When you want to manage part of your directory, you refer to the distinguished name (DN) or (if you choose) a keyword.
You specify the DN when you configure the directory server within the quality of service (QoS) Initial Configuration wizard. DNs typically consist of the name for the entry itself as well as the objects (top to bottom) above the entry in the directory. The server can access all objects on the directory that are below the DN. For example, say the LDAP server contains the directory structure as is shown in the following figure:
Server1 at the top (dc=server1,dc=chicago,dc=acme,dc=com) is the server on which the directory server resides. The other servers, such as cn=QoS or cn=tcpip policies, are where the QoS servers reside. So on cn=server1, the default DN reads cn=server1,cn=QoS,cn=tcpip policies,dc=server1,dc=chicago,dc=acme,dc=com. On cn=server2, the default DN reads cn=server2,cn=QoS,cn=tcpip policies,dc=server1,dc=chicago,dc=acme,dc=com.
When managing your directory, it is important to change the appropriate server in the DN, such as cn or dc. Be careful when editing the DN, especially because the string is typically too long to be displayed without scrolling.
Related concepts
Keywords Configuring directory server