“If you work in the computing industry, the chances are good
that you’ve heard of LDAP by now. Wondering what all the excitement
is about? Want to know a little more about the underlying
technology? You’ve come to the right place. This two-part
introduction – the first in a series of articles describing how to
design, implement, and integrate an LDAP environment at your
company – will familiarize you with the concepts behind LDAP while
leaving the really hardcore details for later….”
“To start with, what’s happening with LDAP today is exciting. A
company-wide LDAP implementation can enable almost any application,
running on almost any computer platform, to obtain information from
your LDAP directory. And that directory can be used to store a
broad range of data: email address and mail routing information, HR
data, public security keys, contact lists, and much more. By making
an LDAP directory a focal point in your systems integration, you’re
providing one-stop shopping whenever people go looking for
information within your company – even if the primary source of the
data lives elsewhere.”
“But wait, you say. You’re already using an Oracle, Sybase,
Informix, or Microsoft SQL database to store much of that same
data. How is LDAP different? What makes it better? Read on.”