1.1 Key Terms

1.1.1 Identity Manager

NetIQ Identity Manager is a service that synchronizes data among servers in a set of connected systems by using a robust set of configurable policies. Identity Manager uses the Identity Vault to store shared information, and uses the Identity Manager engine for policy-based management of the information as it changes in the vault or connected system. Identity Manager runs on the server where the Identity Vault and the Identity Manager engine are located.

1.1.2 Identity Vault

The Identity Vault is a persistent database powered by eDirectory and used by Identity Manager to hold data for synchronization with a connected system. You can view the vault as a private data store for Identity Manager that holds enterprise-wide data. Data in the vault is available to any protocol supported by eDirectory, including the NetWare Core Protocol (NCP), which is the traditional protocol used by iManager, LDAP, and DSML.

Because the Identity Vault is powered by eDirectory, you can easily integrate Identity Manager into your corporate directory infrastructure by using your existing directory tree as the vault.

1.1.3 Identity Manager Engine

The Identity Manager engine is the core server that implements the event management and policies of Identity Manager. The engine runs on the Java Virtual Machine in eDirectory.

1.1.4 Drivers

A driver implements a data sharing policy for a connected system. You control the actions of the driver using iManager to define the filters and the policy.

1.1.5 Driver Shim

A driver shim is the component of a driver that converts the XML-based Identity Manager command and event language (XDS) to the protocols and API calls needed to interact with a connected system. The shim is called to execute commands on the connected system after the Output Transformation runs. Commands are usually generated on the Subscriber channel but can be generated by command write-back on the Publisher channel.

The shim also generates events from the connected system for the Input Transformation policy. A driver shim can be implemented either in Java class or as a native Windows DLL file. The shim for Loopback Service driver is com.novell.nds.dirxml.driver.loopback.LoopbackDriverShim.

1.1.6 Remote Loader

A Remote Loader enables a driver shim to execute outside of the Identity Manager engine (perhaps remotely on a different machine). The Remote Loader is typically used when a requirement of the driver shim is not met by the Identity Manager server.

The Remote Loader is a service that executes the driver shim and passes information between the shim and the Identity Manager engine. When you use a Remote Loader, you install the driver shim on the server where the Remote Loader is running, not on the server where the Identity Manager engine is running. You can choose to use SSL to encrypt the connection between the Identity Manager engine and the Remote Loader. For more information, see the Installing Identity Manager in the NetIQ Identity Manager Setup Guide for Linux or Installing the Remote Loader in the NetIQ Identity Manager Setup Guide for Windows guides.