Integrated Network Services Discovery
Novell Directory Agents can be configured for operation with eDirectory to:
SLP Directory Agents, scopes, and services can be configured and managed through eDirectory. This provides a single point of control to network administrators implementing and managing SLP in their networks.
Directory Agents are configured using Directory Agent objects containing configuration information for the Directory Agent. SLP Scope container objects can be configured to represent SLP scopes. A Directory Agent object contains fully distinguished names of one or more SLP Scope container objects which indicate the scopes the Directory Agent is to service. Services registered with the Directory Agent are stored in the SLP Scope container object as SLP Service objects. Each SLP Service object includes the service's service URL and attributes. SLP Service objects can be manipulated just like any other eDirectory object, including deleting and copying to another SLP Scope container object.
Novell Directory Agents can share service information by using eDirectory as a common data store for service URLs and their attributes. In this manner, the distributed, replicated, and synchronized nature of information stored in eDirectory is leveraged to eliminate the need for every Service Agent in the network to directly communicate with every Directory Agent in the network. SLP Scope container objects representing SLP scopes are configured in eDirectory. Directory Agents, configured to service the scope, cache each registered service locally and store each service and its attributes as an SLP Service object in the SLP Scope container object. These Directory Agents also populate their local service cache with services obtained from the SLP Scope container object. By storing and retrieving from the shared SLP Scope container objects, Directory Agents can return service URLs and attributes for services registered by remote Service Agents.
Because Directory mode facilitates the sharing of service information through common SLP Scope container objects, Service Agents are not required to register a service with every Directory Agent in order for their services to be known throughout the network. This reduces configuration complexity and reduces network traffic. Using this capability, Service Agent to Directory Agent interactions can be isolated to local segments within the network similar to User Agent to Directory Agent interactions.
A Novell ClientTM uses the User Agent to go to an SLP Directory Agent or into eDirectory to reach out to other LAN or WAN segments, as shown in Figure 38.
This method does not rely on service information obtained from routers. Instead, eDirectory is used for global communication of information. Through this method, service updates on local segments are just as reliable and dynamic as on IPXTM SAP-based networks.
Figure 38
Integrated Network Services Discovery
Using ConsoleOneTM you can manage the following eDirectory objects used by SLP:
The SLP Scope container object represents an SLP scope and is the container in which SLP Service objects are stored.
SLP Service objects represent a network service discovered through the Service Location Protocol. They contain all of the SLP information about the network service, including its network address and attributes.
The SLP Directory Agent object represents an SLP Directory agent.
SLP uses the SLP Scope container object, which defines a logical grouping of services. The Scope object allows network administrators to logically group services according to geographical, geopolitical, service type, or any other administrative criteria in order to control distribution or visibility on the network. The primary goal of the Scope object is to enhance the scalability of gathering and distributing network service information.
The SLP Scope object is the storage container for SLP service information. Each object contains all the SLP Service objects for the specific scope. The eDirectory administrator can replicate the container into other partitions within the tree or within federated trees. The object is a standalone entity within the eDirectory tree, and there is no relationship between its distinguished name, the tree name, and the scope name. When a Service Agent forwards a service record to a Directory Agent within a specific scope, the scope name is mapped to the Scope object by using the name attribute within the container object. The SLP Scope object must contain rights to read, write, and browse the container because the access rights of the Directory Agent object access are equivalent to the access rights of the Scope object. Because the Scope object uses distinguished name syntax, the Scope object can be moved to a different location in the tree. eDirectory will automatically change all values to reflect the new location.
The SLP Service object is a leaf object that represents a service registration. SLP Service objects are subordinate to the SLP Scope object and contain all information supplied by a service registration. SLP Service objects are stored in the appropriate SLP Scope object according to their scope.
The SLP Directory Agent object is a leaf object that represents a single instance of a Directory Agent. Multiple Directory Agents cannot share a single object. This object defines the Directory Agent's configuration, scope, and security. The Directory Agent uses this object to log in to the server and operate under the access control requirements assigned to the Server object.
The NetWare installation program creates an NCP_SERVER object for every server within the tree. The Directory agent adds an attribute to the NCP_SERVER class definition called SLP Directory Agent DN. The SLP Directory Agent DN contains the distinguished name of the Directory Agent object. It is used as a pointer from the Server object to the Directory Agent object.