• Services
• Get Help
• Accounts
• Computer Labs
• Software
• Training
• Network
• Hardware Purchases & Repair
• Information Systems Applications
• Information
• Alerts & News
• Security
• Policies & Standards
• Forms
• About Information Technology
• IT Planning
• Staff
• Organizational Chart

Computing - Systems - LDAP

What is LDAP?
LDAP is a non-proprietary access protocol created by a group of engineers at the University of Michigan as an easy to implement method of accessing X.500 compliant directories over TCP/IP. LDAP is an acronym for “Lightweight Directory Access Protocol”. This protocol has quickly become the de facto directory access standard for Internet-ready user management and e-commerce directory solutions. LDAP specifies only a directory access method (which every major Directory Service supports), not the directory service itself.

What is a Directory?

What is a Directory Service?

What Directory Service product is used at JMU - for LDAP?
Novell eDirectory (previously named NDS for Novell Directory Services) is a time-tested, cross platform, scalable, enterprise-ready directory service product grounded in X.500 directory standards with native LDAP v3 support. Novell eDirectory has been around as an enterprise network directory service since 1993. In fact, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC), eighty percent of Fortune 1000 companies using a directory service are using Novell's eDirectory technology as a foundation for enterprise management, security, e-commerce, collaboration and Internet solutions. Novell has publicly demonstrated that eDirectory can manage more than a billion objects in a single directory, far exceeding what most enterprise networks or eBusinesses will require. Novell eDirectory, being grounded in X.500 standards (the industry standard for a high-performance, scalable, and secure directory service), incorporates these standards for distributed operations and administration with a powerful data storage system. Novell eDirectory can communicate with other X.500 directories via standard X.500 protocols using Novell and Nexor’s DirXML connectors. Novell eDirectory fully implements LDAP v3 as well as popular extensions and controls allowing advanced query handling such as virtual list view (VLV) and server-side sorting of search results that makes browsing containers containing millions of objects easier.

Largest installed base - With an installed base of over 568 million Novell eDirectory licenses distributed worldwide, Novell eDirectory is a mature and proven product. Many other directory products are in their earliest implementations, or only deployed in a highly limited fashion. In addition to supporting all LDAP applications, more than 1800 directory-enabled applications have been built using Novell eDirectory as the information repository.

Cross-platform availability – Novell eDirectory versions 8.5 or above are truly stand-alone directories running on Novell NetWare, Microsoft Windows NT/2000, Sun Solaris, Linux, Compaq Tru64 UNIX, IBM AIX and HP-UX. Novell eDirectory is fully interoperable cross-platform - any server running Novell eDirectory 8.5 or above can communicate with any other server running Novell eDirectory 8.5 or above (regardless of the server operating system), as well as any LDAP v3 compliant application or directory.

What is this "LDAP" Directory Services used for?

back to top