What Is the Proxy Server?

The Oracle Unified Directory proxy is an LDAPv3 compliant server that does not store data but routes LDAP requests from clients to the directory servers that are spread across an enterprise.

The proxy is the entry point to a directory service deployment spread over multiple directory servers and/or multiple data centers. All client requests are routed by the proxy to the appropriate remote LDAP server. The Oracle Unified Directory proxy component can be used with any LDAP v3–compliant directory server, such as the Oracle Unified Directory server or Oracle Directory Server Enterprise Edition.

In order to route data requests to the remote LDAP servers, the proxy component can be configured to use either load balancing or data distribution, or both.

You can deploy the Oracle Unified Directory proxy in very simple configurations, or in more complex, replicated scenarios, using oud-proxy-setup. Some simple deployments are detailed in Chapter 7, Example Deployments Using the Proxy Server.

As the interface between the client and the remote LDAP server, the proxy provides a number of security features, to ensure secure connection if and when required. For more information about security, see Chapter 5, Configuring Security Between the Proxy and the Data Source, in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administration Guide for Oracle Unified Directory.

For an in-depth presentation of the elements that constitute the Oracle Unified Directory proxy , see Chapter 5, Building Blocks of the Proxy Server.