Sample 5b - "All-or-Nothing" Synchronization of Two Resources

-------------------------------------------------------------

This sample demonstrates flowing data between external resources just as

in the regular sample 5 on which it is based. It simulates two directory

resources using XML files. It extends sample 5 in that it configures a

compensation script that attempts to ensure either all the synchronization

or none of the synchronization is performed after making a change to a

managed user.

Whenever a change is made to a managed/user resource, OpenIDM implicitly

attempts to synchronize external resources according to the object mapping

in sync.json where managed/user is the source. Typically, if the

synchronization fails--owing to a policy validation for the target,

missing required properties for the target, or simply that the target

is unavailable--the synchronization stops, leaving the managed/user

resource, and any targets that were synchronized before the failure,

updated. The target that failed, and any targets specified

in mappings subsequent to the one that failed are not updated.

This situation would usually result in a set of systems that are out of

sync. The only way to re-synchronize them would be a reconciliation operation.

Reconciliations can be expensive with large data sets.

OpenIDM 3.0 enhances synchronization to multiple targets by providing

synchronization details to an "onSync" script, after successfully synchronizing

all targets or failing one target. This script hook can be used to "revert"

the partial change to managed/user and the corresponding external resources

per the object mappings.

Sample 5b includes a script that demonstrates compensating for a synchronization

failure.

For documentation pertaining to this example see:

http://openidm.forgerock.org/doc/bootstrap/samples-guide/#more-sample-5b

To try the sample, follow these steps.

Steps 1 and 2 are optional, and only necessary if you'd like to receive emailed