| Directory service, serving as a network database, contains a variety of information. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) defines a protocol to provide uniform access to Internet directories, which is called the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). LDAP does not define broadcasting or multicasting. The only communication method is unicasting via Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The traditional way to find an LDAP service is to require the LDAP host's IP address, domain name, or distinguished name. This thesis suggests taking advantage of another IETF standards track—Service Location Protocol (SLP). Using SLP, computers need little or no static configuration of network services for network-based applications. Bringing LDAP directory service into an SLP system provides users on the Internet a convenient and efficient way to find LDAP service. The focus of this thesis is presented as a methodology of how to use SLP to find LDAP directories without knowing the LDAP service address or name. |
