A simulation model for X.500 directories: initial experiences

  • Authors:

  • M. A. Bauer;J. M. Bennett;J. MacAuley;A. D. Marshall

  • Affiliations:

  • The University of Western Ontario;The University of Western Ontario;The University of Western Ontario;The University of Western Ontario

  • Venue:
  • CASCON '91 Proceedings of the 1991 conference of the Centre for Advanced Studies on Collaborative research
  • Year:
  • 1991

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

The X.500 Standard has been proposed as the basis for a directory service in distributed systems. There is some question as to whether it is suited to this use. This paper describes the initial work on the development of an X.500 simulation testbed to be used in investigating the behaviour of X.500 directories in large distributed environments. The initial version of the testbed has been developed using the Quipu prototype implementation of X.500 and the Nest network simulation tool. The long-term goals of this work are twofold: first, to evaluate the effectiveness of X.500 in providing directory services in a distributed system environment and, second, to evaluate and explore proposed changes to the Standard. This paper outlines the X.500 simulation model, discusses its underlying assumptions and describes initial experiments in using it to evaluate a network of X.500 directory and user agents. It also discusses the approach used, reports on experiences with the existing tools and identifies further enhancements to facilitate use of such tools for simulating other, similar distributed applications.