Greetings, Warren Young! >> LDAP IS simple.
> Anything tied to a PKI is going to be pretty complex, no matter how > simple the underlying tech is. > Then there's the fact that LDAP derives from X.500, a prototypically > overengineered OSI emission. DC=my,DC=sub,DC=domain,DC=com. P'tui! Well, well, mom said spitting is not nice. I agree that certain parts of specification look weird for untrained eye, but being properly explained, they make sense. Not to mention, this all could be wrapped up by a proper interface. >> It's a shame it is so little known outside specific circles. > I blame the books. I concur. Was a long time since I started grasping it, but then it was breakthrough. Much like regexps. > Several years ago, I bought most of what was available, since we needed > to do user authentication against an existing AD system in a custom > software system, to avoid parallel user management. > The most useful book I found was "LDAP: Programming Directory-Enabled > Applications with Lightweight Directory Access Protocol", by Howes and > Smith, since it covers things from the C API level upward. Most other > LDAP books either don't cover the programming level at all, or mention > it briefly on their way down from the directory service level. I find most books problematic to understand, because they talk too much about implementation, and too little about actual application of the system in real world. As an example: I have little knowledge in TCP/IP internal structure, this doesn't stop me from troubleshooting network issues... because it is not really necessary in 90% of real situations. The 90% of the rest is covered by a quick googling and little extrapolation. The 1% that is left falls under "Professionalism: An ability to make right decisions in a situation that never happen again in your life." Same applies to LDAP. People spoil their \m/ \m/ about how awesome they are using such awesome technology, but offering little real help. > It's not even the case that all the teaching material has moved online. > The OpenLDAP programming manual is a pile of man pages.[2] Man pages > are great, but go toss a neophyte into that pile and see if she doesn't > come out welted, weary and wincing. Same for ISC-DHCP... :/ The WORST documentation support for (probably) the MOST used DHCP server. > Given this, it's no wonder those who can write LDAP based software are > seen as a kind of elite. Acquiring a working knowledge of LDAP > programming is akin to a baleen whale feeding itself. Programming anything is really simple. Or I find it really simple. If you know how to use it, you can code it. If you don't know how to use it... You are coding a monster noone will be able to use. -- WBR, Andrey Repin (anrdae...@yandex.ru) 07.02.2014, <22:02> Sorry for my terrible english... -- Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/ Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple
