Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003

Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003 (MIIS 2003) provides services that make it possible to manage identity-related data from multiple, unrelated data sources. The goal of MIIS 2003 is to provide organizations with a unified view of all known identity information about users, applications, and network resources. MIIS 2003 enables you to synchronize identity information across a wide variety of identity stores, easily provision and de-provision accounts across systems, and enables self-service and helpdesk-initiated password management and reset from a Web browser. This improves productivity, reduces security risk, and reduces the total cost of ownership associated with managing and integrating identity information across the enterprise.

Microsoft® Identity Integration Server 2003 is a service that stores and coordinates identity information from multiple sources (for example, directories, databases, or formatted dump files) in an organization. With Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003, you can combine that information into a single logical view that represents all of the identity information for a given user or resource.

An important element of MIIS 2003 is a namespace called a metadirectory. A metadirectory can integrate and synchronize information that is stored in multiple data sources including directories.

MIIS 2003 uses the metadirectory to process identity information from different data repositories such as the Microsoft® Active Directory™ directory service, a Microsoft SQL Server database, IBM® Lotus® Notes, Novell® eDirectory™, or a fixed-width text file. Every data store that provides well-known data access methods is a potential data source candidate for MIIS 2003. The different kinds of identity data systems used by MIIS 2003 are called connected data sources.

The MIIS 2003 metadirectory uses two namespaces to perform its tasks. Namespaces in this case are database-like structures containing uniquely named objects that store information during the synchronization process. The two namespaces are the connector space and the metaverse (MV), as shown in Figure 1.

The connector space is a storage area where object additions, deletions, and modifications are written before they are synchronized with the metaverse or the connected data source. A portion of the connector space is dedicated to each management agent. It is important to note that the connector space does not contain the connected data source object itself, but a shadow copy of the object that contains a subset of the object's attributes, as defined in the management agent. Not every object in a connected data source is designated for synchronization; for example, inactive employees might not be designated. For objects that are designated, some attributes might not be included because some objects contain numerous attributes that are not used at all or that might not make sense in the data sources with which the data is being synchronized.

The connection with the connected data source is not maintained continuously but only connected during communication sessions to update the connected data source or the connector space.

Management agents control the data flow between a connected data source and the metaverse. There is a management agent for each supported connected data source. The metaverse is another core component of MIIS 2003. It is a storage area that contains the aggregated identity information from multiple connected data sources. It provides a single, global, integrated view of all combined objects. These metaverse objects are based on the identity information that is retrieved from the connected data sources and a set of synchronization rules that specify how MIIS 2003 creates the metaverse objects. Metaverse objects are used to capture the aggregated data during synchronization so that data can flow to the other data source in the synchronization design.

MIIS 2003 uses a connector space and the metaverse to create an aggregated view of the identity data that is stored in multiple repositories. You can use this aggregated view to synchronize identity information across applications and platforms.
For more information about the metadirectory and concepts associated with MIIS 2003, see “Essential Concepts of Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003” in the Technical Reference collection of the MIIS 2003 Technical Library.