Directory Service Markup Language
Encyclopedia
Directory Services Markup Language (DSML) is a representation of directory service
information in an XML
syntax.
The DSML version 1 effort was announced by creator Bowstreet on July 12, 1999. Initiative supporters include AOL-Netscape, Sun Microsystems
, Oracle, Novell
, Microsoft
, and IBM
. It resulted in a Document Type Definition
for a file containing the XML representation of entries in the LDAP
data model, similar in spirit to LDIF
. The DSML version 2 effort was promulgated in OASIS
in 2001. It resulted in an XML schema for the representation of directory access operations based on that of LDAP, that could be carried in SOAP.
The Service Provisioning Markup Language (SPML)
also from OASIS is based on the concepts of DSMLv2, but does not have such a tight coupling to the LDAP information model.
DSML is often pronounced "dismal".
Directory service
A directory service is the software system that stores, organizes and provides access to information in a directory. In software engineering, a directory is a map between names and values. It allows the lookup of values given a name, similar to a dictionary...
information in an XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
syntax.
The DSML version 1 effort was announced by creator Bowstreet on July 12, 1999. Initiative supporters include AOL-Netscape, Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
, Oracle, Novell
Novell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, and IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. It resulted in a Document Type Definition
Document Type Definition
Document Type Definition is a set of markup declarations that define a document type for SGML-family markup languages...
for a file containing the XML representation of entries in the LDAP
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol is an application protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an Internet Protocol network...
data model, similar in spirit to LDIF
LDAP Data Interchange Format
The LDAP Data Interchange Format is a standard plain text data interchange format for representing LDAP directory content and update requests. LDIF conveys directory content as a set of records, one record for each object...
. The DSML version 2 effort was promulgated in OASIS
OASIS (organization)
The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards is a global consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of e-business and web service standards...
in 2001. It resulted in an XML schema for the representation of directory access operations based on that of LDAP, that could be carried in SOAP.
The Service Provisioning Markup Language (SPML)
SPML
Service Provisioning Markup Language is an XML-based framework, being developed by OASIS, for exchanging user, resource and service provisioning information between cooperating organizations....
also from OASIS is based on the concepts of DSMLv2, but does not have such a tight coupling to the LDAP information model.
DSML is often pronounced "dismal".