The architecture for Identity Forge begins with the IdF LDAP Gateway. The Gateway is built upon Java 1.4, allowing for portability among different platforms and operating systems. The Gateway receives LDAP protocol commands from distributed applications, translating these to native RACF commands. After execution, an LDAP formatted response is returned to the requesting application.

The IdF LDAP Gateway utilizes the following protocols for receiving LDAP V3 requests:

• LDAP V3
•  DSML (Directory Services Markup Language)
•  SPML (Service Provisioning Markup Language)

Upon receiving a valid request for services, the Gateway translates the request into native mainframe commands.  The type of command depends on which mainframe system is to be accessed. 

Mainframe commands can be processed for:

• Identity repositories (RACF, ACF2, Top Secret)
• TSO commands
•  CICS commands
•  Batch job commands

LDAP commands which originate from the distributive environment are mapped to z/OS identity repositories by differences in the DN command. Branching of the DN can cause multiple mainframe systems to be accessed.