Lessons learned from living with LDAP
Brendan Quinn · ;login:: the magazine of USENIX & SAGE · 2007
LDAP can be a doubled-edged sword. On the once hand, you have data avaible on the network, which is easy to access in a standard way. On the other, you have a system that doesn't work or behave like a normal database. At London Business School, we've had a central LDAP repository for years now, and over time it's come to be at the center of our network. We have applications and network devices that use LDAP for authentication and authorization. We have applications that depend on data in the LDAP repository for core pieces of their functionality. We're even using LDAP to route every piece of email that enters our network. Over the past few years, I've learned a few things the hard way about LDAP integration and performance. I'd like to share a few of those lessons, in the hope of saving you some headaches.