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About LDAP or ADSI Security Adapter Authentication

Siebel Business Applications include security adapters that are based on the LDAP and ADSI standards, allowing customers to use LDAP directory products or Microsoft Active Directory (AD) for user authentication. LDAP or ADSI security adapter authentication can offer the following benefits:

• User authentication external to the database
• Automatic updating of the directory with new or modified user information entered through the Siebel Business Applications user interface by an internal administrator, a delegated administrator, or a self-registering user

Security adapter authentication provides a user with access to the Siebel application for which the security adapter is configured. Different Siebel Business Applications can be configured to use different security adapters.

The process of implementing security adapter authentication is similar for both the LDAP and ADSI security adapters although there are some differences, for example:

• You must install the IBM LDAP Client on the Siebel Server computer if you choose the LDAP security adapter. For more information, see About Installing LDAP Client Software.
• How you configure SSL between the Siebel security adapter and the directory server differs depending on the security adapter you use. For more information, see Configuring Secure Communications for Security Adapters.

For additional information about the LDAP and ADSI security adapters, see:

• LDAP and ADSI Security Adapter Authentication Process
• Comparison of LDAP and ADSI Security Adapters.