CA Identity Manager Configuration Guide › Introduction to CA Identity Manager Environments › CA Identity Manager Environment Components

CA Identity Manager Environment Components

A CA Identity Manager Environment is a view of a management namespace that lets CA Identity Manager administrators manage objects like users, groups, and organizations. These objects are assigned with a set of associated roles and tasks. The CA Identity Manager Environment controls the management and graphical presentation of a directory.

A single user store can associate multiple CA Identity Manager Environments to define different views of the directory. However, a CA Identity Manager Environment is associated with only one user store.

CA Identity Manager environments contain following elements:

Directory

Describes a user store to CA Identity Manager. Directory element includes:

• A pointer to a user store, which stores managed objects such as users, groups, and organizations.
• Metadata that describes how managed objects are stored in the directory and its representation in CA Identity Manager.

Provisioning Directory (optional)

Stores data relevant to the Provisioning Server to manage additional accounts in managed endpoints. Only one Provisioning Directory can be associated with an Environment.

Note: For more information about the Provisioning Server or the Provisioning Directory, see the Installation Guide.

User Console

Enables CA Identity Manager administrators to perform tasks in a CA Identity Manager Environment.

Task and role definitions

Determine user privileges in CA Identity Manager and other applications. These task and role definitions are initially available in the CA Identity Manager Environment where they can be assigned to users.

You can customize the default roles and tasks using the User Console.

Self-service

Lets users create and maintain their own accounts for accessing resources, such as a customer web site. Self-service also lets users request a temporary password in case of forgetting the current password.

Workflow definitions

CA Identity Manager includes default workflow definitions that automate approval and notification of user management tasks, such as creating user profiles or assigning users to roles or groups. You can modify the default workflow processes in CA Identity Manager to support each enterprise requirements.

Skins

Determine the appearance of the CA Identity Manager user interface.

Custom features

You can modify CA Identity Manager to suit your business requirements using the CA Identity Manager APIs. See the Programming Guide for Java.

Each CA Identity Manager environment requires one or more system managers to customize the initial roles and tasks using the User Console. Once a system manager creates the initial roles and tasks, that manager can grant administrative privileges to users in that environment. These users become administrators who manage users, groups, and organizations. See the Administration Guide.