HP-UX Directory Server Administrator Guide HP-UX Directory Server Version 8.1 (5900-3098, May 2013)

2.2.1 Creating suffixes
Both root and sub suffixes can be created to organize the contents of the directory tree. A root
suffixis the parent of a sub suffix. It can be part of a larger tree designed for the Directory Server.
A sub suffix is a branch underneath a root suffix. The data for root and sub suffixes are contained
by databases.
A directory might contain more than one root suffix. For example, an ISP might host several web
sites, one for example.com and one for hp.com. The ISP would create two root suffixes, one
corresponding to the dc=example,dc=com naming context and one corresponding to the
dc=hp,dc=com naming context, as shown in Figure 3 (page 31).
Figure 3 Directory tree with two root suffixes
It is also possible to create root suffixes to exclude portions of the directory tree from search
operations. For example, Example Corporation wants to exclude their European office from a
search on the general Example Corporation directory. To do this, they create two root suffixes.
One root suffix corresponds to the general Example Corporation directory tree,
dc=example,dc=com, and one root suffix corresponds to the European branch of their directory
tree, l=europe,dc=example,dc=com. From a client application's perspective, the directory
tree looks as illustrated in Figure 4 (page 31).
Figure 4 Directory tree with a root suffix off limits to search operations
Searches performed by client applications on the dc=example,dc=com branch of Example
Corporation's directory will not return entries from the l=europe,dc=example,dc=com branch
of the directory, as it is a separate root suffix.
If Example Corporation decides to include the entries in the European branch of their directory
tree in general searches, they make the European branch a sub suffix of the general branch. To
do this, they create a root suffix for Example Corporation, dc=example,dc=com, then create a
sub suffix beneath it for their European directory entries, l=europe,dc=example,dc=com. From
a client application's perspective, the directory tree appears as illustrated in Figure 5 (page 32).
2.2 Creating and Maintaining Suffixes 31