The data provider can easily control the list of other IDAP groups granted access to each local database. The authentication transactions make use of data encryption. The design permits subgroups to be defined within an institution. The IDAP server provides a common interface for database servers or other network applications requiring validation services. The servers negotiate to find the most secure common method.
Clear text is an option of last resort.
Simpler flat file databases are also currently implemented, which are easily interfaced to local administrative systems. It should be portable to most other UNIX systems with some minor modification of the system calls to network functions. It was designed to be easily extended to other authentication procedures and local name databases. Versions of the client interface library used by a database server have been developed for UNIX and VAX-VMS operating systems. The IDAP System was developed to administer the terms of the agreement to jointly license the MLA Bibliography database by Dartmouth and Middlebury Colleges.