Management Agents in MIIS 2003

Applies To: Windows Server 2003 with SP1

Management agents link specific connected data sources to Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003 (MIIS 2003). A management agent is responsible for moving data from a connected data source to MIIS. When data in MIIS is modified, the management agent can also export the data out to the connected data source to keep the connected data source synchronized with the data in MIIS. Generally, there is at least one management agent for each connected directory.

Management Agent Terminology

• Management Agent Designer
  The user interface in the Identity Manager of ILM 2007 FP1 that you use to configure data synchronization between a connected data source and the metaverse.

• Call-based management agent
  Any management agent that uses an API function call to a data source to import or export data.

• File-based management agent
  Any management agent that uses a text file to import data from and export data to a connected data source.

• Full import
  An import of all data from a file, or a scoped view, of a connected data source to the connector space. Data from the connected data source is compared with data in the connector space. If there are no attribute changes, the object is not changed in the connector space.

• Delta export
  An export of only data that has been changed in the metadirectory. All exports to the connected data sources are delta exports. Depending on the type of management agent that you use, the changes implemented by an export can be at the attribute, object, or value level.

• Password management
  Managing passwords for multiple user accounts is one of the complexities of managing an enterprise environment with multiple data sources. MIIS 2003 provides two password management solutions:

  • Password synchronization –Utilizes the password change notification service (PCNS) to capture password changes from Active Directory and propagate them to other connected data sources.

  • User-based password change management – Utilizes the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) through Web-based Help Desk and self-service password reset applications.

Management Agents in MIIS 2003

All management agents are versioned with the same versioning information as MIIS. For a list of key features supported in latest cumulative hotfix for MIIS 2003, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=74078.