HP-UX Directory Server 8.1 deployment guide

1.1.2 About LDAP
LDAP provides a common language that client applications and servers use to communicate
with one another. LDAP is a "lightweight" version of the Directory Access Protocol (DAP)
described by the ISO X.500 standard. DAP gives any application access to the directory through
an extensible and robust information framework but at a high administrative cost. DAP uses a
communications layer that is not the Internet standard protocol and has complex directory-naming
conventions.
LDAP preserves the best features of DAP while reducing administrative costs. LDAP uses an
open directory access protocol running over TCP/IP and simplified encoding methods. It retains
the data model and can support millions of entries for a modest investment in hardware and
network infrastructure.
1.2 Introduction to Directory Server
HP-UX Directory Server includes the directory itself, the server-side software that implements
the LDAP protocol, and a client-side graphical user interface that allows end-users to search and
change entries in the directory.
Without adding other LDAP client programs, Directory Server can provide the foundation for
an intranet or extranet. Every Directory Server and compatible server applications use the
directory as a central repository for shared server information, such as employee, customer,
supplier, and partner data.
Directory Server can manage user authentication, create access control, set up user preferences,
and centralize user management. In hosted environments, partners, customers, and suppliers
can manage their own portions of the directory, reducing administrative costs.
When Directory Server is installed and set up, the following components are installed:
• The core Directory Server LDAP server, the LDAP v3-compliant network daemon (ns-slapd)
and all the associated plug-ins, command-line tools for managing the server and its databases,
and its configuration and schema files. For more information about the command-line tools,
see the HP-UX Directory Server configuration, command, and file reference.
• Administration Server, a web server which controls the different portals that access the
LDAP server. For more information about the Administration Server, see Using the Admin
Server.
• Directory Server Console, a graphical management console that dramatically reduces the
effort of setting up and maintaining the directory service. For more information about the
Directory Server Console, see HP-UX Directory Server console guide.
• Web applications such as Admin Express that allow users to search for information in the
Directory Server, in addition to providing access to their own information, including
password changes, to reduce user support costs.
• SNMP agent to monitor the Directory Server using the Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP). For more information about SNMP monitoring, see the HP-UX Directory Server
administrator guide.
1.2.1 Overview of the server frontend
Directory Server is a multithreaded application. This means that multiple clients can bind to the
server at the same time over the same network. As directory services grow to include larger
numbers of entries or geographically-dispersed clients, they also include multiple Directory
Servers placed in strategic places around the network.
The server frontend of Directory Server manages communications with directory client programs.
Multiple client programs can communicate with the server using both LDAP over TCP/IP (Internet
traffic protocols) and LDAP over Unix sockets (LDAPI). The Directory Server can establish a
secure (encrypted) connection with SSL/TLS, depending on whether the client negotiates the use
of Transport Layer Security (TLS) for the connection.
10 Introduction to directory services