Directory Access (DA) Overview and Setup Instructions

Mindwatering Incorporated

Author: Tripp Black

Created: 06/13/2010 at 07:15 PM

 

Category:
Domino Upgrades / Installations, Lotus How To Videos
Software (Re)Configuration
Directory Assistance

What Is Directory Access (DA):
  • DA allows an administrator to setup additional Domino, LDAP, or AD directories for name lookup, user authentication/login, or both.
  • DA uses an application called “Directory Assistance” typically named “da.nsf” and is specified/enabled in a server document.

What to Know:
  • The main directory for your company is called the Domino Directory. Its file name is “names.nsf”. This Domino Directory is also called your Domain.
  • Secondary direcories for DA can be other Domino directories, LDAP directories, or an AD directory.
  • DA is server specific. You specify which directories are available to users server-by-server.

How Does It Work?
  • DA documents are created in an application (a.k.a. database) called da.nsf.
  • To enable DA, simply add “da.nsf” into the Directory Assistance field on the Server doc.
  • Each secondary directory gets a DA document.
  • Each DA document or secondary directory can do name lookup, ACL lookup or both.
  • Each DA document results in another Directory available to users search/pick names for addressing mail or assigning ACL entries.
  • ACL Group authentication look-up can be enabled for only one additional directory.
  • Because DA is server specific, it is flexible:
    • If users are to see the same set of secondary directories, you would replicate da.nsf to all the servers in your domain.
    • If users on different servers are to see different secondary directories, you would have different da.nsf (copies) instead.
    • To use a “sister” company's Directory, you would create a replica of their Domain (names.nsf) on your server with a different name(sisternames.nsf) and setup DA.

Note: For more things to know, see "Using Directory Assistance" in the Notes Administrator help.

Instructions to Setup:
1. Create the Directory Assistance (DA) Application.
- Create the new DA application on the server using the Directory Assistance template. Name it da.nsf.

2. Add the Directory Assistance application to all the Server documents.
- Add da.nsf into each server document's Directory Assistance field on the Server tab.
- Either edit each server document individually, or select them all and process them using AdminP.

3. Add the additional Directory(s) into the Directory Assistance application.
- Click the Add Directory Assistance button and setup each document to each document

Watch an Instructional How To in Setting Up Directory Assistance:

MOV (QuickTime) HD - 1280x720 nominal:
MW_DA_HowTo.mov MW_DA_HowTo.mov


M4V (MP3/MP4) SD - 960x540 nominal:
MW_DA_HowTo_SD.m4v MW_DA_HowTo_SD.m4v


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