Several timeservers, which are synchronized with an outside source, keep directory information intact. Reid also looks forward to filtered replication, which will let him limit the data that is synchronized across directory servers to only those attributes each office wants to track. Novell's filtered replication feature is in beta test and will be released this summer. Directory engineers are centralized in Chicago with the exception of a European administrator who takes care of directory activities for True North locations in England, Germany and France. Users who log on to a variety of network operating systems for their other database, scheduling, word processing and graphic applications can access the directory from their location, add or update their own user objects and in some cases create new objects.
Directory synchronization updates each directory server with the changes.
When users need to use a white pages application that uses information stored in NDS eDirectory, they log on to the Directory Browser LDAP software Reid has installed from Intracus. Directory Browser makes information stored in NDS eDirectory available across the entire organization via a Web interface. The companywide directory project Reid has embarked on has three overall phases. Reid expects to complete the first phase, identifying True North employees and offices and importing that data into the Novell directory, by the end of July. Third, Reid will work to identify the clients True North works with and build a directory schema that lists who has worked on each campaign, the customer contacts and the collateral that True North created for each customer.