Establishing a GDS Cell Name
If you plan to use GDS to communicate with other cells, you need to obtain a globally unique name for your cell from the GDS global naming authorities before you configure your cell, then define it in the GDS namespace. The name you obtain for your cell will be in GDS syntax.
As explained in the Introduction to OSF DCE, GDS-style names consist of a series of attribute/value pairs, separated by equal signs (=). Each attribute/value pair is called a Relative Distinguished Name (RDN). The Directory Information Tree (DIT) determines the hierarchy of a GDS name; that is, how the RDNs are ordered to create a global name. An example of a GDS-style global name, called a Distinguished Name (DN), is /.../C=US/O=ABC/OU=DCE/CN=gunther. Each RDN is separated by slashes (/). See the OSF DCE GDS Administration Guide and Reference for a complete description of the GDS naming structure.
DCE cell name values are generally stored in the Organization (O=) or Organization Unit (OU=) attributes of a GDS name. For example, the global name
/.../C=US/O=ABC/OU=Seattle
uses the OU= attribute to store the cell name Seattle. There is a fixed set of two-letter codes that must be used to indicate the Country (C=) attribute for your cell; for example, C=US or C=JP. The country in which you reside may also have standard Organizations (O=), where your organization is registered as a code. Your organization may also have conventions that apply to the way an Organization Unit (OU=) is represented. Check with your naming authority for exact conventions. Any valid X.500 name, including names provided by other standards supported by X.500, can be used as a cell name. Refer to the OSF DCE GDS Administration Guide and Reference for details about naming rules, including valid characters, restrictions, and maximum name sizes for GDS names.
To obtain a unique GDS name for a cell, contact the administrator in charge of the portion of the DIT under which you want to name your cell. For example, in the United States, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) delegates X.500 names that are subordinate to the RDN /C=US. Suppose you are an employee of ABC, a U.S. corporation interested in participating in a worldwide X.500 directory. If you wanted to configure a single cell whose name is /C=US/O=ABC, you would contact ANSI to reserve ABC as a unique organization name. Similarly, if you wanted to configure multiple cells in your organization and name them based on organization units, you would contact a naming authority within your company to establish a cell entry such as /C=US/O=ABC/OU=Sales.
Send X.500 name registration requests to
American National Standards Institute
11 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Telephone Number: (212) 642-4976
It is the responsibility of the person making the request to ANSI to be sure that your organization does not send more than one request for an organization name. Once you receive your organization name, it is recommended that your organization set up a central administrative authority to manage names that are subordinate to the organization name.
After you have configured your cell, you need to define it in the GDS global namespace. GDS stores cell information in the CDS-Cell and CDS-Replica attributes. You must add these two attributes to an existing GDS entry for that entry to become a cell entry.