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Oracle® Identity Management Integration Guide
10g Release 2 (10.1.2) Part No. B14085-01 |
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Oracle® Identity Management Integration Guide
10g Release 2 (10.1.2) Part No. B14085-01 |
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This chapter discusses the synchronization profiles and connectors that link Oracle Internet Directory and connected directories. It contains these topics:
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This section contains these topics:
To synchronize between Oracle Internet Directory and a connected directory, Oracle Directory Integration and Provisioning relies on a prepackaged connectivity solution called a connector. Minimally, this connector consists of a directory integration profile containing all the configuration information required for synchronization.
When synchronizing between Oracle Internet Directory and a connected directory, Directory Integration and Provisioning uses one of these interfaces: DB, LDAP, tagged, or LDIF. If the connected directory uses one of these interfaces, then the connector requires only a directory integration profile for synchronization to occur. For example, the SunONE connector provided with Oracle Internet Directory uses the LDAP interface to read the changes from the SunONE Directory Server. The changes are in the format specific to SunONE Directory Server and can be determined by doing an ldapsearch in the SunONE Directory Server.
If a connected directory cannot use one of the interfaces supported by Directory Integration and Provisioning, then, in addition to the directory integration profile, it requires an agent. The agent transforms the data from one of the formats supported by Directory Integration and Provisioning into one supported by the connected directory. An example is the Oracle Human Resources connector. It has both a prepackaged integration profile and an Oracle Human Resources agent. To communicate with Oracle Internet Directory, the agent uses the tagged file format supported by Directory Integration and Provisioning. To communicate with the Oracle Human Resources system, it uses SQL (through an OCI interface).
A directory integration profile for synchronization, called a directory synchronization profile, contains all the configuration information required for synchronization including:
Direction of Synchronization
Some connected directories only receive data from Oracle Internet Directory—that is, they participate in export operations only. Others only supply data to Oracle Internet Directory—that is, they participate in import operations only. Still others participate in both import and export operations.
A separate profile is used for each direction—that is, one profile for information coming into Oracle Internet Directory, and another for information going from Oracle Internet Directory to connected directories.
Type of Interface
Some connected directories can receive data in any of the interfaces built into Directory Integration and Provisioning. These interfaces include LDAP, tagged, DB (for read-only), and LDIF. For these connected directories, the Oracle Directory Synchronization Service performs the synchronization itself directly, using the information stored in the profile.
In a directory synchronization environment, a typical set of entries from one domain can be moved to another domain. Similarly, a set of attributes can be mapped to another set of attributes.
Mapping rules govern the conversion of attributes between a connected directory and Oracle Internet Directory. Each connector stores a set of these rules in the orclodipAttributeMappingRules attribute of its synchronization profile. The Oracle directory integration and provisioning server uses these rules to map attributes as needed when exporting from the directory and interpreting data imported from a connected directory or file. When the Oracle directory integration and provisioning server imports changes into Oracle Internet Directory, it converts the connected directory's change record into an LDAP change record following the mapping rules. Similarly, during export, the connector translates Oracle Internet Directory changes to the format understood by the connected directory.
Connection details of the connected directory
These details include such information about the connected directory as host, port, mode of connection—that is, either SSL or non-SSL—and the connected directory credentials.
Other Information
Although the synchronization profile stores most of the information needed by a connector to synchronize Oracle Internet Directory with connected directories, some connectors may need more. This is because some operations might require additional configuration information at runtime.
You can store such additional connector configuration information wherever and however you want. However, Directory Integration and Provisioning enables you to store it in the synchronization profile as an attribute called orclODIPAgentConfigInfo. Its use is optional—that is, if a connector does not require such information, then simply leave this attribute empty.
This configuration information can pertain to the connector, the connected directory, or both. Oracle Internet Directory and Oracle directory integration and provisioning server do not modify this information. When the connector is invoked, the Oracle directory integration and provisioning server simply provides it with the information in this attribute as a temporary file.
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Depending on where the changes are made, synchronization can occur:
From a connected directory to Oracle Internet Directory
From Oracle Internet Directory to a connected directory
In both directions
Regardless of the direction in which the data flows, it is assumed that:
During synchronization, incremental changes made on one directory are propagated to the other
Once synchronization is complete, the information maintained on both directories is the same
This section contains these topics:
Synchronizing from Oracle Internet Directory to a Connected Directory
Synchronizing from a Connected Directory to Oracle Internet Directory
Synchronizing with Directories with Interfaces Not Supported by Oracle Internet Directory
Oracle Internet Directory maintains a change log in which it stores incremental changes made to directory objects. It stores these changes sequentially based on the change log number.
Synchronization from Oracle Internet Directory to a connected directory makes use of this change log. Consequently, when running the Oracle directory integration and provisioning server, you must start Oracle Internet Directory with the default setting in which change logging is enabled. If change logging is disabled, you can enable it by using the -l flag in the OID Control Utility (OIDCTL) as described in "Starting an Oracle Directory Server Instance".
Each time the Oracle Directory Synchronization Service processes a synchronization profile, it:
Retrieves the latest change log number up to which all changes have been applied
Checks each change log entry more recent than that number
Selects changes to be synchronized with the connected directory by using the filtering rules in the profile
Applies the mapping rules to the entry and makes the corresponding changes in the connected directory
The appropriate entries or attributes are then updated in that connected directory. If the connected directory does not use DB, LDAP, tagged, or LDIF formats directly, then the agent identified in its profile is invoked. The number of the last change successfully used is then stored in the profile.
Periodically, Oracle Internet Directory purges the change log after all profiles have used what they need, and identifies where subsequent synchronization should begin.
When a connected directory uses DB, LDAP, tagged, or LDIF formats directly, changes to its entries or attributes can be automatically synchronized by the Oracle Directory Synchronization Service. Otherwise, the connector has an agent in its synchronization profile, which writes the changes to a file in the LDIF or tagged format. The Oracle Directory Synchronization Service then uses this file of connected directory data to update Oracle Internet Directory.
Some connected directories cannot receive data by using any of the interfaces supported by Oracle Internet Directory. Profiles for this type of directory contain an attribute identifying a separate program for synchronization, called an agent. The agent translates between the connected directory's unique format and a DB, LDAP, tagged, or LDIF file containing the synchronization data. The agent, as identified in the profile, is invoked by the Oracle Directory Synchronization Service.
When exporting data from Oracle Internet Directory to this type of connected directory, the Oracle Directory Synchronization Service creates the necessary file in the tagged or LDIF format. The agent then reads that file, translates it into the correct format for the receiving connected directory, and stores the data in that directory.
When importing data from this type of connected directory to Oracle Internet Directory, the agent creates the necessary tagged or LDIF format file. The Oracle Directory Synchronization Service then uses this file data to update the Oracle Internet Directory.
