Novell EDIRECTORY 8.8 SP3, Administration Manual, Page: 121 / 634

Managing the Schema
4
121
n
ov
do
cx (e
n)
11
Ju
ly 20
08
4
Managing the Schema
The schema of your Novell
®
eDirectory
TM
tree defines the classes of objects that the tree can
contain, such as Users, Groups, and Printers. It specifies the attributes (properties) that comprise
each object type, including those that are required when creating the object and those that are
optional.
Each eDirectory object belongs to an object class that specifies which attributes can be associated
with the object. All attributes are based on a set of attribute types that are, in turn, based on a
standard set of attribute syntaxes.
The eDirectory schema not only controls the structure of individual objects, but it also controls the
relationship among objects in the eDirectory tree. The schema rules allow some objects to contain
other subordinate objects. Thus the schema gives structure to the eDirectory tree.
You might need to make changes to your schema as your organization’s informational needs change.
For example, if you never required a fax number on your User object before but you need one now,
you can create a new User class that has Fax Number as a mandatory attribute, then begin using the
new User class to create User objects.
The Schema Management role in Novell iManager lets those with the Supervisor right to a tree
customize the schema of that tree and perform the following tasks:
Š View a list of all classes and attributes in the schema.
Š
Extend the schema by adding a class or an attribute to the existing schema.
Š Create a class by naming it and specifying applicable attributes, flags, and containers to which
it can be added, and parent classes from which it can inherit attributes.
Š
Create an attribute by naming it and specifying its syntax and flags.
Š
Add an attribute to an existing class.
Š
Delete a class or an attribute that is not in use or that has become obsolete.
Š
Identify and resolve potential problems.
This chapter contains information on the following topics:
Š
Section 4.1, “Extending the Schema,” on page 121
Š
Section 4.2, “Viewing the Schema,” on page 125
Š
Section 4.3, “Manually Extending the Schema,” on page 126
Š
Section 4.4, “Schema Flags Added in eDirectory 8.7,” on page 128
Š
Section 4.5, “Using the eMBox Client to Perform Schema Operations,” on page 130
For more detailed schema information, see the NDS Schema Reference (http://developer.novell.com/
ndk/doc/ndslib/index.html?schm_enu/data/h4q1mn1i.html) .
4.1 Extending the Schema
You can extend the schema of a tree by creating a new class or attribute. To extend the schema of
your eDirectory tree, you need the Supervisor right to the entire tree.