Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is re-emerging as the standard for managing resources and objects used within and in some cases between organizations. The hierarchical, yet flexible architecture, of LDAP makes it suitable for a wide range of tasks from simple customer address lists through operational provision of Single Sign-On (SSO and Identity Management) to a repository for network wide policy management. With resilience, platform independence and distributed functionality built-in, coupled with LDAP abstraction layers available from most transaction oriented database suppliers, LDAP is the ideal standards based approach to unifying data usage on an enterprise wide basis. Microsoft's Active Directory is but one of a number of enterprise wide solutions using LDAP to glue together disparate data.

Students will review the theory and organization of the LDAP hierarchy or Object Tree Structure covering the Data Information Tree (DIT), objectClasses and attributes, schemas and LDIF files. A shell application will be used (an extension of that used in the Basic LDAP course) to provide a hands-on experience. Students will learn the new operational features of recent OpenLDAP releases (2.3 and 2.4) including overlays, syncrepl and component matching. New operational features such as Real Time configuration (cn=config) and Monitoring (cn=monitor) will be described and illustrated with hands-on exercises. There are now a number of alternate Open Source LDAP implemenations available and the course reviews the functionality of FedoraDS, OpenDS and ApacheDS. Hands-on experience is provided using ApacheDS and Directory studio. A platform independent LDAP browser is used throughout the course to examine the students application as well as other LDAP implementations. Students need to be thoroughly familiar with basic LDAP technology and ideally should have taken the BASIC LDAP course.

The course uses OpenLDAP which is available on Linux, UNIX and Windows platforms and ApacheDS to illustrate one of the new generation of Open source LDAP implementations. The course makes extensive use of a platform independent LDAP browser to discover and interrogate LDAP implementations including Windows Active Directory. The course is offered with Linux (Fedora Core), FreeBSD or Windows as the platform for all exercises.

LDAP Training Audience: