Chapter 10. Names, Identifiers, and Discovery
Names are one of the first things you think about when the subject of identity comes up. Of ccourse, identity is about more than names, but we name almost every object around us, so names become one of the most common attributes stored with an identity.
Once you’ve named a bunch of objects, you want to be able to find them. This is called discovery. Directories are one of the primary means of discovery. As a result, information technology systems are full of directories. There are directories for files, directories for email addresses, directories for domain names, and even directories for the processes on a computer. The simplest directories associate a name with something else, such as a file, address, IP number, or process.
This chapter will discuss names, identifiers, discovery, directories, and the role that these play in digital identity.
Utah.gov: A Use Case in Naming and Directories
When I was serving as CIO of Utah, directory issues seemed to take up a lot of my time and effort. When I became CIO, the state had been using the domain name state.ut.us. This domain name was not particularly easy to remember, and when you tacked on one or two subdomains to identify a department or agency, the effect was almost comical. For example, my email address was pwindley@gov.state.ut.us. The governor remarked that he could almost feel people start to dance to the rhythm when he told them his email address.
In addition to the official domain ...
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