Designing Your Directory TreeChapter 4 Designing the Directory Tree 59Suffix Naming ConventionsAll entries in your directory should be located below a common base entry, theroot suffix. Consider the following recommendations for naming the root directorysuffix:• Globally unique• Static, so it rarely changes, if ever• Short, so that entries beneath it are easier to read on screen• Easy for a person to type and rememberIn a single enterprise environment, choose a directory suffix that aligns with a DNSname or Internet domain name of your enterprise. For example, if your enterpriseowns the domain name of example.com, then you should use a directory suffix of:dc=example,dc=comThe dc (domainComponent) attribute represents your suffix by breaking yourdomain name into its component parts.Normally, you can use any attribute that you like to name your root suffix.However, for a hosting organization, we recommend that the root suffix containonly the following attributes:• c (countryName)—Contains the two-digit code representing the countryname, as defined by ISO.• l (localityName)— Identifies the county, city, or other geographical areawhere the entry is located or which is associated with the entry.• st—Identifies the state or province where the entry resides.• o (organizationName)—Identifies the name of the organization to which theentry belongs.The presence of these attributes allows for interoperability with subscriberapplications. For example, a hosting organization might use these attributes tocreate the following root suffix for one of its clients, example_a:o=example_a,st=Washington,c=USUsing an organization name followed by a country designation is typical of theX.500 naming convention for suffixes.
