An Acronym for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.

A Protocol for accessing hierarchical data. Kinda like SQL except it has "fixed" schemata (you can define your own, but not quite as easily as you do in SQL) and it's for HierarchicalDataBases rather than RelationalDataBases. It is often used for directories, so LDAP implementations are commonly optimised for reading much more than for modifying/inserting data.

Products which speak LDAP include the Free OpenLDAP, NetWare's NDS, and MicrosoftCorporation's ActiveDirectory.

See also:

• LDAPNotes
• LDAPURLs
• LDAPAuthentication
• OpenLdapAccessControls
• LDAP System Adminstration, available to WLUG members from the WlugLibrary:15
• DanielLawson, our local LDAP guru. If you've got the problem, he's got the solution. :)

CategoryProtocols