# Presentation: 426584

## Directories and Why They Enhance the Enterprise Bringing It All Together

-   Alexis BorPresident and CEODirectory Works, Inc.

## Industry Activities - Alexis Bor

- Participation in Standards Organizations
- US CCITT/ITU, ANSI, OIW, XAPIA
- Contributions to technical committees
- NADF, EMA, COS, IETF
- Chair, EMA Directories Committee
- Co-Chair, EMA NADF Committee
- Chair, XAPIA technical subcommittee on Directory Synchronization

## Observation

- Many organizations have begun to realize that distributed client/server applications, such as messaging or the WWW, require a distributed directory service infrastructure.
- The current technology available to do this is the **X.500** Directory using **LDAP** as the interface.

## Dataquest reports:

***Dataquest***** reports:**
- A potential market size ranging from $270M to $1B over the next 5 years
- $580M the most likely
- Key variables being:
- number of sites,
- degree of distribution required by the organization
- pricing of products/services.

## What is a Directory?

- Different things to different people
- Common elements
- Special purpose databases
- Read more frequent than update
- Search and retrieve named information
- Lack of transaction semantics
- Limited ability to separate search from retrieval
- Provide a way to name, manage access information

## Understanding the Questions

*Do You Really Need an ****Enterprise**** Directory?*
- What are you doing today?
- How long does it take for information to change?
- What is your vision of enterprise computing?
- How can you improve your business processes?
- How can you gain competitive advantages?
- How can you protect your information?

## The Future of Directory 

*The Future of Directory *

## User’s View of New Messaging Service

***User’s View of New Messaging Service***

**Internal Mail**
**w/Attachments**
**External X.400 Mail**
**Internet Mail**
**URL Support**

**Electronic**
**Forms **
**Launch Attachments**
**Scheduling**
**Electronic Faxes**

## Typical Company Architecture Plan

***Typical Company Architecture Plan***

**Europe**

**North America**

**Latin America**

**Other**
**Site(s)**

**Internet**

**Fax **
**Services**

**External Joint Ventures**
**MS Exchange**

**Lotus Notes**
**Databases**

**Fax Server**

**Exchange**

**MS Mail**

**X.400**

**X.400**

**X.400**

**Gateway**

**MS Mail**

**Joint Venture**
**   ****MS Mail**

**Hubs**

**External**
**Gateway**

- Exchange

## Messaging Migration Plans(as of 6/30/97)

- 1 Server

- MS Mail
- 35

***Messaging Migration Plans******(as of 6/30/97)***

**WorldTalk**

**SoftSwitch**
**LMS**

- cc:Mail

- OpenMail

- Lotus
- Notes

- MS
- Mail

- Send
- Mail

- X.400

- Firewall

- SMTP

**Internet**

- TAO

- 1 Server

- cc:Mail
- 500

- SNAPI

- SNADS

- SNAPI

- X.400

- SNAPI

- Notes
- Mail
- 6,300

- 3270
- Emulation
- ids=48,000

- X.400

- Firewall

- 27
- Servers

- 30
- Servers

- 64
- Servers

- 15
- Servers

- Exchange

- Outlook
- 400

- 4
- Servers

**Internet**

- X.400

- 3270’
- Emulation
- ids=18,000

**Key:**

**Message**
**Switches**

**Mail **
**Servers **

**Mail **
**Clients**

- MS
- Mail

- 33
- Servers

- MS Mail
- 1,500

- cc:Mail
- 19,000

**Total mail boxes = 102,235**

- X.400

- SMTP

- ?

