Configuration planning

For your directory server environment, you must decide the data type you plan to store, the data structure, and the data security to set.

You must make the following decisions before you configure and populate your database:

The data type that you want to store in the directory server

You must decide the schema that you want to use for your directory server and the data type you want to store in your directory server. A standard set of attribute-type definitions and object class definitions are included in the directory server. To customize your data, you might want to add your custom attribute type, and object class definitions before you add entries to the directory server.

You can make addition or modification to schema after the directory is populated with data. In some situations, schema changes might require you to unload and reload your data.

The code page that you are want to use

Decide whether to create your database by using the local code page or by using the Universal Character Set (UTF-8). If you select a local code page, it enables IBM® Verify Directory applications and users to retrieve search results as expected for the collation sequence of the language. However, if you use a local code page data in that specific code page is stored in the directory. If you use UTF-8, you can store any UTF-8 character data in the directory. For more information about UTF-8, see UTF-8 support.

Note: If you want to use language tags, you must use UTF-8 as the code page for the database.

Define a hierarchy structure to store your directory data

IBM Verify Directory stores directory data in a hierarchical tree structure. The names of entries in the directory are based on the relative position of the entries within the tree structure. It is important to define a logical organization to the directory that is appropriate for your LDAP environment. A logical organization makes it easier for clients to determine which branch of the tree to search to locate the required information.

Define your data security requirements

To prevent access to the directory data over unsecured port, you can configure your directory server for secure communication. For more about how to secure your data, see the Administering section of IBM Verify Directory documentation.

Define the required access permissions for the directory data

For information about using access permissions, see the access control lists in the Administering section of IBM Verify Directory documentation.

Access whether you require a proxy server

If the directory data is large and the environment is write-intensive, you must consider whether to use a proxy server. Large directory environments that are read-heavy might be able to achieve the required scaling by configuring replication. See the list of supported features in a proxy server in the Administering section of IBM Verify Directory documentation before you decide to use a proxy server.