Distributed Directory Referential Integrity Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maintaining referential integrity across a distributed directory is cumbersome and slow, requiring administrators or application writers to search and update entries and groups individually, which is inefficient and not upwardly compatible with new group types.
Innovation Solution
A system that autonomically maintains group referential integrity by sending requests to modify entries and group references without performing integrity checks, allowing for faster and automatic updates across a distributed network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If administrators or application writers manually search and update each directory entry and group individually to maintain referential integrity, then data consistency is maintained, but the process is cumbersome and slow
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic referential integrity maintenance through the directory service itself. When an entry is modified or deleted, the directory service automatically notifies all groups containing that entry and performs the necessary updates without requiring external applications to search and update each group manually. This self-service mechanism maintains data consistency while eliminating the manual overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements a feedback mechanism where the directory service monitors changes to entries and automatically triggers referential integrity updates. When an entry modification is detected, the system feeds back this information to affected groups, which then automatically update their membership lists. This closed-loop feedback ensures consistency without manual intervention.
2Reliability
If applications are written to perform referential integrity checks across all servers, then data consistency is maintained, but the complexity of application development increases
Solution Approach 1:
The directory service acts as an intermediary between entry modifications and group updates. Instead of requiring applications to directly search all servers and update groups, the directory service mediates this process by automatically routing modification notifications to the appropriate groups. This intermediary role simplifies application logic while maintaining referential integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transfers the complexity of referential integrity maintenance from applications to the directory service itself. The directory service autonomously handles the coordination of updates across all groups, eliminating the need for applications to implement complex search and update logic. This self-service approach reduces application complexity while ensuring data consistency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system performs referential integrity checks on all group types, then compatibility with new group types is achieved, but the time required for updates increases
Solution Approach 1:
The directory service implements a universal referential integrity mechanism that works with all group types without requiring type-specific logic. The system uses a generic notification and update protocol that can handle any group type, making it inherently compatible with new group types while maintaining efficient update performance. This universal approach eliminates the need for separate handling logic for different group types.
Solution Approach 2:
The directory service automatically adapts to new group types through its self-service update mechanism. When a new group type is introduced, the system naturally extends its notification and update capabilities to include this new type without requiring manual configuration or application updates. This self-adapting behavior ensures compatibility while maintaining efficient update times.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for autonomically maintaining group referential integrity across a distributed directory. When a server receives an operation request from a client regarding an entry in the distributed directory, the server sends a request to the particular server containing the entry to be modified that instructs the server to modify the entry, but without performing a referential integrity check. The server then determines whether the request returned successfully. If so, the server sends a request to each server in the network to perform the requested operation on all group references for the entry, but without actually performing the requested operation on the entry itself. If all of these requests return successfully, the server notifies the requesting client that the requested operation has been performed.