LDAP/x.500 Search Benefits??

Neil Spiegel (nspiegel@sympatico.ca)
Sun, 22 Sep 1996 17:44:07 -0400

Hi All

I know there are many benefits to LDAP and x.500 structures regarding =
interoperability, expandability, etc., etc.=20

I am trying to judge the cost/benefits as compared with RDBMS's. =
Everyone says things like LDAP is optimized for read many write =
infrequently. How does this optimization manifest itself?=20

How is data stored?
How are searches accomplished?

I have a database with > 20 Million records representing individuals.

I could set up a relational database that would normalize out all kinds =
of redundant data (i.e. last name, first name, street name, city, etc.) =
That would give me benefits of having a smaller database. And would =
accrue some speed benefits as well.

In general would a properly conceived RDBMS setup outperform an x.500 or =
LDAP setup for a white pages application?

If so, would the difference be substantial?

I understand how RDBMS are optimized for certain searches by building =
indexes on selected fields (i.e. name or x.509 certificate) but how does =
a x.500 or LDAP server optimize for the common searches?

Can LDAP be substantially improved by having more servers? more memory? =
more processor? Is it I/O bound?

Has anyone seen any documents which have addressed the size limits of =
x.500 or LDAP implementations as compared to relational databases?

Finally, if anyone has done a commercial comparison of large database =
implementations using LDAP/x.500 vs. RDBMS technology I would be =
interested to hear about it as well.

Thanks for any input, I apologize for the barrage.

Neil=20

______________________________________
Neil Spiegel=20
Atlas Consulting Inc -- Toronto, Ontario Canada
V: 416-534-9792 F: 416-534-7888 =20
nspiegel@sympatico.ca