12.2. Managing Object Identifiers

Each LDAP object class or attribute must be assigned a unique name and object identifier (OID). An OID is a dot-separated number which identifies the schema element to the server. OIDs can be hierarchical, with a base OID that can be expanded to accommodate different branches. For example, the base OID could be 1, and there can be a branch for attributes at 1.1 and for object classes at 1.2.

OIDs are assigned to an organization through the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), and Directory Server does not provide a mechanism to obtain OIDs. To get information about obtaining OIDs, visit the IANA website at http://www.iana.org/cgi-bin/enterprise.pl.

After obtaining a base OID from IANA, plan how the OIDs are going to be assigned to custom schema elements. Define a branch for both attributes and object classes; there can also be branches for matching rules and LDAP controls.

Once the OID branches are defined, create an OID registry to track OID assignments. An OID registry is a list that gives the OIDs and descriptions of the OIDs used in the directory schema. This ensures that no OID is ever used for more than one purpose. Publish the OID registry with the custom schema.