Understanding the LDAP Binding Component

About LDAP Binding Component

LDAP (v3) is the Light weight directory Access protocol (RFC 3377). An Internet standard for accessing a directory (such as an address book) over TCP/IP. The Binding Component wraps the JBI interface. Users use this component to access operations that the LDAP provides to the open-esb world.

LDAP Binding Component provides the services to add, search, update, and delete on LDAP directory. The Binding Component conforms to the JBI specification and enables LDAP server integration in a JBI environment. The LDAP component consists of two modules: run-time JBI module and design-time NetBeans plugin.

LDAP Binding Component run-time module implements interfaces defined in the JBI framework and interacts with the external LDAP server for managing the directory services. The run-time uses LDAP v3 to interact with LDAP directory server.

Design time NetBeans modules provides visual configuration of the binding component. It also defines how other components can integrate within the JBI framework. Users can update properties for the component and incorporate LDAP components with others in deployable service assembly.

Defining LDAP Binding Component

The LDAP Binding Component helps the JBI components to communicate with the LDAP server. The LDAP Binding Component provides a bunch of features for interacting with the LDAP server. LDAP Binding Component uses the JBI (Java Business Integration JSR 208) specification developed under the JCP (Java Community Process) for implementing Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) based Enterprise Service Bus (ESB). open-esb is the Sun's implementation of the JSR 208.

What's Inside the LDAP Binding Component

The LDAP Binding Component provides a comprehensive solution for configuring and connecting to the LDAP server within a JBI environment. The design-time component is a NetBeans IDE 6.1 module that plugs into the NetBeans Enterprise Pack project system. The runtime component provides the physical connectivity between the Normalized Message Router in the JBI framework and the external LDAP server. This component implements all the required interfaces available in the JBI 1.0 specification. The runtime component can act as a service provider, supporting Outbound services sending requests to the LDAP server from the JBI framework.