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Summary of Namespace Entry Types

Clients access binding information in the namespace by looking up (by name) one of three different kinds of entry:

· A server entry

· A group entry, which contains other entries whose contents are returned to the caller when it reads the group entry

· A profile entry, which specifies a path of entries to be searched whose contents are returned to the caller when it reads the profile entry

Lookups behave differently depending on the kind of entry read. If an entry is a simple server entry, then the search begins and ends right there, whether successful or not. If the entry is a group, then the lookup is more complicated. A binding will be returned from among those that are found to be compatible by the name service, but within that category the selection is undefined. If the entry is a profile, then a specified path of entries is searched. The entries in this path may themselves be other profiles, or groups, or simple entries. The search continues until either a compatible binding is found, or the entire path has been unsuccessfully traversed.