- Unix
- Mail
- 900

- Next

- Exchange
- 500

- Groupwise
- 1,500

- Groupwise
- (Trust)

- Exchange

- MS Mail

- 1 Server

- Lotus
- Notes

- 1 Server

- MS  Mail
- 2,000

- Firewall

- 2 Servers

## Universal Directory is Needed

- Meeting the full potential of distributed computing is not possible without a universal directory
- X.500 is the only viable alternative
- Scaleable and flexible
- Access control
- Security certificates
- Distributed operations
- Replication

## Need for a Universal Directory

- Many vendors are beginning to understand this, but
- Each one is racing to be that single directory
- Meta Directory technology is beginning to take shape(s)
- Every vendor thinks that they can build a universal interface to link all directories together
- Chaos will continue

## Data synchronization with external sources

- Many sources of information in an enterprise
- Formats rarely consistent
- Many data items are incomplete and often stale
- Often a database tool is needed to gather and neutralize the data
- Current processes often dictate easiest path for success

## Objective:  Reduce Cost

*Objective:  Reduce Cost*

- As corporations continually strive to improve service and reduce costs, administration costs associated with multiple directories containing common data elements *must *be addressed.
- It is too expensive for each corporation to build directory synchronization for its directories.  Corporations need products to adhere to the X.500 protocol to ensure compatibility.

## Connecting External Corporate Directories

- Corporate Requirements
- Secure and trusted
- 100% availability and high performance
- External management and support
- Replication for data of local interest
- Trading partners coordinate with neutral third party
- Certificate Authority
- Establish trust to Global Certificate Authority
- Maintain local key management within the enterprise
- Central registration authority

## Four Alternatives

**Four Alternatives**
- The Internet
- Private Connections
- Private Intranets
- World Directory Forum

## Examples of Directory usage

- Voice Mail using VPIM
- Electronic Commerce Trading Partner Directories
- Government Blue Pages
- Web Applications
- Desktop enabled applications
- for example, spreadsheet directory queries
- EMA Directory Challenge 97
- EEMA Challenge - Security Certificates

## Future Role of Directory in The Intranet

- Prominent role - integrated into applications
- Many companies form X.500 Intranets
- 24 x 7 Availability
- Coordinated management
- Management of Certificate Authority Trust
- Basis for Electronic Commerce
- Secure messaging become a reality
- Voice Mail integrated into the X.500 Directory
- Commercial Grade X.500 Service Offerings

## Introduction to X.500Module - LDAP Overview

- Alexis Bor
- President, CEO
**Directory Works, Inc.**

## What is LDAP?

- Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
- RFC 2251
- A directory access API

## History of LDAP

- Originally created as a lightweight access to X.500
- Work based on two earlier RFC’s
- RFC 1249 - DIXIE
- RFC 1202 - DAS
- OriginalAuthors - Tim Howes, Wengyik Yeong, Steve Kille and Colin Robbins
- First worked on in IETF OSI-DS work group
- Current work by ASID working group, but 	starting to move to multiple groups

## Current IETF Working Groups

- ASID
- LDAPEXT
- LSD
- LDUP

## LDAP and X.500 - Do they get along?

- Most Definitely
- Every X.500 product includes LDAP
- Both can run on TCP/IP (RFC 1006 for X.500)
- LDAP is a subset of X.500
- Same encoding rules
- LDAP schema is a subset of X.500 schema
- Referrals - V3 LDAP tries it in a new way

## Directory High Level View

*Directory High Level View*

**Other Directories**

## Why LDAP?

- Simple to use
- Rich set of searching capabilities
- Extensible information model
- Internet Standard (RFCs 2251-2256)
- Many commercial offerings
- Many products have/will integrate LDAP

## LDAP - Version 2 versus Version 3

- Recently approved as RFC 2251-2256
- Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3)
- Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3): Attribute Syntax Definitions.
- Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3): UTF-8 String     Representation of Distinguished Names
- The String Representation of LDAP Search Filters
- The LDAP URL Format
- A Summary of the X.500(96) User Schema for use with LDAPv3
- and many more in the works to extend V3
- V3 products beginning to appear
- If V2 is ***Lightweight***, then V3 is ***Middleweight***, and V4 		will become ***Heavyweight***

## LDAP Models

- Information
- Naming and Distinguished Names
- Functional
- Security
- Referrals (V3)

## LDAP Models - Information

- Centered around the *entry*
- Entries composed of *attributes*
- Each attribute has a *type* and one or more *values*
- Type has an associated syntax
- Attribute types can have constraints associated with them
- V3 LDAP introduces **extensibleObject**

