After you have designed the basic structure of the eDirectory tree and have set up partitioning and replication, you should plan the user environment to simplify management and increase access to network resources. To create a user environment plan, review the users' needs and create accessibility guidelines for each area.
When you review users' needs, consider the following:
Physical network needs, such as printers or file storage space
Evaluate if resources are shared by groups of users within a tree or shared by groups of users from multiple containers. Also consider the physical resource needs of remote users.
Bindery services needs for users
Consider which applications are bindery-based and who uses them.
Application needs
Consider which applications and data files are needed by users, what operating systems exist, and which groups or users need access to applications. Consider if the shared applications should be manually or automatically launched by applications such as ZENworks.
After you have gathered information about user needs, you should determine the eDirectory objects that you will use to create the users' environments. For example, if you create policy packages or Application objects, you should determine how many you will create and where you will allow them to be placed in the tree.
You should also determine how you will implement security to restrict user access. You should identify any security precautions related to specific security practices. For example, you could warn network administrators to avoid granting the eDirectory Supervisor right to Server objects because this right is inherited by the file system.