RFC 2589 (rfc2589) - Page 1 of 12
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3): Extensions for Dynamic Directory Services
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group Y. Yaacovi
Request for Comments: 2589 Microsoft
Category: Standards Track M. Wahl
Innosoft International, Inc.
T. Genovese
Microsoft
May 1999
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3):
Extensions for Dynamic Directory Services
Status of this Memo
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1999). All Rights Reserved.
1. Abstract
This document defines the requirements for dynamic directory services
and specifies the format of request and response extended operations
for supporting client-server interoperation in a dynamic directories
environment.
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) [1] supports
lightweight access to static directory services, allowing relatively
fast search and update access. Static directory services store
information about people that persists in its accuracy and value over
a long period of time.
Dynamic directory services are different in that they store
information that only persists in its accuracy and value when it is
being periodically refreshed. This information is stored as dynamic
entries in the directory. A typical use will be a client or a person
that is either online - in which case it has an entry in the
directory, or is offline - in which case its entry disappears from
the directory. Though the protocol operations and attributes used by
dynamic directory services are similar to the ones used for static
directory services, clients that store dynamic information in the
directory need to periodically refresh this information, in order to
prevent it from disappearing. If dynamic entries are not refreshed
Yaacovi, et al. Standards Track