Subj : Re: Idiots intro to LDAP - Where?
To   : comp.os.linux,comp.os.linux.misc
From : Chris
Date : Sat Sep 11 2004 03:23 pm

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 17:46:11 +0000, P.T. Breuer wrote:

> William Park <opengeometry@yahoo.ca> wrote:
>> I know thin-client.  I read and understood BOOTP, DHCP, TFTP, all in one
>> sitting.  But, for the life of me, I can't understand LDAP or why it's
>> being adopted all over.
> 
> One of the major reasons is that there are ldap clients and servers for
> windows and they can be reasonably expected to be built into windows
> o/s's or integrated easily, thus allowing windows and unix clients to
> use the same authentication mechanisms (i.e. password file).
> 
> It also puts more power in the hands of a central organisation (and
> thus is likely to be promoted by an organsiation) because hierarches
> are integrated from the get-go, so  central office can keep the
> paswords for the florida and the singapore offices, and distribute them
> all at once, and the florida and miami people will be looking only at
> their little bit of the networked database.
> 
> While you could do that with nis+, nobody really used nis+ as it was a
> pain in compatrison with nis. Nis didn't really have hierarchies unless
> you made a real effort with the naming conventions.
> 
> Also there is a bit more security involved, though the present linux
> implementations are a joke - as far as I can see authentication against
> ldap involves you sending your password in the clear to the server,

Unless you use SASL, but that's lots of hassle . . . 

> which authenticates you against its coded password.
> 
> Hic.
> 
> Peter

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