# $OpenLDAP$
-# Copyright 1999-2003, The OpenLDAP Foundation, All Rights Reserved.
+# Copyright 1999-2008 The OpenLDAP Foundation, All Rights Reserved.
# COPYING RESTRICTIONS APPLY, see COPYRIGHT.
H1: Constructing a Distributed Directory Service
The server uses this information to generate referrals and
search continuations to subordinate servers.
-For those familiar with X.500, a {{named referral}} object is
+For those familiar with {{TERM:X.500}}, a {{named referral}} object is
similar to an X.500 knowledge reference held in a {{subr}}
{{TERM:DSE}}.
The server uses this information to generate referrals to
management operations.
-For those familiar with X.500, this use of the {{EX:ref}} attribute
-is similar to an X.500 knowledge reference held in a
+For those familiar with {{TERM:X.500}}, this use of the {{EX:ref}}
+attribute is similar to an X.500 knowledge reference held in a
{{immSupr}} {{TERM:DSE}}.
!endif
> referral ldap://a.example.net/
-The server uses this information to generate referrals for
-operations acting upon entries not within or subordinate
-to any of the naming contexts held by the server.
+The server uses this information to generate referrals for operations
+acting upon entries not within or subordinate to any of the naming
+contexts held by the server.
-For those familiar with X.500, this use of the {{EX:ref}} attribute
-is similar to an X.500 knowledge reference held in a
+For those familiar with {{TERM:X.500}}, this use of the {{EX:ref}}
+attribute is similar to an X.500 knowledge reference held in a
{{Supr}} {{TERM:DSE}}.
Note: the {{EX:ref}} attribute is operational and must be explicitly
requested when desired in search results.
+Note: the use of referrals to construct a Distributed Directory Service is
+extremely clumsy and not well supported by common clients. If an existing
+installation has already been built using referrals, the use of the
+{{chain}} overlay to hide the referrals will greatly improve the usability
+of the Directory system. A better approach would be to use explicitly
+defined local and proxy databases in {{subordinate}} configurations to
+provide a seamless view of the Distributed Directory.