What is LDAP?

1
What is LDAP?

• LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
• Directory Structure
• LDAP//CNuser,OUStaff,DCsds,DClocal
• Stores information about object
• Usually Users and Groups
• Based on Schema
• Open standard
• Microsoft Active Directory or ADAM
• Apple Open Directory
• Open Source OpenLDAP
• Sun Java System Directory Server

2
What is Active Directory?

• LDAP Kerberos
• Domain Controller LDAP/Kerberos Server
• Domain Collection of Domain Controllers
• Multi-Master replication
• Forest Collection of Domains
• Global Catalog
• Computers join Domain

3
Common Projects

• Administrative Functions
• Identity Management
• User Data Entry
• Integrate Application with Enterprise

4
LDAP vs SQL

• Enterprise Accounts
• High Availability
• Secure Passwords
• Strong group membership
• Better at being a directory

5
System.DirectoryServices Versions
ADSI Active Directory Services Interface API for Active Directory, WinNT, NDS, LDAP Most commonly used with VBScript
.Net 1.0 System.DirectoryServices Introduced DotNet wrapper for ADSI No strongly typed objects AD, ADAM, 3rd Party LDAP
.Net 2.0 S.DS.ActiveDirectory Introduced Servers, Replication, Trusts, Schema S.DS.Protocols Introduced Skips ADSI, Performance at cost of Ease of Use
.Net 3.5 S.DS.AccountManagement Introduced Strongly typed objects Active Directory/ADAM Only User, Group, Computer objects ONLY Similar to ADO.net compared to LINQ
6
System.DirectoryServices

• DirectoryEntry
• Represents object
• DirectorySearcher
• Search directory
• SearchResult
• Result of DirectorySearcher
• Read Only, Convert to DirectoryEntry for R/W

7
S.DS.AccountManagement

• PrincipalContext
• Define what were connecting to
• UserPrincipal
• Represents User object
• GroupPrincipal
• Represents Group object
• Search
• UserPrincipal.Methods()
• GroupPrincipal.Methods()
• PrincipalSearcher

8
Authenticating Users

• System.DirectoryServices (DEMO)
• S.DS.AccountManagement (DEMO)
• Active Directory or ADAM Only
• S.DS.Protocols
• Best LDAP Performance
• SSPI
• Active Directory Only
• Best Option

9
Steve Evans

• Microsoft MVP, Directory Services
• Blog http//SerkTools.com
• Twitter - _at_scevans
• President of SerkTools (http//SerkTools.com)
• Content Creation for Customers
• Screencast, Whitepapers, Blogging, Events
• Consulting
• Microsoft IT Infrastructure (Active Directory,
  SQL, SharePoint, Exchange, Identity, etc)
• Cloud Computing (especially AWS)