The DSM Explorer › Control Panel › How to Configure and Authenticate External Directories › Scalability Server Properties Dialog › Update Directory: Settings Tab

Update Directory: Settings Tab

The Settings tab contains the main configuration options for directories.

This tab contains the following fields:

Directory Name

Specifies the directory, directory server, or NDS tree name as follows:

• Specifies the name used to identify the directory when connecting to Active Directory. It should be a name that the directory itself can resolve to a directory server.
• Specifies the name of the directory server when connecting to a stand-alone directory (that is, not a distributed directory like Active Directory) using LDAP. The name should be the full DNS name of the server that will be used for directory access and authorization.
• Specifies the name of the NDS tree when connecting to Novell NDS.

Example: An Active Directory domain HQDirectory.com is hosted on machine FAKE_MACHINE. When configuring this directory for integration, you could specify HQDirectory.com in this field, as Active Directory can successfully resolve HQDirectory.com to FAKE_MACHINE.

Directory Type

Specifies the type of directory. Valid options are Active Directory, LDAP, and NDS. By default, the directory type that was specified when the directory was added is selected.

Directory Server

Specifies the name of the server supporting the directory.

Port

Specifies the directory service's port number. The directory client always attempts to create a secure encrypted connection to the directory using the port specified here. Some directories support port 389 for secure and insecure communications. Some directories also support port 636 as a secure-only channel. Your directory administrator can tell you which port to use.

For the port specified, a secure channel is used if one is available; otherwise, if the port specified allows insecure communication, this is used. (If insecure communication is not acceptable, the directory import is rejected with a corresponding error message when you click Finish.)

Note: Common configuration policies for directories—in particular, the Enable LDAP simple authentication policy—can have an impact on whether authentication can take place over an insecure communication channel. For more information, see the Configuration Policy section of the DSM Explorer Help.

Default: 389 (for LDAP directories)

Base DN

Specifies the Distinguished Name (DN) of the root object for browsing the current directory. Ask your directory administrator for the best value to use.

Note: Because many directory searches may be performed from this base node, think carefully about the efficiency and accuracy of the searches that will be performed. Try to use a Base DN as low in the directory hierarchy as possible, as this will ensure that searches are more efficient.

Information

Displays tips for selecting options or entering information in fields or dialogs.