## LDAP Models - Naming

- Entries are usually organized in a hierarchical structure
- Names reflect the structure and are called Distinguished Names (DN)
- Each component of the name is called a Relative Distinguished Name (RDN)
- Similar to Unix file system names, but use little endian (least to most significant)

## LDAP Models - Functional

- Nine operations in three areas
- Interrogation
- Search, Compare
- Update
- Add, Delete, Modify, Modify RDN
- Authentication
- Bind, Unbind, Abandon
- V3 adds paged results, modify DN, stronger authentication (two-way)

## LDAP Models - Security

- Based on identity of client
- Does not specify format or capabilities
- makes it impossible to replicate
- Netscape and University of Michigan use different ACL mechanisms

## LDAP Models - Referrals

- X.500 does this on the users behalf (chain)
- LDAP V2 - includes it within an error message
- LDAP V3 - more formal

## X.500 Communications Protocols

- Distributed Directories Require Communications Protocols
- Application Access Protocol (DAP)
- Server to Server Protocol (DSP)
- Replication Protocol (DISP)
- Distributed Operational Binding Protocol (DOP)
- This is the fundamental difference between Standalone LDAP Servers and X.500

## LDAP - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol

**RFC 1777 - LDAP**
**TCP/IP**

**LDAP**

**Server**

**X.500 DAP**

**RFC 1006**

**DSA**

**Directory**

**Information**

**Base**

**maX.500**

**LDAP**

**Client**

**Macintosh**

**   ****PC**

## LDAP - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol - Using SLAPD

## Products and Vendors Supporting LDAP

- Too many to list
- Everyone is on the bandwagon
- Netscape Press release April 22, 1996 listed 40 companies
- The list constantly grows

## Further Reading - IETF

**RFC***’s - 2251, 2252,...*
**Internet Drafts - **any ones containing ASID, LSD, LDUP, LDAPEXT or IDS in their names

## Further Reading - Books

**X.500 and LDAP Books**
**LDAP - ***Programming Directory-Enabled Applications with Lightweight Directory Access Protocol - Tim Howes and Mark Smith - ISBN 1-57870-000-0*
- Understanding X.500 - The Directory by David Chadwick
- http://www.salford.ac.uk/iti/dwc/X500/x500.html
- X.500 - The Directory Standard and its Application by Doug Steedman.
- http://www.techapps.co.uk/contx500.html

## Further Reading - Web

- http://www.critical-angle.com/ldapworld/index.html

## Why LDAP Alone Isn’t a Solution - The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

## Majority of vendors implementing products with the same interface

- Vendor-neutral published standard
- Internet activities

## Version 2 of LDAP missing key features

- Access control
- Multinational character set support
- Support of security certificates
- Referral mechanism

## Version 3 Much More Complex

- University of Michigan no longer building reference implementation
- No conformance testing or implementation agreements
- Trying to reinvent X.500 features
- Difficult to reach consensus within large group at IETF

## The Ugly

- Schema management
- Replication
- Access control - at least 5 solutions
- No directory of LDAP servers
- Authentication across multiple LDAP servers
- Registration of organization names
- Registry management

## Why LDAP?

- Simple to use
- Rich set of searching capabilities
- Extensible information model
- Internet Standard (RFC 2251)
- Many commercial offerings
- Many products have/will integrate LDAP

## Web technology and directory services

- LDAP has become the industry standard for directory interface
- User Agents
- Applications
- Web Pages
- Java version of LDAP
- Microsoft Active Directory Service Interface

## Summary

- Future of the Directory is very bright
- Many applications are evolving
- Global security certificates getting closer
- Corporations beginning to deploy enterprise-wide X.500 Directories
- Interoperability between enterprises is beginning to happen on a production basis
- The last 12 months has seen many advances
- 	The next 12 months will be very exciting

## Any Questions??? 

**Any Questions??? **

-   Alexis BorPresident and CEO*Directory Works, Inc.**16312 194th Avenue NE**Woodinville, WA  98072**1 + 425 788-7647**1 + 425 844-2375 (FAX)****Alexis******.******Bor@directoryworks.com******http://www.directoryworks.com***