Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is used to access directory listings. A directory listing, or service, provides a directory of names, profile information, and machine addresses for every user and resource on the network. It can be used to manage user accounts and network permissions.
LDAP servers are typically hierarchical in design and provide fast lookups of resources. LDAP can be used as a replacement to the traditional Sybase sql.ini file to store and retrieve information about Sybase servers.
Any type of LDAP service, whether it is an actual server or a gateway to other LDAP services, is called an LDAP server. An LDAP driver calls LDAP client libraries to establish connections to an LDAP server. The LDAP driver and client libraries define the communication protocol, such as whether encryption is enabled, and the contents of messages exchanged between clients and servers. Messages are operators, such as client requests for read, write, and queries, and server responses, including data-format information.
