The Dircat task

When the Dircat task runs it can do one of these things to a directory catalog: build it, update it, partially rebuild it, or fully rebuild it. The first time the Dircat task runs on a directory catalog it builds it. Subsequently, the Dircat task usually updates a directory catalog, which means it checks for changes to the contents of fields in the source Domino® Directories, and then makes the appropriate changes to the directory catalog.

Full rebuilds

About this task

If you change any of the following fields in a directory catalog configuration document, the Dircat task must do a full rebuild of the directory catalog to incorporate the indicated changes into the directory catalog:

  • Directories to include
  • Additional fields to include
  • Sort by (condensed directory catalog)
  • Use Soundex (condensed directory catalog)
  • Remove duplicate users
  • Group types
  • Include Mail-in Databases
  • Include Servers (extended directory catalog)
  • Selection Formula

When the Dircat task does a full rebuild, it completely re-aggregates of all the configured source Domino® directories, similar to what occurs during the initial build of the directory catalog. For example, if you add a field to the Additional fields to include field to aggregate an additional field, that field isn't aggregated until the Dircat task does a full rebuild of the directory catalog. A full rebuild is a much longer process then an update. After a full rebuild, there must also be a full replication of the directory catalog to the servers and clients that use it, which can be time consuming, especially for replication of condensed directory catalogs.

When you change one of the preceding fields in a configuration document for a condensed directory catalog, the next time the Dircat task runs, it automatically does a full rebuild. When you change one of these fields in a configuration document for an extended directory catalog, the Dircat task does not do a rebuild automatically. Instead, you must initiate the rebuild by running the Dircat task with the -r switch against the extended directory catalog, or by clicking the Clear History button on the Advanced tab of the directory catalog configuration document.

Note: Dircat processing of changes to the Directories to include field in a configuration document for an extended directory catalog causes a partial rebuild, rather than a full rebuild, that processes only directories affected by the change.

Partial rebuilds

About this task

If the replica of a source Domino® Directory the Dircat task uses is deleted, and then replaced with a file operating system copy with the same replica ID, then the Dircat task does a partial rebuild, which involves comparing all documents in the new file system copy of the Domino® Directory to the corresponding contents in the directory catalog to look for changes. The Dircat task also does a partial rebuild if the Fixup task deletes corrupted documents from a source Domino® Directory which are then replaced through replication. A partial rebuild is a longer process than an update, but takes less time than a full rebuild.

Note: This is true of any replica of the Domino® Directory that the Dircat task aggregates. If a replica of a Domino® Directory is replaced with a file operating system copy with the same replica ID, when the Fixup task runs on that replica those changes are replicated back to the aggregation server's Domino® Directory. This in turn flags the Dircat task to do a partial rebuild on the aggregation server.