Argonne's LDAP Browser/Editor Simplifies Working with Computerized Directories

Now there's a tool that makes LDAP directories more easily accessible. Argonne National Laboratory's LDAP browser/editor, unique among Java-based browsers, provides full editing functionality for working with the information in LDAP directories. Directory managers can easily modify the contents of LDAP databases. Users also can configure different editors or viewers, depending on the attribute type. These can include image editors, sound editors, binary editors, or the X509 certificate editor; a default editor is used for all other attributes.

Argonne's browser/editor uses the form of a tree to display the hierarchical information contained in a directory. Whenever you selectsa particular object on the tree, that object's attributes are retrieved and displayed in tabular format. Any changes to the tree's structure are shown through display refreshes.

The browser/editor's graphical user interface is designed to be highly user friendly. It provides easy-to-use pop-up menus, sortable tables, and a graphic indicator to show progress in loading data, together with online help and detailed error messages. The software is easy to install, and extensive documentation is provided.

The latest version of Argonne's LDAP browser/editor allows users to

• Search LDAP databases (find or set domain names or view, delete, or edit entries);
• Create and modify object templates, which are used in adding new objects, on the basis of selected entries;
• Delete whole trees, as well as single values;
• Save and insert values from files;
• Customize the configuration (specify time-outs, the maximum number of entries, the LDAP version and libraries, and the debugging mode); and
• Automatically connect to a specified host (the system remembers its last host)

Technical Background

Directories are used to store and retrieve information. A directory service provides a directory that can be accessed via a network protocol. LDAP is a vendor- and platform-independent, open directory protocol standard. Among LDAP's features are an information model and a namespace, which are based on entries. Entries are used to store attributes, each of which has an associated type and one or more values.

Written entirely in Java 2, Argonne's LDAP browser/editor provides read and write access to X.500, LDAPv2, and LDAPv3 directory services through a user-friendly graphical user interface. Reading attribute values is a threaded process in Argonne's browser/editor.

In addition to supporting a full range of editing functions with multiple-valued attributes, the program offers improved binary value support.

The LDAP Browser/Editor 2.7 was the winner of the Student Application Grand Prize in the 1999 Novell Developer Contest.

More Information

The LDAP browser/editor is available from the Open Channel Foundation.

Pricing is very affordable either as executable or in source code form.

Development funded by U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Mathematical, Information, and Computational Sciences Division; and U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency