1. Kamal Satish M Persistent Systems Pvt. Ltd. Pune
XML & Directories
Kamal Satish M
Persistent Systems Pvt. Ltd.
Pune
4/23/2019

2. Topics of Discussion Directories: An overview
Directory Services Markup Language(DSML)
DirXML
The future!
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3. Directories: An overview What they are?
Data Stores having hierarchical model
Optimized for read operations
Have a standard protocol (LDAP) for accessing their contents, over the network
What are directories
Talk about LDAP
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4. Directories: An overview Why they are?
Directories Provide:
Optimal way of naming, describing and finding information and resources
Scalability
Granular Access
Location Independence
High level of security
Easy replication
Platform for eCommerce
Why optimal : Optimized for read, Resembles real data, LDAP
Why granular : Access to attribute level
Why high level of security : Security restriction down to attribute level
Why platform for eCommerce : Optimal for sharing information while maintaining the level of security
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5. Directories: An overview What they don’t have?
Directories provide an ideal storage medium, but they lack in the following:
Standardization of the information formats
Ease of sharing directory information
Requires lot of coding to access and manipulate directory data
Are not web enabled
Standardization in terms of schema for storing a type of data.
No protocol for directories to communicate with each other
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6. DSML (Directory Services Markup Language)
Proposed Internet standard for sharing directory services information
DSML is an XML-Schema for representing Directory Services content and structure
It is the representation of directory data and not directory data storage.
General confusion.
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7. DSML: Use case scenario
Source: Slide from the Bowstreet’s presentation on DSML at
July 12, 1999 press conference
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8. DSML: Sample A sample directory entry information represented in DSML:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<dsml:dsml xmlns:dsml="
<dsml:entry dn="o=IMC, c=US">
<dsml:objectclass>
<dsml:oc-value>top</dsml:oc-value>
<dsml:oc-value>organization</dsml:oc-value>
</dsml:objectclass>
<dsml:attr name="o">
<dsml:value>IMC</dsml:value>
</dsml:attr>
</dsml:entry>
</dsml:dsml>
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9. DSML: The benefits
Provides a standard way to share and combine directory information over the web
DSML leverages LDAP
It is an open standard
Applications can be written to make use of DSML and capture the scalability, replication, security and management strengths of directory services
LDAP provides a means for accessing info while DSML provides a means for reading and understanding that info.
Sharing between two disparate sources. Give an example of database data and directory data both required in third format to an application.
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10. DSML: Limitations Query handling absent
No mechanism of translating error messages between directories
No indication of how Distinguished Names of directories will be handled across different directory servers
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11. DirXML
Novell's data-sharing and synchronization solution, automatically distributes new and updated information across every designated application and directory on the network
Use XML to communicate with every directory on the network
Uses XSLT to transform data of one directory format to another directory's format
A different usage.
Internal, uses DSML
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12. Source: Novell DirXML web page
DirXML: Under the hood
Source: Novell DirXML web page
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13. The future!
Most of the directory server vendors will start supporting DSML
Next version of DSML will address most of the issues mentioned in its limitations
Directories will see more use in the eCommerce and internet sector because of DSML
Explain the future of DSML and DirXML
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14. References DSML: http://www.dsml.org
DirXML:
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