Active Roles 7.2.1 - Exchange Resource Forest Management Administrator Guide

Synchronize

The Synchronize process includes the following functions:

• Updating certain properties of shadow accounts based on changes to master accounts
• Substituting certain properties of master accounts with properties of shadow accounts
• Updating certain properties of master accounts based on changes to shadow accounts

Synchronized properties

When you update certain properties of a master account, Exchange Resource Forest Management updates those properties in both the master account and shadow account. These properties are referred to as synchronized properties.

Exchange Resource Forest Management performs synchronization of properties upon:

• Creation of shadow accounts
• Modification of master accounts

Thus, modifying personal or organization-related properties of a master account also results in updating those properties of the shadow account. This function ensures that changes to master accounts are properly reflected in the directory used by the Exchange messaging system. For the default list of synchronized properties, see Synchronized properties later in this document. You can configure Exchange Resource Forest Management to synchronize additional properties or remove individual properties from synchronization.

Substituted properties

When you view or change certain properties of a master account in an accounts forest, Exchange Resource Forest Management redirects the retrieval or change request to the properties of the shadow account in the Exchange forest. Such properties are referred to as substituted properties.

Thus, modification of Exchange-related properties of a master account only results in updating the corresponding properties of the shadow account. This function ensures that administration of master accounts properly manipulates Exchange recipient properties in the Exchange forest.

The substituted properties behave as follows:

• When retrieving property values for a master account, Active Roles returns the property values of the shadow account linked to the master account.
• When modifying properties for a master account, Active Roles actually updates the properties of the shadow account linked to the master account.

For the default list of substituted properties, see Substituted properties later in this document. You can configure Exchange Resource Forest Management to extend that list.

Back-synchronized properties

When you change certain properties of a shadow account, Exchange Resource Forest Management changes those properties in both the shadow account and master account. These properties are referred to as back-synchronized properties. By default, the list of back-synchronized properties consists of a single property—mail (E-mail Address), and can be modified.

When a back-synchronized property of the shadow account has changed, Exchange Resource Forest Management replicates the change to the master account. The ability to replicate property changes from the shadow account to the master account is helpful in a situation where certain properties are administered on the shadow account rather than the master account.