[Documentation] Partition Suffix Documentation Update

[Ole Ersoy <ol...@gmail.com>]

I'm going through the documentation right now:

This section:

Adding Own Partition Suffix Documentation
Here:
http://directory.apache.org/apacheds/1.0/14-basic-configuration-tasks.html#1.4.Basicconfigurationtasks-Addingyourownpartition%2528suffix%2529

says the following in the beginning:

In ApacheDS entries are stored in partitions, each partition contains a 
complete entry tree. Multiple partitions may exist, the entry trees they 
contain are disconnected to each other.

Should it be stated like this?

In ApacheDS a set of entries
forming a directory tree
is contained in partition.
The root of the directory tree is the partition.
ApacheDS comes with 3 partitions (Also referred to as partition 
suffixes) by default:
cn=schema
ou=system
dc=example, dc=org


(I think the below statement becomes obvious and can be removed, unless 
we intend to elaborate more
(...link to an elaboration of) what "the entry trees they contain are 
disconnected >>>FROM (Was to) each other)

[I put but don't think necessary]
The sets of entries contained by these partitions are
mutually exclusive.


Thoughts?

I'll be glad to update these, just point me to the source.
I'm also working on a concepts document that we can hyperlink to.

Cheers,
- Ole

Re: [Documentation] Partition Suffix Documentation Update

[Ole Ersoy <ol...@gmail.com>]

OK - Let me see if we think this is better:

A Partition is a container for a DIT that has a named root
expressed using DN syntax.  For example, the
ApacheDS 1.5 default configuration contains partitions
named as follows:

cn=schema
ou=system
dc=example, dc=org

A Partition also refers to the implementation of the
ApacheDS java interfaces that is used to
store the DIT contained by the partition.

Thus developers may create an user their own partition
implementation.

Re: [Documentation] Partition Suffix Documentation Update

[Emmanuel Lecharny <el...@gmail.com>]

Ole, feel free to fix any bad english on the site, no need to ask ;)

> Personally I prefer:
> [SUGGESTION] Partitions contain mutually exclusive sets of entries.

Well, they are not mutually exclusive : they may only differ by their 
DN. You may store the same entry in two different places, as you can 
copy a file in two different directories on your disk. The DN/Path with 
simply be different.

>>>
>>> In ApacheDS a set of entries
>>> forming a directory tree
>>> is contained in partition.
>>> The root of the directory tree is the partition.
>>
>>
>> No. A partition is not the root of a directory tree. A partition is 
>> like a mounted file system
>
>
> If a file system is mounted at the root so that all files in the file 
> system are visible, then is it the same?

No, because there is no such thing as a root in Ldap, only what we call 
a rootDSE, which is a very special beast : it's the place where the 
server stores internal informations, like supported controls, and naming 
contexts. I was not clear in my answer though. What I meant was that a 
Partition is the DIT itself, and the partition's name is associated with 
an entry which DN is the partition name. This entry will be the root of 
the DIT, represented and implemented as this partition.

>
> It sounds like a partition could be a proxy to an entry in an other
> directory.  So the proxy would point to an entry that is not at the
> root of the directory tree that contains the entry, and in this case
> the partition would not be the root of the real directory tree?

A partition is really a simple thing : it represents a DIT, with all its 
entry, and it has a name which is the namingContext. No need to try to 
find other words for that. It's like a table is a table, and a chair is 
a chair ...

>
> Although from the point of view of the DirContext attaching to
> ApacheDS's partition y, partition y is the root right?  We can't
> go any higher than y?

I don't understand why you mention DirContext here ? A DirContext is 
just a context associated to an entry. (just have a look at JNDI 
tutorial  (http://java.sun.com/products/jndi/tutorial/) where DirContext 
is clearly defined).
If you want to know if we can reduce a partition's name to somwhere 
shorter, the answer is no. You also have to define clearly what 'higher' 
means. As the DN RDNs are written in the opposite direction, compared to 
Linux paths, for 'a=x, b=y, c=z', then is 'b=y, c=z' higher or lower 
than 'a=x, b=y, c=z' ?

>
> Or will ApacheDS enable hopping above the entry y, with retrieval of
> other entries from the parents of entry y?

What is 'entry y' ? just an entry somewhere in the DIT?

