DEN FAQs

Web-based management technologies building on a common information model have become pervasive. The use of directories enables an effective and efficient integration of these technologies. Usage and integration of the directory in a management environment is standardized by the Directory-Enabled Networking (DEN) initiative. DEN provides an expanded use of directories as a repository of data about users, applications, management services, network resources and the relationships among them. A central directory of such data enables integration of management information from a variety of sources, and provides essential underpinnings for policy-based management.

The DEN initiative is focused on communicating the benefits, usage and structure of a directory as a component in a complete management environment. Concepts are mapped from CIM (such as systems, services and policies) to a directory, and this information is integrated with other WBEM elements in the management infrastructure. This work utilizes existing user and enterprise-wide data already present in a company's directory, empowers end-to-end services, and supports distributed network-wide service creation, provisioning and management.

Several years ago, DEN was released as an individual, independent specfication by the DEN Consortium. It defined an information model based on and extending CIM. Today, that specification and the DEN concepts have been incorporated into CIM and the DMTF work - so that there is only a single information model and DEN initiative. The initiative has evolved to describe how to use CIM and a directory to locate management information, and to access management data. In addition, at a low level, DEN specifies the LDAP mappings for DMTF's CIM releases. This provides a template for exchanging information across directories, and enables vendors to share a common (but extensible) definition of such entities as devices, applications, and services.

The current DEN work results in more than a specification of an information model, but includes details on directory schema, using a directory to solve specific business scenarios, and integration of a directory into an overall management architecture.

The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) mappings for the Common Information Model (CIM) Version 2.5 Schema are available today. Work is underway to document a management architecture that utilizes a directory in conjunction with the other DMTF standards, especially WBEM. Also, the integration of the directory, WBEM and CIM Schema to solve specific business scenarios is being addressed. These efforts will continue until all relevant scenarios are specified and fully examined.

That is a question for the individual suppliers who will be incorporating the DEN concepts into their products. The completion of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) mapping for the Common Information Model (CIM) V2.5 Schema, as well as the CIM to LDAP mapping guidelines further the vision of DEN.

DEN and WBEM are based on the DMTF's CIM standard. Both use CIM to define the organization and semantics for management information. DEN is focused on the directory-related aspects of management. The Directory Enabled Networking (DEN) initiative is designed to provide building blocks for intelligent management by mapping concepts from CIM (such as systems, services and policies) to a directory, and integrating this information with other WBEM elements in the management infrastructure.

The use of CIM in defining a directory schema enables consistent schema for, and a common understanding of, directory information. Common schema and semantics are especially important when defining and decomposing platform-neutral, high-level policies. Integration within the WBEM infrastructure ties high-level, infrequently-changing directory data to the other, more real-time components of the management infrastructure.

The DMTF DEN Special Interest Working Group is focused on communicating the benefits of DEN as a key component of the DMTF's management standards. It is working at two levels - 1) To use a directory FIRST to "direct" management clients to relevant services, and to hold a subset of management data; and 2) To specify the directory schema (LDAP mappings) for DMTF's CIM Version 2.5 and later releases. Specific modeling and mapping efforts are addressed in the DMTF's LDAP, Network, Policy, and User and Security Working Groups.