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Implementing LDAP provides a lot of information about Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) from the points of view of administrators and developers. The administration and configuration material emphasizes Netscape Directory Server 4, but it pays a fair amount of attention to OpenLDAP. (Microsoft Site Server 3 receives no mention.) In addition to productspecific coverage for administrators, there`s quite a bit of general information about what LDAP is and how it worksthe kind of information you`ll need to decide whether LDAP implementation is worthwhile. Wilcox implemented LDAP at the University of North Texas in 1997, shortly after the protocol became standardized. For that reason, this book has its roots in practical considerations.Programmers will like this book more than other LDAP volumes because it devotes considerable space to how LDAP fits into various languages. Wilcox explores the LDAP issues in the C LDAP software development kit (SDK) from Netscape, the PerLDAP module for Perl, the Netscape Directory SDK for Java, Microsoft`s Active Directory Service Interface (ADSI), and the Java Naming and Directory Interfaces (JNDI). There`s also some coverage of lesserknown LDAP development tools, including PHPLDAP and the Net::LDAP Perl module.David Wall This book is intended for programmers and system administrators who need to build LDAP clients and install LDAP servers. It likely will also appeal to that group of experienced web users who have heard about LDAP but wants a definitive reference on the subject. The book, like LDAP itself, has not been written with any specific programming language or operating system in mind, though it makes extensive use of one of the LDAPenabled servers currently available Netscape`s Directory Server version 4.0. About the AuthorMark Wilcox is the Web Administrator for the University of North Texas (Denton), which is the 4th largest university in the state with 25,000 students. He has been in this position for over a year and a half. He has also been a Web developer, trainer and administrator for nearly 4 years. One of the first tasks he was given was to provide a common way to search for student, faculty and staff email and phone numbers. That was his first introduction to LDAP and the Netscape Directory server (the Directory server was so new then, all the help menus said "Coming Soon"). Within the year, UNT decided to join the growing number of universities that were providing courses and library resources on the Internet, which require restricted access. Because of this Mark has become very familiar with LDAP and Netscape Directory server. He spends at least an hour a day on the Netscape Directory developer`s newsgroup and has recently been invited to become the Developer Champion for the Directory developer`s newsgroup. There are only around 15 total Developer Champions. There is growing interest in a standard way of providing access to personal information (e.g. "white pages" data) and simplifying the administration and management of this data. LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is poised to be the solution to these problems. Since the IETF recently approved version 3 of the LDAP protocol, it is now rapidly growing in importance as major companies seek to make their proprietary networks available as LDAP servers. Implementing LDAP comes at a time when programmers everywhere consider LDAP as the answer to their developmental needs. No prior knowledge of LDAP is assumed as an in depth discussion of the fundamentals of LDAP its data structure, object hierarchy and syntax is provided. Client applications are then presented, in a variety of languages, designed to connect efficiently and securely to an LDAP server, search and retrieve information, and modify the data on the server.
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