Novell EDIRECTORY 8.8 SP3, Administration Manual, Page: 46 / 634

46 Novell eDirectory 8.8 Administration Guide
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You aren't required to extend the schema, but you have the ability to do so. The Schema role in
iManager lets you extend the schema to meet organizational needs. For example, you might want to
extend your schema if your organization requires special footwear for employees and you need to
keep track of employee shoe sizes. You might want to create a new attribute called Shoe Size and
then add it to the User class.
For more information, see Chapter 4, “Managing the Schema,” on page 121 .
1.4.1 Schema Management
The Schema role in Novell iManager lets users who have the Supervisor rights to a tree customize
the schema of that tree. The Schema role, and its associated tasks, is available on the Roles and Task
page in iManager.
Use the Schema role to
Š
View a list of all classes and attributes in the schema.
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View information on an attribute such as its syntax and flags.
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Extend the schema by adding a class or an attribute to the existing schema.
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Create a class by naming it and specifying attributes, flags, containers that it can be added to,
and parent classes that it can inherit attributes from.
Š
Create an attribute by naming it and specifying its syntax and flags.
Š Add an optional attribute to an existing class.
Š
Delete a class or attribute that is not used or that is obsolete.
1.4.2 Schema Classes, Attributes, and Syntaxes
Š
“Classes” on page 46
Š “Attributes” on page 47
Š
“Syntaxes” on page 47
Classes
A class is like a template for a directory object. A directory object is a class that has been filled in
with data. In other words:
CLASS + DATA = DIRECTORY OBJECT
Each class has a class name, an inheritance class (unless it is at the top of the class hierarchy), class
flags, and a group of attributes. Classes are named like directory objects (User, Printer, Queue,
Server, etc.), yet they are just structure, with no content.
An inheritance class is a class that is a starting point for defining other object classes. All of the
attributes of the inheritance class are inherited by the classes that come below it in the class
hierarchy.
A class hierarchy shows how a class is associated with its parent classes. This is a way of associating
similar classes and allowing attributes to be inherited. It also defines the types of containers the class
is valid in.