to accommodate your directory needs, so much the better. The physical deployment of directory servers throughout your network is covered in depth in Chapters 9, "Topology Design," and 10, "Replication Design."

Criticality of Service

Next, think about whether your organization provides mission-critical services or whether things are a bit more relaxed . For example, if you are deploying a directory service that will be used within a hospital emergency room, the standards that your directory service will be held to may be very high indeed. In contrast, within a software company it may be acceptable for a directory service to fail sometimes because the users are familiar with and may be more tolerant of such failures.

Security

Some security and privacy constraints come from the directory users (as previously discussed), but some arise from the environment in which the service operates. For example, if a directory service operates in an open network environment such as the Internet, it is more likely to be attacked by malicious intruders. Similarly, if your organization is secretive by nature or deals with sensitive data, the value of breaking the directory service's security may be higher ”and the security-related expectations of users may be higher as well. Because privacy and security are so important, we devote all of Chapter 11 to those topics.

Coexistence with Other Databases and Directories

Finally, a directory service typically must co-exist with a wide variety of directories and database systems. These external systems may be completely independent of your directory service or tightly integrated with it. In the latter case, these systems will impose additional constraints on your directory service, covering a very wide range of areas. You can find more information about integrating with other directories and databases in Chapters 6, "Data Design," and 22, "Directory Coexistence," where we cover the topic of integration with other data sources.

Prioritizing Your Environmental Constraints

As you did for all the needs and constraints discussed earlier, list the remaining environmental constraints and assign priorities to each of them. Try to distinguish between absolute constraints that you cannot overcome and those that you may be able to work around or avoid. For example, it may be difficult and expensive to upgrade all the computer hardware and operating systems that users have, but you may be able to successfully lobby to purchase new systems on which to run the directory servers themselves .



Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services,  2002 New Riders Publishing
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Index terms contained in this section

coexistence
          environmental constraints
constraints
          environmental 2nd
                    coexistence
                    criticality of service
                    hardware and software
                    network maps
                    prioritizing
                    security
criticality of service
          environmental constraints
defining
         directory needs
                    environmental constraints 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
environments
          constraints 2nd
                    coexistence
                    criticality of service
                    hardware and software
                    network maps
                    prioritizing
                    security
hardware
          environmental constraints
maps
         network
                    environmental constraints
needs
         directories
                    environmental constraints 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
networks
         maps
                    environmental constraints
prioritizing
          environmental constraints
security
          environmental constraints
software
          environmental constraints

2002, O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.



Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services
Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0672323168
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 1997
Pages: 245

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