Link to home
Start Free TrialLog in
Avatar of simonphoenix10
simonphoenix10

asked on

LDAP Vs Active Directory

Hi,

Can anyone clarify the difference between and LDAP server and Active directory, its my understanding that LDAP is the protocol used for to interact with Active directory database and LDAP can also be a separate entity and a database in its own right.

Thanks
Avatar of Kiran Ch
Kiran Ch
Flag of India image

An LDAP is a protocol and which means standards to keep up while developing a software.
But an Active Directory is the microsoft's implementation works and uses LDAP in its poprietary software. AD has been developed providing a lot more functionality than just a directory.
There are many softwares that use LDAP not only just AD.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Directory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LDAP_software
The above links from Wiki may give you a picture and may give you idea about what each other is for.
Active Directory is Microsofts version of LDAP. They did what they often do: take something which has already proved to be good, add custom extensions that make it at least partially incompatible, and ask PR to come up with a great new name for it. Ok, maybe this was a bit unfair. They added a lot, and the result is really good. But the things that they added are mostly highly specificly for use in domains of windows servers.
both are directory services having centralized repository of all objects like users and groups
LDAP is opensource anyone can use, MS ADDS is paid one.

"Linux is only free, if your time has no value"

Cheers
SA
Avatar of simonphoenix10
simonphoenix10

ASKER

Thanks all  msifox:

When you say Active Directory is MS version of LDAP does this mean it does not use the standard based version of the LDAP or Active Directory encompasses a protocol based on LDAP but has been adapted
Ok, you need to distinguish between a directory service - for which examples are Active Directory, eDirectory, and Yellow Pages (unix) - and the protocol used to access it - LDAP (lightweight directory access protocol).

By analogy, AD is like a database server - MS SQL, ORACLE, MYSQL etc - and LDAP is like ODBC - its a method of access to the server, with a specific defined language and format, but the server may support other protocols too.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of Rich Rumble
Rich Rumble
Flag of United States of America image

Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
I think the most interesting changes MS have made to LDAP are in the field of authentication, but they aren't required - the standard methods still work (so you can do everything you could want from, for example, Apache Directory Studio)