Express (Distributed operating systems), v8.0 > Secure applications and their environment > Authenticate users > Select a registry or repository > Manage realms in a federated repository > Virtual member manager > Component overview > Functional Overview
Support directories
Virtual member manager supports various types of existing directories.
An important type of repository that virtual member manager supports is an enterprise directory. Enterprise directories are usually read-only for WebSphere applications for business and security reasons. Virtual member manager supports read-only registries. Virtual member manager enables WebSphere applications using the read-only repository to store additional data for organizational entities by providing a property extension repository. Supporting existing registries also implies that mapping must be done for entities and their properties between virtual member manager and the underlying registries.
Typically, in a customer environment, the data for organizational entities are stored in multiple registries. Virtual member manager uses multiple registries simultaneously by either performing some basic entry mapping itself or by using a product such as either the IBM Tivoli Directory Integrator or the IBM WebSphere Information Integrator, or another vendor's information integration product. If multiple and different types of registries are used simultaneously, transactional integrity must be ensured. When virtual member manager uses a single database repository or a database information integration product (such as WebSphere Information Integrator), transactional integrity is delegated to the underlying database repository. However, when virtual member manager manages multiple registries directly or when there is a mixture of transactional and non-transactional registries, virtual member manager provides some transactional support by making use of the transaction support provided by WAS.
Parent topic: Functional Overview