Managing the Schema

The schema of your Novell^® eDirectory^TM tree defines the classes of objects that the tree can contain, such as Users, Groups, and Printers. It specifies the attributes (properties) that comprise each object type, including those that are required when creating the object and those that are optional.

You might need to make changes to your schema as your organization's informational needs change. For example, if you never required a fax number on your User object before but you need one now, you can create a new User class that has Fax Number as a mandatory attribute, then begin using the new User class to create User objects.

The Schema Manager in the ConsoleOne^® Tools menu lets those with the Supervisor right to a tree customize the schema of that tree. You can also use the Schema Management role in Novell iManager to perform the same tasks.

You can use Schema Manager to

• View a list of all classes and attributes in the schema.
• Extend the schema by adding a class or an attribute to the existing schema.
• Create a class by naming it and specifying applicable attributes, flags, and containers to which it can be added, and parent classes from which it can inherit attributes.
• Create an attribute by naming it and specifying its syntax and flags.
• Add an attribute to an existing class.
• Delete a class or an attribute that is not in use or that has become obsolete.
• Identify and resolve potential problems.

In This Section

• Extending the Schema
• Viewing the Schema
• Extending the Schema on Linux, Solaris, or AIX Systems
• New Schema Flags Added in eDirectory 8.7

For more detailed schema information, see the NDS Schema Reference.