External Mode (Originally Referred to as Option 3): All NNMi User Information in the Directory Service

With configuration using the external mode, NNMi accesses a directory service for all user access information, which is defined externally to NNMi and is available to other applications. Membership in one or more directory service groups determines the NNMi user groups for the user.

The configuration and maintenance of NNMi user access information is a joint effort as described here:

• The directory service administrator maintains the user names, passwords, and group membership in the directory service.
• The NNMi administrator maps the directory service groups to NNMi user groups in the NNMi console.
• The NNMi administrator configures NNMi's LDAP configuration file to describe the directory service database schema for user names and groups to NNMi.

The following diagram shows the information flow for this option, which is appropriate for environments where the directory service can be modified to include user groups that align with the people who need access to NNMi.

Because this option is an expansion of the mixed mode scenario, recommends the following configuration process:

1. Configure and verify NNMi user name and password retrieval from the directory service.
2. Configure NNMi user group retrieval from the directory service.

For information about integrating with a directory service for all user information, see the rest of this chapter and Control Access with a Directory Service in the NNMi help.

NNMi User Sign-in Information Flow for Using External Mode