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Types of Directory Server Plug-Ins
Types of Directory Server Plug-Ins
You can write the following types of plug-ins for the Directory Server:
•
Pre-operation/data validation. The server calls a pre-operation/data
validation plug-in function before performing an LDAP operation.
The main purpose of this type of plug-in is to validate data before the data is
added to the directory or before it is used in an operation.
•
Post-operation/data notification. The server calls a post-operation/data
notification plug-in function after performing an LDAP operation.
The main purpose of this type of plug-in is to invoke a function after a
particular operation is executed. For example, you can write a plug-in that
sends email to users if their entries are modified.
•
Entry storage and entry fetch. The server calls an entry storage plug-in function
right before writing data to the database back-end. The server calls entry fetch
plug-in functions after retrieving an entry from the database back-end.
For example, you can create an entry storage plug-in that encrypts an entry
before it is saved to the database and an entry fetch plug-in that decrypts an
entry after it is read from the database.
•
Extended operation. The server calls an extended operation plug-in function
when the client requests an operation by OID. Extended operations are defined
in LDAP v3 and are described in more detail in Chapter 10, "Writing Extended
Operation Plug-Ins."
•
Syntax. The server calls a syntax plug-in function when getting a list of
possible candidates for a search. The server also calls these functions when
adding or deleting values from certain attribute indexes.
Syntax plug-in functions can define the comparison operations used in
searches. For example, you could use a syntax plug-in function to define how
the "equals" comparison works for case-insensitive strings.
•
Matching rule. The server calls matching rule plug-in functions when the
client sends a search request with an extensible matching search filter. You can
also write matching rule plug-in functions that the server calls when indexing
attributes for the back-end database.
Figure 1-2 illustrates how some of these different plug-in types fit into the
Directory Server architecture.
24
Netscape Directory Server Plug-In Programmer's Guide • May 2002
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