Glossary - Netscape DIRECTORY SERVER 6.1 - PLUG-IN Manual

Glossary

This glossary defines terms commonly used when working with LDAP.
base DN The distinguished name (DN) that identifies the starting point of a
search.
For example, if you want to search all of the entries that under the
"ou=People,o=example.com" subtree of the directory,
"ou=People,o=example.com" is the base DN.
computed attribute An attribute with values that are generated by the Netscape
Directory Server front-end (these values are not stored in the back-end database).
continuation reference See search reference.
control LDAP controls are specified as part of the LDAP v3 protocol. A control
provides the means to specify additional information for an operation. Clients and
servers can send controls as part of the requests and responses for an operation.
DIT The hierarchical organization of entries that make up a directory. DIT stands
for "Directory Information Tree."
DSA An X.500 term for a directory server. DSA stands for "Directory System
Agent."
DSE An entry containing server-specific information. DSE stands for
"DSA-specific entry." Each server has different attribute values for the DSE.
extended operation An extension mechanism in the LDAP v3 protocol. You can
define extended operations to perform services not covered by the protocol. The
extended operation mechanism specifies the means for an LDAP client to request a
custom operation (not specified in the LDAP protocol) from an LDAP server.
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