# $OpenLDAP$
-# Copyright 1999-2007 The OpenLDAP Foundation, All Rights Reserved.
+# Copyright 1999-2008 The OpenLDAP Foundation, All Rights Reserved.
# COPYING RESTRICTIONS APPLY, see COPYRIGHT.
H1: Introduction to OpenLDAP Directory Services
H2: When should I use LDAP?
+This is a very good question. In general, you should use a Directory
+server when you require data to be centrally managed, stored and accessible via
+standards based methods.
+
+Some common examples found throughout the industry are, but not limited to:
+
+* Machine Authentication
+* User Authentication
+* User/System Groups
+* Address book
+* Organization Representation
+* Asset Tracking
+* Telephony Information Store
+* User resource management
+* E-mail address lookups
+* Application Configuration store
+* PBX Configuration store
+* etc.....
+
+There are various {{SECT:Distributed Schema Files}} that are standards based, but
+you can always create your own {{SECT:Schema Specification}}.
+
+There are always new ways to use a Directory and apply LDAP principles to address
+certain problems, therefore there is no simple answer to this question.
+
+If in doubt, join the general LDAP forum for non-commercial discussions and
+information relating to LDAP at:
+{{URL:http://www.umich.edu/~dirsvcs/ldap/mailinglist.html}} and ask
H2: When should I not use LDAP?
+When you start finding yourself bending the directory to do what you require,
+maybe a redesign is needed. Or if you only require one application to use and
+manipulate your data (for discussion of LDAP vs RDBMS, please read the
+{{SECT:LDAP vs RDBMS}} section).
+
+It will become obvious when LDAP is the right tool for the job.
+
H2: How does LDAP work?
The short answer is that use of an embedded database and custom indexing system
allows OpenLDAP to provide greater performance and scalability without loss of
-reliability. OpenLDAP, since release 2.1, in its main storage-oriented backends
-(back-bdb and, since 2.2, back-hdb) uses Berkeley DB concurrent / transactional
+reliability. OpenLDAP uses Berkeley DB concurrent / transactional
database software. This is the same software used by leading commercial
directory software.
or the {{SECT: Backends}} section. There are also several examples for several
RDBMSes in {{F:back-sql/rdbms_depend/*}} subdirectories.
-TO REFERENCE:
-
-http://blogs.sun.com/treydrake/entry/ldap_vs_relational_database
-http://blogs.sun.com/treydrake/entry/ldap_vs_relational_database_part
H2: What is slapd and what can it do?