Re: LDAP Clients Using DNS to Find LDAP Servers

Will Hopkins (hopkins@apollo.hp.com)
Thu, 29 Aug 1996 08:56:47 -0400

A good idea, but what about environments that don't
use BOOTP or DHCP? If one wanted to implement something
today, DNS seems like the only reasonably ubiquitous
service.

Will

> Perhaps one possible solution would be to write an RFC for including
> it as a data type for BOOTP and DHCP servers to respond with?
>
> There are already entries for things like POP and IMAP mail servers,
> default Web server, even NetWare/IP Domain SAP Server!
>
> thanks
> mark michael
> architect, distributed computing infrastructure
> hughes space and communications company information technology
> e-mail mmichael@igate1.hac.com -- ph 310 364 6759 -- fax 310 416 6181
> snail mail address
> Mark O. Michael
> Hughes Space and Communications Company
> PO Box 92919 Mail Station SC S50 X366
> Los Angeles CA 90009 USA
> standard disclaimers apply
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
> Subject: LDAP Clients Using DNS to Find LDAP Servers
> Author: owner-ldap@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu at LMSMIME
> Date: 8/28/96 10:57 AM
>
>
> The utility of a directory service for client/server
> applications is that it allows clients to find servers.
>
> But first the client has to find the directory service.
> Putting the address of the LDAP server in a config file
> or an environment variable does the job, but requires
> that each client be individually configured or reconfigured
> whenever server hosts/ports change.
>
> Has anyone given any thought to using DNS to store the
> location of LDAP servers, so that clients can look them
> up that way? One way to do it would be to have a DNS
> entry for an "LDAP Domain" that could have a TXT record
> listing LDAP servers, possibly the subtrees they knew
> about, and designating each server as a master or slave.
>
> On the other hand, this still leaves the clients needing
> to know what the name of the LDAP domain is, unless the
> LDAP domain is the same as the default DNS domain for the
> host, or its name can be derived from the default domain
> (i.e. ldap.my.default.domain).
>
> Will
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Will Hopkins Internet: hopkins@apollo.hp.com
> Chelmsford System Software Lab (CSSL) Phone: (508) 436-4966
> The Hewlett-Packard Company Fax: (508) 436-5140

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Will Hopkins Internet: hopkins@apollo.hp.com
Chelmsford System Software Lab (CSSL) Phone: (508) 436-4966
The Hewlett-Packard Company Fax: (508) 436-5140