The bogeyman of integration is directory synchronization. One approach keeps the different directories in sync through a middleware application. Directory objects from one NOS may not be translatable to the directory structure of another, however, and problems can crop up on both sides. A second approach is the metadirectory. Instead of synchronizing two directories with each other, you synchronize them with a third directory that supports the features of both.
Conflicts are easier to manage, and all the information is contained in one store.
But this approach also has potential problems. It is more difficult to execute successfully, may make management harder rather than easier, and causes more network traffic. The arrival of Microsoft's Active Directory and Windows 2000 will make network integration still murkier. Other vendors such as Cisco Systems Inc. of San Jose, Calif., could license the new source code to Sun, however. Sites that install the Project Cascade software this year with Windows NT Server 4.0 might not be able to upgrade when Windows 2000 finally arrives.