Netscape NETSCAPE DIRECTORY SERVER 6.02, Installation Manual

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Configuration Decisions
Chapter 1 Preparing for a Directory Server Installation 17
Also, as with any directory installation, consider replicating the configuration
directory to increase availability and reliability. See the Netscape Directory Server
Deployment Guide for information on using replication and DNS round robins to
increase directory availability.
Determining the Location of the User Directory
Just as the configuration directory is the Directory Server that is used for Netscape
server administration, the user directory is the Directory Server that contains the
entries for users and groups in your enterprise.
For most directory installations, the user directory and the configuration directory
should be two separate server instances. These server instances can be installed on
the same machine, but for best results you should consider placing the
configuration directory on a separate machine.
Between your user directory and your configuration directory, it is your user
directory that will receive the overwhelming percentage of the directory traffic. For
this reason, you should give the user directory the greatest computing resources.
Because the configuration directory should receive very little traffic, it can be
installed on a machine with very low-end resources (such as a minimally-equipped
Pentium).
Also, you should use the default directory ports (389 and 636) for the user
directory. If your configuration directory is managed by a server instance
dedicated to that purpose, you should use some non-standard port for the
configuration directory.
You cannot install a user directory until you have installed a configuration
directory somewhere on your network.
CAUTION Corrupting the configuration directory tree can result in the necessity of
reinstalling all other Netscape servers that are registered in that
configuration directory. Remember the following guidelines when dealing
with the configuration directory:
• Always back up your configuration directory after you install a new
Netscape server.
• Never change the host name or port number used by the configuration
directory.
• Never directly modify the configuration directory tree. Only the
setup
program for the various Netscape servers should ever modify the
configuration.