Red Hat DIRECTORY SERVER 8.1 - DEPLOYMENT Deployment Manual

Also see for 8.1: Installation guide Release note Using instruction Reference Using instructions

Contents

Red Hat DIRECTORY SERVER 8.1 - DEPLOYMENT Deployment Manual Manual pdf 12 page image

Chapter 1. Introduction to Directory Services2increased hardware and personnel costs; the increased maintenance overhead is referred to as the n+1 directory problem.A global directory service solves the n+1 directory problem by providing a single, centralizedrepository of directory information that any application can access. However, giving a wide varietyof applications access to the directory service requires a network-based means of communicatingbetween the applications and the directory service. Directory Server uses LDAP for applications toaccess to its global directory service.1.1.2. About LDAPLDAP provides a common language that client applications and servers use to communicate with oneanother. LDAP is a "lightweight" version of the Directory Access Protocol (DAP) described by the ISOX.500 standard. DAP gives any application access to the directory through an extensible and robustinformation framework but at a high administrative cost. DAP uses a communications layer that is notthe Internet standard protocol and has complex directory-naming conventions.LDAP preserves the best features of DAP while reducing administrative costs. LDAP uses an opendirectory access protocol running over TCP/IP and simplified encoding methods. It retains thedata model and can support millions of entries for a modest investment in hardware and networkinfrastructure.1.2. Introduction to Directory ServerRed Hat Directory Server includes the directory itself, the server-side software that implements theLDAP protocol, and a client-side graphical user interface that allows end-users to search and changeentries in the directory. Other LDAP clients, both third-party programs and custom programs writtenusing the LDAP client SDK, both the Mozilla LDAP SDK and the OpenLDAP SDK.Without adding other LDAP client programs, Directory Server can provide the foundation for anintranet or extranet. Every Directory Server and compatible server applications use the directory asa central repository for shared server information, such as employee, customer, supplier, and partnerdata.Directory Server can manage user authentication, create access control, set up user preferences, andcentralize user management. In hosted environments, partners, customers, and suppliers can managetheir 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) andall of the associated plug-ins, command-line tools for managing the server and its databases, andits configuration and schema files. For more information about the command-line tools, see theDirectory Server Configuration, Command, and File Reference.• Administration Server, a web server which controls the different portals that access the LDAPserver. For more information about the Administration Server, see Using the Admin Server.• Directory Server Console, a graphical management console that dramatically reduces the effort ofsetting up and maintaining the directory service. For more information about the Directory ServerConsole, see Using Red Hat Console.