LDAP integration - preliminary advice please

Geoff M · *nix forums beginner Joined: 23 Feb 2005 Posts: 18

Hi all,

Currently version 9.2 on Linux ...

We are beginning to look at enterprise integration of some of our Oracle
databases and other LDAP-based services.

Basics are:

Two Oracle instances which hold base information (amongst lots of other
stuff) on two different classes of users (staff and students);

A number of other systems which use LDAP or similar, such as:
Sun Web Mail (iPlanet LDAP)
Netware file servers (eDirectory)
Citrix Application Servers (Active Directory)

Looking at the possible use of Oracle Internet Directory (OID) as the glue
and the central authoritative user repository.

Considering putting the DBMS_LDAP / DBMS_LDAP_UTL packages on the two
primary user source databases and using packages/triggers to write/update
entries in the OID and then using the Synchronization and/or Provisioning
services in OID to farm any additions and changes out to the other
systems.

As iPlanet is LDAP v3 compliant (and is specifically mentioned in the
doco) we presume integrated (near) real-time synch will be available
there, but that the not-quite-so-compliant eDirectory and Active Directory
updates will need some batch processes.

Additionally, we have other Oracle instances underpinning other
applications (eg. e-learning, helpdesk), currently with direct batch
synching with the two primary sources. Considering, if we go ahead with
the above, whether *for consistency* to instead have these feeds channeled
through OID (DBMS_LDAP -> OID -> DBMS_LDAP) as user record change volume
is not great.

Any advice (alternative methodologies / dead-horse / barking-wrong-tree /
tricks / clues) appreciated before we start the investigation.

Geoff M

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