X.500 DIRECTORY SERVICE PROJECT

The Joint Network Team (JNT) of the Computer Board, who provide central 
support for the running and development of JANET (the Joint Academic NETwork),
has set up a project using the new X.500 International Standard for OSI (Open
Systems Interconnection) Directory Services which was published in 1988 jointly
by the International Standards Organisation and the CCITT (Consultative
Committee on International Telegraph and Telephones, the international
organisation of the United Nations through which national telecommunications
organisations coordinate their activities).  Its standards and recommendations
provide a framework for creating local directories and connecting them to
provide a global service.  This will establish a facility to enable people to
find, for example, the electronic addresses of other individuals. X.500 also
allows for a lot of other information to be held besides E-mail addresses, and
for different levels of security regarding access to this information.
     
The Computer Centre has been successful in its bid to become one of the pilot
sites for this project. The JNT have provided the hardware (a SUN) and
software.
     
Much of the information required is already available in electronic form 
within the university (e.g. telephone directory, VAXcluster usernames etc), and 
copies of these existing files will be transferred to the Directory Service
system wherever possible.  Care has been taken to ensure that the project
complies with the Data Protection Act.

Obviously the pilot project is still in its early stages and so there is
nothing available yet for users to try. This article is intended merely to
advise readers of the project, and further articles will appear desctribing
progress as appropriate.
     
Julia Hill & Shirleen Craig