Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services (2nd Edition) [Hardcover]

Timothy A. Howes (Author), Mark C. Smith (Author), Gordon S. Good (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0672323168 | ISBN-13: 978-0672323164 | Edition: 2

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is the standard for directory information access and is the underlying protocol for a variety of email systems, Web systems, and enterprise applications. LDAP enables central management of users, groups, devices, and other data, thereby simplifying directory management and reducing the total cost of ownership. Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services, written by the creators of the protocol, is known as the LDAP bible and is the classic text for learning about LDAP and how to utilize it effectively. The Second Edition builds on this success by acting as an exhaustive resource for designing, deploying, and maintaining LDAP directory services. Topics such as implementation pitfalls, establishing and maintaining user access to information, troubleshooting, and real-world scenarios will be thoroughly explored.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

While early directory standards (such as X.500) offer some cross-platform functionality, none has the flexibility and widespread appeal of Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), which is fast becoming a standard part of networked computers. In Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services, three experienced engineers share their knowledge of LDAP in theory and practice, effectively defining this fast-emerging technology. If you're planning to work with LDAP in any way--whether as a network manager, a software developer, or an information technology administrator--you need to read and pay attention to this book. It's the last word on LDAP as it stands today.

Since directory services aren't widely understood, this book begins by defining them and explaining what they can do for an organization. The guide then gets into the specifics of how LDAP organizes directories and handles queries. The authors go to great lengths to talk about what information to put in directories, how to validate and maintain it, and how to manage access to it. There's also lots of material on initiating LDAP services and on troubleshooting.

The aft part of this book holds special appeal for software developers, since it talks extensively about how to implement LDAP in both new and existing software. Throughout, the authors pay special attention to data redundancy, security, privacy, and the economic issues involved in an LDAP deployment. The book's real-world focus is cemented by case studies (both historical and semifictional). --David Wall --This text refers to the Textbook Binding edition.

From the Back Cover

Increasingly, organizations are using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directories as the nerve centers of their computing infrastructures. LDAP--the Internet standard for directory information access--now provides the naming, location, and security traditionally supplied by network operating systems.

In this expanded second edition of the seminal LDAP reference, Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services, three LDAP experts explain the protocol and how to apply it effectively in numerous network environments. The book begins with an introduction to directory services and LDAP, including coverage of LDAPv3 extensions and the Netscape Directory Server. It then moves on to explore:

• Designing directory services, including data sources, schema, naming, topology, replication, privacy, and security
• Deploying directory services, including establishing user access to information, implementation pitfalls, and cost analysis
• Maintaining directory services, including backup, disaster recovery, and troubleshooting
• Creating and enabling directory-service applications
• Integrating directory services

Full of practical implementation advice and real-world examples, Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services, Second Edition, will give you the necessary footing to successfully implement LDAP directory-service projects.

0672323168B03212003

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 936 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 2 edition (May 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672323168
• ISBN-13: 978-0672323164
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Architects and Project Managers Take Note, February 16, 1999

By 

corktechie (Redwood Shores, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services (MacMillan Network Architecture & Development) (Textbook Binding)

This book gives a good architect's or project manager's understanding of LDAP and of the difficulties inherent in deploying any complex mission critical software system. The book covers schema and name space design, security considerations, legacy integration, capacity planning, systems management and procurement. All of these issues are discussed in a vendor neutral tone, though the references are a bit heavy on Netscape publications.

This is not a programming book and this is not a product manual. For architects, this is a concept book rather than a reference book: After reading this book you will still need to spend hours pouring over your vendor's manuals figuring out how to implement your design. For a project manager, this book may deserve the "bible" moniker, with the checklists something that can be used to guide the deployment of many new systems. While there is one, quite good, chapter on application design, application design is not the focus. Tim and Mark's earlier book covers that topic in much more detail.

The book, at 850 pages, is long, but it should be easy going for a database professional. The book itself looks like it was laid out with an HTML browser's "Print" command.

