7. Policy & Simulation: What's New

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1. Simulation Java Extensions

Previous versions of Designer only supported directories in the Java Extension table of the Simulator preferences. Adding a directory to the table added all jar files that are contained in the directory to the Java class path. The directory feature is still supported; however, this version of Designer allows users to specify a specific file without including all of the files that are within a directory. In the Simulation page and under the Java Extension heading, select the "Add..." button with the file icon to add a specific file or a set of files to the class path. Select the "Add..." button with the folder icon to add a directory.

2. Adjustable Sash for Simulation Dialog

This version of Designer includes an adjustable sash on the Simulation Dialog. The sash is located between the parameter table and attribute tree, as show in the following image. Sash allows the user to adjust the space allotted for the parameter and attribute components within the dialog. The sash dimensions are saved and are used each time the simulator is launched.

3. Application Query and Browse Support

Application query and object browsing in the simulator is available in this version of Designer for pre-release evaluation. The simulator provides these features using the Independent Driver Services (IDS) technology. This technology allows an IDM Driver to connect to an application without having an IDM engine installation.

The simulator reads the properties of a driver to gather information that it uses to connect to the application. This information is stored on the Driver Module and Authentication tabs of Driver Configuration properties page. It is the same information used to start a driver when it is deployed to the Identity Vault. The following image shows the properties page of an LDAP Driver. In this example, the simulator authenticates to the LDAP server "myldapserver.org" as user "cn=ldapuser,o=org".

The following shows the list of IDS supported applications:

  • Database
    • DB2
    • Informix
    • JDBC Database
    • MySQL
    • Oracle
    • Postgres
    • SQL Server
    • Sybase
  • Directory
    • Active Directory
    • Critical Path
    • IBM Directory
    • iPlanet
    • LDAP Directory
    • NDS
    • Netscape
    • NIS
    • Oracle Directory
    • SecureWay
    • Sun Directory
    • SunOne
  • Enterprise
    • PeopleSoft
    • SAP Portal
  • MainFrame
    • ACF/2
    • i5/OS
    • OS/400
    • RACF
    • Top Secret
  • Op System
    • AIX
    • Debian Linux
    • FreeBSD Linux
    • HP/UX
    • Linux
    • RedHat Linux
    • Solaris
    • SUSE Linux
Applications that have native modules, such as Active Directory, are only supported when they are running in a Remote Loader configuration, as shown in the following image. This also requires that the remote loader system is installed and accessible.

Note: there is a limitation when using remote drivers and IDS. The Remote Loader system only supports a single connection to a driver. The simulator will not be able to open a connection if an Identity Manager network or another simulator session is connected to the driver.



The simulator uses IDS functionality to browse for application objects that it can use as templates to input and query responses, as well as to submit queries directly to the application. To create an input document or a response to a query using an application object as a template, select the Browse Application button in the Simulator toolbar.



A browser displays objects from the application if the simulator can successfully open an IDS connection. The following example shows the objects from an LDAP directory.



A Warning page displays if the simulator cannot open an IDS connection. The Warning page provides information as to why the connection did not open and gives instructions on how to debug the problem.



Debugging an IDS application connection is similar to debugging an Identity Manager driver that will not start. Open the IDS Trace view by right-clicking on a driver object and selecting Show IDS Trace, then repeat the simulation. The IDS Trace view is similar to the DS Trace view of an Identity Manager driver and shows the communication between IDS and the application. In the following example, the IDS connection did not start because of an invalid credentials error (49).



You can send queries generated by a policy simulation to the application using the Submit to Application button on the Simulator Query page. The following image shows a generated query that reads the attribute named "o" from the application.

Note: When submitting a query to the application, some drivers require the association query value to be a valid DirXML association. For example, the following image shows a query with an association of "o=novell". The LDAP driver requires the object "o=novell" to exist in the LDAP Directory.



The Submit to Application button opens an IDS connection and sends the query to the application. The response to the query is displayed in the the Response tab. However, if the query returns an empty response, you are prompted to accept the empty response or you can browse for an application object to use as a template. A message page displays if an IDS connection cannot be opened to the application.



4. New DS Trace Features

  • The DS Trace feature can be opened from the main Tools menu, from the Live menu, or from the Context menu.


  • DS Trace has been combined into one editor. On the editor's toolbar, you can view a live DS Trace or open a DS Trace file. The overall UI, toolbar, and other controls have been updated.

    The DS Trace View option


  • When viewing a live DS Trace, it will have color coding for the trace log. And, when performing a live trace, you can click on the Save icon to save the trace to an RTF file.

    The DS Trace View option


  • When viewing a live DS Trace, you can click on the Clear icon to clear the trace window.

    The DS Trace View option


  • User authentication page for live DS Trace supports admin.myou.myorg user name format.

    The DS Trace View option

5. New Mapping Table Features

  • New icons for Insert Column, Insert Row Remove Column and Remove Row actions.
  • New keyboard accelerator Ctrl+Shift+C added for Rename Column action.
Mapping Table







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