Designing Your Directory TreeChapter 4 Designing the Directory Tree 63By default, the standard Directory Server deployment contains multiple suffixes,one for storing data and the others for data needed by internal directory operations(such as configuration information and your directory schema). For moreinformation on these standard directory suffixes, see the Red Hat Directory ServerAdministrator’s Guide.Suffix Naming ConventionsAll entries in your directory should be located below a common base entry, theroot suffix. In naming the root directory suffix, consider the followingrecommendations for what the name should be:• 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 remember.In 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 ofdc=example,dc=com.The 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 whichthe entry 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=US