If you are considering an LDAP deployment, using any LDAP server, you will find this book invaluable during the evaluation, planning and deployment process.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding is the focus of this book., February 13, 2001

By 

John P. Hoke "Drinking at the Foo B@r" (Floral Park, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services (MacMillan Network Architecture & Development) (Textbook Binding)

And that is where it excells! I have actually read this book cover to cover once, and now I use it as a good reference on LDAP. It is not exactly geared to the implementor, but rather to both the Designer/Architect as well as those who have to "sell" LDAP to an organization. If you are new to LDAP, or are going to be doing any sort of design work, this is the first book you should read, its introduction to LDAP is the best I have seen, and although it is weighty (and not just the size of the book) it is quite comprehendable if read in order.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A general overview of LDAP and deployment scenarios, March 9, 2004

By 

"haddad_i" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services (2nd Edition) (Hardcover)

Background:
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a software protocol that enables locating organizations, individuals, and other resources such as files and devices in a network, whether it is a public Internet or a corporate Intranet.

As LDAP adoption and deployment is increasing, the expanded second edition of "Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services" is published with more materials from the authors on the protocol and how to apply it effectively in different network environments.

Book Organization:
The book consists of twenty-six chapters divided into six major parts:
- Directory services overview and history
- Designing your directory service
- Deploying your directory service
- Maintaining your directory service
- Leveraging your directory service
- Case studies
The book begins by defining directory services and what they can offer for an organization then gets into the specifics of how LDAP organizes directories and handles queries with coverage of LDAPv3 extensions and the Netscape Directory Server.

The books then moves on to explore a wide range of topics such as designing directory services, naming, topology, replication, privacy, security deploying, directory services, implementation pitfalls, cost analysis, maintaining directory services, troubleshooting, and creating and enabling directory-service
applications.

The book offers help and advice for comparing "LDAP-compliant" products on features, management tools, reliability, performance, scalability, security, standards conformance, interoperability, cost, and other criteria. Then, having chosen a vendor, you'll walk through piloting your application
and testing it for performance, scalability, and reliability. Finally, the authors show how to put the system into production, keep it running smoothly and securely, provide for backups and disaster recovery, and make improvements over time.

The final section of the book presents four thorough deployment case studies, showing how diverse organizations can use LDAP as a simple, versatile solution for a wide variety of problems.

Is the book for you?
The book gives a good architect's or project manager's understanding of LDAP and of the difficulties inherent in deploying any complex mission critical software system.

For architects, this is a concept book rather than a reference book: After reading this book you will still need to refer to product manuals or reference books to help you figure out how to implement your design.

For a project manager, this book is valuable especially with the checklists, something that can be used to guide the deployment of many new systems.

Software developers would read the book to understand more on issues such as redundancy, security and privacy.

For IT professionals who are relatively new to the area, it is the book to read on LDAP.

General Comments:

- There are many specialized terms that are used without being defined or before being defined.

- There is a lot of superfluous material bringing the book to over 900+ pages requiring constant filtering on the part of the reader.

- The book offer more concepts that practical help. You will find a lot of managerial discussions, including talking to your users, piloting your directory and getting feedback. If you are looking to learn how to technically implement LDAP, these discussions will not interest you much.

- The book assumes that you have a good understanding of LDAP and Directory Services. The introduction chapters do not cover many basic concepts, many terms are not explained until used several dozen times, and there is no glossary.

- Managers will appreciate the sections on product selection, piloting an LDAP service, costing, disaster recovery, long-term maintenance, monitoring, and application development in a directory-centric world complete the picture.

- Several case studies are presented, including useful sidebars entitled "20/20 Hindsight".

The Good Stuff:
- Provides a lot of theoretical concepts
- Covers all aspects of LDAP deployment
- Discusses the design aspects of LDAP
- Designed to meet multiple needs
- Minimal knowledge of networking is assumed

The Not So Good Stuff:
- Not much on practical implementations
- Sometimes the explanations are too long
- With over 900 pages, the book is too long
- Sometimes hard to follow the line of thought
- A glossary of technical terms is not provided

Conclusion:

If you are planning to work with LDAP whether you are a network manager, a software developer, or an IT administrator, the book provides a lot of information which will help you define your directory requirements in detail and design a directory service that meets them. You will also ind the book valuable during the evaluation, planning and deployment process. However, if you are a programmer who is looking for a programming book or some kind of a product manual to help you setup LDAP services, this
is not the book for you. It is mostly targeted for architects as it is more of a concept book rather than a reference book.

In general, the text is full of advices and real-world deployment examples to help the readers choose the path that makes the most sense for their specific organization. I personally would recommend the book as a general
overview of LDAP and deployment scenarios.