Patent ID: 7240073

Claim:
A storage medium including processor-executable instructions, which when executed, implement one or more metadirectory rules for defining a structure of a metadirectory and for executing one or more operations of the metadirectory, comprising: a static part of each metadirectory rule that defines a metadirectory operation; a flexible part of each metadirectory rule comprising customizable logic to customize the metadirectory operation defined by the static part; wherein the static part maintains stability of the metadirectory structure and operation upon execution of the flexible part; wherein the metadirectory defined at least in part by the metadirectory rule includes a connector space for staging objects to and from a core of the metadirectory; wherein management agents in the connector space adapt and transfer information between remote information sources and the connector space; wherein connector objects in the connector space join and disjoin one or more staged objects in the connector space to one or more unified identity objects in the core; wherein each management agent and each connector object embodies one or more of the metadirectory rules; and wherein an interrelated set of the metadirectory rules defines a rules engine to decide between conditional join pathways, conditional synchronization pathways, and conditional attribute flow pathways in the metadirectory in order to define a specific management sequence for each staged object in the connector space.