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Cell-Relative Naming in a Standalone Cell

In addition to their global names, all CDS entries have a cell-relative, or local, name that is meaningful and usable only from within the local cell where that entry exists. The local name is a shortened form of a global name, and thus is a more convenient way to refer to resources within a user's own cell. Local names have the following characteristics:

· They do not include a global cell name.

· They begin with the /.: prefix.

Local names do not include a global cell name because the /.: prefix indicates that the name being referred to is within the local cell. When CDS encounters a /.: prefix on a name, it automatically replaces the prefix with the local cell's name, forming the global name. CDS can handle both global and local names, but it is more convenient to use the local name when referring to a name in the local cell. For example, the following two names are equally valid when used within the cell named /.../C=US/O=XYZ/OU=Portland:

/.../C=US/O=XYZ/OU=Portland/subsys/PriceMax/price_server1

/.:/subsys/PriceMax/price_server1

The naming conventions required for the interaction of local and global directory services may at first seem confusing. In an environment where references to names outside of the local cell are necessary, the following simple guidelines can help make the conventions easy to remember and use:

· Know your cell name.

· Know whether a name that you are referring to is in your cell.

· When using a name that is within your cell, you can omit the cell name and include the /.: prefix.

· When using a name that is outside of your cell, enter its global syntax, including the /... prefix and the cell name.

· When someone asks for the name of a resource in your cell, give its global name, including the /... prefix.

· When storing a name in persistent storage (for example, in a shell script), use its global name, including the /... prefix. Local names (that is, names with a /.: prefix) are intended only for interactive use and should not be stored. (If a local name is referenced from within a foreign cell, the /.: prefix is resolved to the name of the foreign cell and the resulting name lookup either fails or produces the wrong name.)