Part III
Novell eDirectory Design and Implementation
Novell eDirectory is a fundamental network service that all NetWare 6 servers supply. As a matter of fact, it’s the most fundamental network service offered by NetWare 6, after network communications. As a consequence of its importance, eDirectory design is one of the key responsibilities of a network administrator.
In fact, eDirectory design can have a profound effect on the success or failure of your net. To illustrate this point, I’ve created an organization called ACME (A Cure for Mother Earth), which is staffed by the greatest heroes from our unspoiled history. These heroes are the founding mothers and fathers of Earth’s Golden Age—before instant popcorn, talking cars, and daytime television.
As a NetWare 6 CNE, you come highly recommended. Your mission—should you choose to accept it—is to build the ACME WAN and eDirectory tree. You’ll need courage, design experience, eDirectory know-how, and this book.
Actually, you have a daunting task ahead of you. A project of this magnitude requires sharp thinking and an organized approach. All the fancy footwork in the world isn’t going to help you if you don’t have a game plan. This is where Figure 18.1 comes in: It’s your ACME game plan. As you can see, eDirectory design and management falls into three simple steps and some follow-up:
Step 1: eDirectory Preparation—In step 1, the project starts rolling with eDirectory preparation. The primary focus of this phase is the project team. The project team consists of many networking experts, including management, server specialists, eDirectory experts, and connectivity specialists. These are the men and women who will carry you through the triumphs and pitfalls of eDirectory design and management. The team’s first task is systems analysis and data gathering.
Step 2: eDirectory Design—Step 2 is the first of the three main project phases: design, implementation, and management. eDirectory design begins with the formation of a tree framework. This framework is further refined with the help of three important eDirectory concepts: partitioning, time synchronization, and resource accessibility. These design components have a dramatic effect on the success or failure of your WAN.
Step 3: eDirectory Implementation—The goal of eDirectory implementation is NetWare 6 installation and migration. This typically involves fresh NetWare server installations and complex tree migrations. The centerpiece of eDirectory implementation is the implementation schedule.
Follow-Up: eDirectory Analysis and Management—Analysis and Management is the ongoing process of optimizing and maintaining your NetWare 6 network. NetWare 6 management hinges on four main topics: advanced server management, advanced eDirectory management, advanced Internet infrastructure management, and advanced security management. This is where you’ll spend most of your time as a CNE. Fortunately, we’ve already devoted two-thirds of this book to NetWare 6 analysis and management (Chapters 1 through 17).