376 Linux for IBM ^ zSeries and S/390: Distributions
20.1 What is LDAP
The first attempt to provide an open directory service was the OSI service
directory called X.500, the Directory Access Protocol (DAP). It includes a rich set
of functions, which also makes it very complex. Due to this complexity, X.500
applications are difficult to implement and use.
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) was designed to act as a
gateway to X.500 directory servers. The use of this gateway makes it easy to
access the data, but it still requires a full X.500 implementation. LDAP was then
further enhanced to act as a directory service itself, eliminating the need for
X.500.
LDAP is an open Internet standard for providing directory services over the ...