Common Installation Scenarios

The following scenarios are examples of the environment in which Identity Manager might be used. For each scenario, some guidelines are provided to help you with your implementation.


New Installation of Identity Manager


New installation

NsureTM Identity Manager is a data-sharing solution that leverages your identity vault to automatically synchronize, transform, and distribute information across applications, databases, and directories.

Your Identity Manager solution includes the following components:


Identity Vault Tree with Identity Manager

The identity vault tree contains the user or object data you want to share or synchronize with other connected systems. We recommend that you install Identity Manager in its own tree and use it as your identity vault.


iManager Server with Identity Manager plug-ins

You use Novell® iManager and the Identity Manager plug-ins to administer your Identity Manager solution.


Connected Systems

Connected systems might include other applications, directories, and databases that you want to share or synchronize data with the identity vault. To establish a connection from your identity vault to the connected system, install the appropriate driver for that connected system. Refer to the driver implementation guides for specific instructions.


Common Identity Manager Tasks


Using Identity Manager and DirXML 1.1a in the Same Environment


Installing Identity Manager beside DirXML 1.1a

If you are running both Identity Manager and DirXML® 1.1a in the same environment, keep in mind the following considerations.


Creating an Identity Vault


Management Tools


Backward Compatibility


Password Management


Upgrading from the Starter Pack to Identity Manager


Upgrading from Starter Pack to Identity Manager

The DirXML Starter Pack solutions included with other Novell products provide licensed synchronization of information held in NT Domains, Active Directory, and eDirectory. Additionally, evaluation drivers for several other systems including PeopleSoft*, GroupWise®, and Lotus Notes*, are included to allow you to explore data synchronization for your other systems.

This solution also offers you the ability to synchronize user passwords. With PasswordSync, a user is required to remember only a single password to log in to any of these systems. Administrators can manage passwords in the system of their choice. Any time a password is changed in one of these environments, it will be updated in all of them.

DirXML Starter Packs that shipped with NetWare 6.5 and Nterprise Linux Services 1.0 were based on DirXML 1.1a technology. When upgrading from a Starter Pack to the latest version of Identity Manager, keep in mind the following considerations:


Management Tools


Backward Compatibility


Password Management


Activation


Upgrading from Password Synchronization 1.0 to Identity Manager Password Synchronization


Upgrading from Password Synchronization 1.0 to Identity Manager Password Synchronization

Identity Manager Password Synchronization offers many new features, including bidirectional password synchronization, additional platforms, and e-mail notification when password synchronization fails.

If you are using Password Synchronization 1.0 with Active Directory or NT Domain, it's very important that you review the instructions for upgrading before you install the new driver shims.

For information about Identity Manager Password Synchronization in general, see Password Synchronization across Connected Systems. That section contains conceptual information including a comparison of old and new features, prerequisites, a list of features supported for each connected system, instructions on adding support to existing drivers, and several scenarios showing how you could use the new features.

In this section:


Upgrading Password Synchronization for AD or NT

The new Password Synchronization functionality is done by driver policies, not by a separate agent. This means that if you install the new driver shim without upgrading the driver configuration at the same time, Password Synchronization 1.0 continues to work only for existing users. New, moved, or renamed users do not participate in Password Synchronization until you complete the upgrade of the driver configuration.

Use the following general steps to upgrade:

  1. Upgrade your environment so that it supports Universal Password, including upgrading the Novell Client if you are using it.
  2. Install the Identity Manager driver shim to replace the DirXML 1.x driver shim for AD or NT.
  3. Immediately create backward compatibility with Password Synchronization 1.0, by adding a new policy to the driver configuration.

    This step allows Password Synchronization 1.0 to continue to function correctly until you make the switch to Identity Manager Password Synchronization.

  4. Add support for the new Identity Manager Password Synchronization, using driver policies.
  5. Install and configure new Password Synchronization filters.
  6. Set up SSL, if necessary.
  7. Turn on Universal Password using Password Policies, if necessary.
  8. Set up the Identity Manager Password Synchronization scenario that you want to use.

    See "Implementing Password Synchronization" in the Novell Nsure Identity Manager 2.0.1 Administration Guide.

  9. Remove Password Synchronization 1.0.

For detailed instructions, see the driver implementation guides for the DirXML Drivers for Active Directory and NT Domain.


Upgrading Password Synchronization for eDirectory

Upgrading for eDirectory is fairly simple, and the new driver shim is intended to work with your existing driver configuration with no changes, assuming that your driver shim and configuration have the latest patches. For instructions, see the DirXML Driver for eDirectory Implementation Guide.


Upgrading Other Connected System Drivers

Identity Manager Password Synchronization supports more connected systems than Password Synchronization 1.0.

For a list of the features that are supported for other systems, see Connected System Support for Password Synchronization.

Driver policy "overlays" are provided to help you add bidirectional Password Synchronization functionality to existing drivers for connected systems that were not previously supported. See Upgrading Existing Driver Configurations to Support Identity Manager Password Synchronization.


Handling Sensitive Information

Universal Password is protected by four layers of encryption inside eDirectory, so it is very secure in that environment. If you choose to use bidirectional password synchronization, and you synchronize Universal Password with the Distribution Password, keep in mind that you are extracting the eDirectory password and sending it to other connected systems. You need to secure the transport of the password, as well as the connected systems it is synchronized to. See Handling Sensitive Information.