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Contenido archivado el 2024-04-15

The Obviously Required Name-Server

Objetivo

The THORN project's objectives are to study directory services and to build and demonstrate a prototype service.
The obviously required name server (THORN) project's objectives are to study directory services and to build and demonstrate a prototype service. Due to the lack of relevant International Standards Organisation - International Telephone and Telegraph Consultative Committee (ISO-CCITT) standards for directory services, the project started with an implementation of the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) standards. Based on this implementation, a large scale pilot exercise (LSPX) was set up. This work allowed the partners to gain early experience in designing, implementing and using directory services, which enabled them to make a valuable contribution to the final ISO-CCITT standards.
As soon as thesestandards became available (first as drafts, later as final standards), the ECMA-conformant implementations were adapted and enhanced. The final prototype consisted of directory user agent (DUA) and directory service agent (DSA) software, ported to the various hardware platforms used by the THORN partners. This prototype was further enriched with different sets of user interface (UI) software, each supporting a different style of user interaction, and administration tools. During the project, a suite of testing tools was also developed to help test the conformance of the system to the standard.
Begun with only the THORN project partners, the LSPX had grown, by the end of the project, to 14 DSA in 4 countries, offering information on several hundred organizations, a few thousand hosts and more than 20000 people. The system was probably used by over 1000 users.
Due to the lack of relevant ISO-CCITT standards for directory services, the project started with an implementation of the ECMA standards. Based on this implementation, a Large Scale Pilot eXercise (LSPX) was set up. This work allowed the partners to gain early experience in designing, implementing and using directory services, which enabled them to make a valuable contribution to the final ISO-CCITT standards.
As soon as these standards became available (first as drafts, later as final standards), the ECMA-conformant implementations were adapted and enhanced. The final prototype, as demonstrated during the 1989 ESPRIT Conference, consisted of Directory User Agent (DUA) and Directory Service Agent (DSA) software, ported to the various hardware platforms used by the THORN partners. This prototype was further enriched with different sets of User Interface (UI) software, each supporting a different style of user interaction, and administration tools. During the project, a suite of testing tools was also developed to help the partners test the conformance of their system (after porting to their particular hardware platform) to the standard.
Begun with only the THORN project partners, the LSPX had grown, by the end of the project, to 14 DSAs in 4 countries, offering information on several hundred organisations, a few thousand hosts and more than 20 000 people. The system was probably used by over 1000 users.
Exploitation
The experience and know-how acquired during the THORN project will be used by the various partners for further work. Most partners have announced or are developing X.500-based directory service products. Products already available include PIZARRO (INRIA), DIR-X (Siemens), DirWiz (SW). The DIR-X product of Siemens has been chosen by the Open Software Foundation (OSF) as the basis for their X.500 naming service. Furthermore, the testing tools developed as part of the project are still in use with the partne rs to test their own products, and the experience gained via the LSPX is being reused to set up directory services for the research community.

Tema(s)

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Convocatoria de propuestas

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Régimen de financiación

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Coordinador

Ing. C. Olivetti E C. Spa
Aportación de la UE
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Dirección
Via Jervis 77
10015 Ivrea
Italia

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Coste total
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Participantes (8)