>>> ApacheDS comes with 3 partitions (Also referred to as partition 
>>> suffixes) by default:
>>> cn=schema
>>> ou=system
>>> dc=example, dc=org
>>
>
> Are these all the root of their corresponding directory tree?

Yes, definitively.

Emmanuel

Re: [Documentation] Partition Suffix Documentation Update

[Ole Ersoy <ol...@gmail.com>]

>> Adding Own Partition Suffix Documentation
>> Here:
>> http://directory.apache.org/apacheds/1.0/14-basic-configuration-tasks.html#1.4.Basicconfigurationtasks-Addingyourownpartition%2528suffix%2529 
>>
>>
>> says the following in the beginning:
>>
>> In ApacheDS entries are stored in partitions, each partition contains 
>> a complete entry tree. Multiple partitions may exist, the entry trees 
>> they contain are disconnected to each other.
>>
>> Should it be stated like this?
>

At a minimum we need to change:

FROM]
are disconnected to each other

TO]
are disconnected from each other.

Personally I prefer:
[SUGGESTION] Partitions contain mutually exclusive sets of entries.


> I think this sentence is clear.
> 
>>
>> In ApacheDS a set of entries
>> forming a directory tree
>> is contained in partition.
>> The root of the directory tree is the partition.
> 
> No. A partition is not the root of a directory tree. A partition is like 
> a mounted file system

If a file system is mounted at the root so that all files in the file 
system are visible, then is it the same?

It sounds like a partition could be a proxy to an entry in an other
directory.  So the proxy would point to an entry that is not at the
root of the directory tree that contains the entry, and in this case
the partition would not be the root of the real directory tree?

Although from the point of view of the DirContext attaching to
ApacheDS's partition y, partition y is the root right?  We can't
go any higher than y?

Or will ApacheDS enable hopping above the entry y, with retrieval of
other entries from the parents of entry y?

> : it has a name, which is the suffix, but it 
> describe all the entries it contains. By extension, when we are talking 
> about "partition x=y", that means "the partition which suffix is x=y".
> 
>> ApacheDS comes with 3 partitions (Also referred to as partition 
>> suffixes) by default:
>> cn=schema
>> ou=system
>> dc=example, dc=org

Are these all the root of their corresponding directory tree?

> 
> That's correct (and I think we can add it in 1.5 doco : 1.0 does not 
> have a cn=schema partition)
> 
>>
>> I'll be glad to update these, just point me to the source.
> 
> Just click on the top right little grey icon of each page on the web 
> site, you will gain access to the edit page. If ypu can't do that, then 
> we can add you to the list of people allowed to update the 
> documentation. Just tell us.
>

OK - I'll try it out.  Thanks.
- Ole



> Emmanuel
> 

Re: [Documentation] Partition Suffix Documentation Update

[Emmanuel Lecharny <el...@gmail.com>]

Ole Ersoy a écrit :

> I'm going through the documentation right now:
>
> This section:
>
> Adding Own Partition Suffix Documentation
> Here:
> http://directory.apache.org/apacheds/1.0/14-basic-configuration-tasks.html#1.4.Basicconfigurationtasks-Addingyourownpartition%2528suffix%2529 
>
>
> says the following in the beginning:
>
> In ApacheDS entries are stored in partitions, each partition contains 
> a complete entry tree. Multiple partitions may exist, the entry trees 
> they contain are disconnected to each other.
>
> Should it be stated like this?

I think this sentence is clear.

>
> In ApacheDS a set of entries
> forming a directory tree
> is contained in partition.
> The root of the directory tree is the partition.

No. A partition is not the root of a directory tree. A partition is like 
a mounted file system : it has a name, which is the suffix, but it 
describe all the entries it contains. By extension, when we are talking 
about "partition x=y", that means "the partition which suffix is x=y".

> ApacheDS comes with 3 partitions (Also referred to as partition 
> suffixes) by default:
> cn=schema
> ou=system
> dc=example, dc=org

That's correct (and I think we can add it in 1.5 doco : 1.0 does not 
have a cn=schema partition)

>
> I'll be glad to update these, just point me to the source.

Just click on the top right little grey icon of each page on the web 
site, you will gain access to the edit page. If ypu can't do that, then 
we can add you to the list of people allowed to update the 
documentation. Just tell us.

Emmanuel