title: Oracle (Sun) DSEE 7 link: https://onemoretech.wordpress.com/2010/05/15/oracle-sun-dsee-7/ author: lembobro description: post_id: 160 created: 2010/05/15 00:50:27 created_gmt: 2010/05/15 00:50:27 comment_status: open post_name: oracle-sun-dsee-7 status: publish post_type: post

Oracle (Sun) DSEE 7

Oracle’s (Sun’s, actually) Directory Server Enterprise Edition (DSEE) 7.0 has a lot going for it. Like the Red Hat Directory, it descends from the original Netscape LDAP Directory Server. Starting with the 5.2 version of the Sun Directory product, major changes were introduced that resulted in an even more stable core ns-slapd application but at the same introduced a new replication algorithm that made interoperability between newer and older versions more problematic. Sun finally delivered on two long-awaited features in version 6: an entirely HTML driven graphical administration console and the ability to manage all directory configurations and operations from the command line. The command line capability was continued and enhanced in version 7, which was acquired by Oracle as part of their purchase of Sun.

Having run DSEE 7 for a few months, and now deployed it into an enterprise environment, my own opinion is that being able to completely control the directory from the command line is much more important than having an HTML console. In fact, after putting up a couple of initial test instances with the console configured, I no longer bother with it. Way too many moving parts, for one thing. An unintuitive interface, for another. Even in earlier versions with their Java based fat client console I found myself doing whatever I could from the command line, only firing up the console for operations that couldn’t be done without it (like configuring replication).

With DSEE 7 that has all changed. You can now install and configure an initial LDAP directory server core in a few minutes with a few simple one-liners. Everything, including replication, can be set up and managed with various console commands. Even some things I previously accomplished by editing the main dse.ldif configuration file or using ldapmodify can be done using either the dsadm or dsconf commands with various options. In future articles I’ll set out a number of common “how-to’s” for basic operations. Because, well, real LDAP admins don’t use gui’s (unless the gui happens to be Apache’s Directory Studio LDAP browser/editor).

I really think that had Sun’s Directory Server not evolved along the lines it did, particularly its comprehensive command line management capability, its future might have been in doubt after the Oracle takeover. But given the strengths of the product as it now exists, it’s more likely Oracle will follow though on its promise to not only continue to support but also improve upon, the DSEE product. Besides, as I’ve said before, if they don’t then it’s more than possible that Red Hat will eat their enterprise directory server market share lunch as the only party still maintaining a carrier-grade Netscape directory family product.

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