LDAP and its use

LDAP is an Internet standard protocol used for accessing directories. Software packages that include some sort of directory from vendors like IBM, Microsoft, Novell, and Oracle usually allow you to use LDAP for access. By adopting LDAP as a standard, it is possible for Sametime to authenticate users contained in any LDAP-compliant directory such as Domino, Active Directory, or eDirectory. These servers all expose their own proprietary directory formats through LDAP, enabling them to be accessed and utilized by LDAP clients and authentication mechanisms.

The structure of LDAP is defined by its entries and attributes. Entries represent a single object such as a person. Attributes represent object values such as first name, last name, or mail address. On a Domino server, an entry would be a document and an attribute would be a field. The entire structure of each entry and its attributes within an LDAP directory is called the LDAP schema. Although every LDAP server speaks...