Implementation Guide › Configuration Considerations › Multiple Data Centers › Architectural Considerations

Architectural Considerations

Consider the following architectural factors when planning for a SiteMinder data center:

• SiteMinder Password Services attempts to perform an LDAP write to the user account on every authentication.

  Note: For more information about Password Services, see the Policy Server Configuration Guide.

• SiteMinder follows LDAP write referrals when communicating with a read–only consumer directory.
• If you deploy a master policy store with replicated versions, consider using a local host file on the Policy Server host system (LDAP) or the ODBC data source to point Policy Servers to the local policy store. Using this method lets all Policy Servers share the same policy store and avoids the latency that can occur when all Policy Servers must communicate with the policy store over the wide area network (WAN).
• If you deploy master/consumer user stores, consider using a local host file on the Policy Server host system (LDAP) or the ODBC data source name (DSN) to point Policy Servers to the local consumer. Using this method lets all Policy Servers read the same user store and avoids the latency that can occur when all Policy Servers must read user account information over the WAN.

Example: Local Host Files Pointing Policy Servers to the Local Consumer User Store

Two geographically separated data centers include Policy Servers pointing to a consumer user store named myusers.

• The local consumer in data center one is available at 111.11.111.1
• The local consumer in data center two is available at 222.22.222.2

To point Policy Server to the local consumer

1. From the Policy Server host systems in data center one, use a local host file to map myusers to 111.11.111.1.
2. From the Policy Server host systems in data center two, use a local host file to map myusers to 222.22.222.2.