Optimizing Linux/Unix paths for multiple instances on a single machine.

eDirectory 8.8.x added the ability to support multiple instances on the same machine. It becomes possible to have multiple servers in one tree, multiple servers in different trees, or both all on the same hardware. The usefulness of this depends on the environment and how these server instances are deployed but in the end it becomes necessary to store all of these instances logically on the filesystem.

The default location for an eDirectory 8.8.x instance's data directory is /var/opt/novell/eDirectory/data and /var/opt/novell/eDirectory/data/dib is used for the DIB directory. Also /etc/opt/novell/eDirectory/conf/nds.conf is used for the default configuration file for the first instance. These will be the default paths used if installing OES, OES 2, or adding eDirectory 8.8.x to any version of SLES using the ndsmanage command.

To help organize multiple NCP servers and multiple trees on the same filesystem it is recommended that the instances be stored based on tree and server name. Doing so will allow as much growth as is possible on the same server without being confusing to administrators who may or may not be familiar with the setup of the server itself. Adding in two directories in the structure resolves the confusion problem completely:

/var/opt/novell/eDirectory/data changes to /var/opt/novell/eDirectory///data

/var/opt/novell/eDirectory/data/dib changes to /var/opt/novell/eDirectory///data/dib

/etc/opt/novell/eDirectory/conf/nds.conf changes to /etc/opt/novell/eDirectory///conf/nds.conf

Implementing these changes while running through ndsmanage only requires that the treename and servername be added to the directory structure. With this done retiring old instances also means that the files can be left behind for later use or analysis without interfering with existing instances.