Java LDAP API comments

[rweltman@netscape.com (Rob Weltman)]

Steve,

  I haven't been able to respond immediately to the many messages of the past week with comments on the latest LDAP Java API draft, but I have been diligently collecting them and I plan to respond soon. My preliminary take is that there is enough substance to justify a new draft, and I'll submit one in a couple of weeks if that is the case.

  Thanks for all your (and Steven Merrill's) input!

Rob


Steve Sonntag wrote:

>  Re: LDAPBind as defined in draft-ietf-ldapext-ldap-java-api-11.txt It is unclear from the draft how the LDAPConnection object must beused by an application implementing the LDAPBind interface. I am guessing that the LDAPConnection object passed to the bind()method of the LDAPBind implementation is a new LDAPConnection objectcreated by automatic referall following code in the original LDAPConnectionobject. The object contains the  AuthenticationDN andAuthenticationPassword from the LDAPConnection that the continuationreference was received on. The Host and Port are filled in from thereferral/reference host & port. When passed to the bind() method,neither connect nor bind has been performed on this LDAPConnection object. In order to make this work, I believe the iimplementation of theLDAPBind.bind() method MUST use the LDAPConnection object, whichwas passed as a parameter, to perform its connect and bind calls.It then returns success if both operations succeed.  The origina!
lLDAPConnection object referral handling code can then use thenew LDAPConnection object when it resends the search request,updated with the new search base and possibly search filter. The above should be clarified in the draft. It seems that the LDAPRebind interface would be easier to implement ifadditional data were provided in the new LDAPConnection object.  Such as: 1. A reference to the LDAPSocketFactory class from the original LDAPConnection    object.  This allows it to connect in the same way as the original connection.2. An LDAPConstraints object containing a reference to the LDAPRebind object    from the original LDAPConnection object.  The LDAPBind.bind() method may    want to get authentication information using and LDAPRebindAuth object, and    this gives it a way to do that.3. The protocol version used in the connect/bind of the original object.  This allows    The LDAPBind.bind function to bind with same protocol version used in the    original connection.4. Th!
e mechanism used when binding.  This could be the mechanism used on th
indAuth could    be modified to provide the triplet - UserDN, Password, and Mechanism for the    specified host. IMO the above changes would give the application, using explicit bind, greater flexibilitywhen dealing with referrals / continuation references during automatic referralfollowing: Comments? Thanks, Steve