Re: What exactly does "backend" mean?

[Jim C <jcllings@tsunamicomm.net>]

Sorry, this response is overdue. :)

David Wright wrote:

> > OK, so I've configured an OpenLDAP server and 3 clients.  I've seen 
> > references to using different "backbends".  This would seem to imply 
> > that one could first install an LDAP server and use, for example, 
> > MySQL as a backend
> > then, fire up MySQL and do SQL based searches on the database.  If 
> > this is correct, it would be most useful.
>
> That would be a "frontend". Backends are the places that OpenLDAP can 
> store data. These include embeded databases (the standard ldbm) and 
> relational databases (i.e. SQL-driven databases). But whatever the 
> backend, the data is accessed via LDAP. That's why you deployed an 
> LDAP server, yes?

Correct, however this does not indicate that the system in question does 
not have needs outside of LDAP. :)
If the front end of MySQL cannot access an LDAP directory with a MySQL 
backend (albeit without actually going through LDAP) what good is using 
a MySQL backend?  Doesn't that seem counter-intuitive?