Industry Leaders Unite to Develop Directory Services Markup Language (DSML)

Strategic Insights -

Industry leaders IBM, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, and the Sun-Netscape Alliance have come together to support the development of Directory Services Markup Language (DSML), a standard for describing directory service information in eXtensible Markup Language (XML). This effort aims to provide customers with more flexibility in using and sharing directory information in XML-enabled applications, ultimately increasing the value of directory services and enabling the creation of new XML applications.

Key Takeaways:

  • The DSML effort will be led by Bowstreet Software, Inc. and supported by industry leaders IBM, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, and the Sun-Netscape Alliance.
  • The goal of DSML is to enable directory information to be used without knowing the specific data formats of each directory, allowing web-based applications to adapt to directory policy and profile information.
  • DSML complements the goals of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and helps to extend the power of LDAP to web-based applications.
  • The DSML effort will provide an essential building block for directories to play a more significant role on the Internet, enabling "friction-free" eCommerce value chains to be integrated across corporate boundaries based on directory information.
  • Industry leaders believe DSML will increase the value of directory services by enabling a new breed of XML applications, and that the combination of directory services and XML is a significant step forward in creating directory-enabled applications and accelerating the shift toward web service architectures.
  • The DSML specification will be submitted to appropriate standards bodies, and additional group members are expected to be added in the future.

Statistics:

  • 5 industry leaders are supporting the DSML effort: IBM, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, and the Sun-Netscape Alliance.
  • The DSML effort builds upon work performed by Bowstreet while creating its Web Services Architecture.
  • The industry expects DSML to increase the value of directory services by enabling new XML applications, and to accelerate the shift toward web service architectures.

Sources:

  • "IBM, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, and Sun-Netscape Alliance Support Effort to Develop Directory Services Markup Language (DSML)", Bowstreet Software, Inc., July 12, 1999.
  • "Catalyst 99", Bowstreet Software, Inc.
  • "DSML Increases Value of Directory Services", Jamie Lewis, President, The Burton Group.
  • About Bowstreet, Bowstreet Software, Inc., http://www.bowstreet.com (Archived).
  • About Novell, Novell, Inc., http://www.novell.com (Archived).
  • "About SecureWay", IBM, http://www.ibm.com (Archived).
  • "About Microsoft", Microsoft Corporation, http://www.microsoft.com (Archived).
  • "About Oracle", Oracle Corporation, http://www.oracle.com (Archived).
  • "About Sun-Netscape Alliance", Sun-Netscape Alliance, http://www.sun.com (Archived).