Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an industry standard access method to directory services. A directory service is a repository of resource information about multiple systems and services within a distributed environment, and it provides client and server access to these resources.

Each database server instance publishes its existence to an LDAP server and provides database information to the LDAP directory when the databases are created. When a client connects to a database, the catalog information for the server can be retrieved from the LDAP directory. Each client is no longer required to store catalog information locally on each machine. Client applications search the LDAP directory for information required to connect to the database.

A caching mechanism exists so that the client only needs to search the LDAP directory server once. After the information is retrieved from the LDAP directory server, it is stored or cached on the local computer based on the values of the dir_cache database manager configuration parameter and the DB2LDAPCACHE registry variable. The dir_cache database manager configuration parameter is used to store database, node, and DCS directory files in a memory cache. The directory cache is used by an application until the application closes. The DB2LDAPCACHE registry variable is used to store database, node, and DCS directory files in a local disk cache.

• Before accessing information in the LDAP directory, an application or user is authenticated by the LDAP server. The authentication process is called binding to the LDAP server. It is important to apply access control on the information stored in the LDAP directory to prevent anonymous users from adding, deleting, or modifying the information.

LDAP Course Content

1. Introduction
2. Benefits
3. What is OpenLDAP ?
4. Comparison with Databases
5. What’s needed to start
6. What is ‘attribute’?
7. What is ‘ObjectClass’?
8. Designing Address Directory – Example, Pty Ltd
9. Coding Entries for Example, Pty Ltd
10. Install OpenLDAP Packages
11. Change Permissions of File Systems
12. Modify slapd.conf
13. Modify ldap.conf
14. Starting slapd
15. Test Server
16. Bind Mechanisms
17. OpenLDAP Security
18. Access Control List
19. Network Security
20. Encryption
21. Protocol
22. SSL
23. SSL Implementations
24. OpenSSL Implementation
25. Create Own Certificates, Add to slapd.conf26. Test Certificates
26. Authentication
27. Test OpenLDAP
28. Add and Modify Entries
29. Implement Company Policies