Re: XML?

[merrells@netscape.com (John Merrells)]

Dan Dickey wrote:
> 
> "MCGARRAHAN, KENNETH L (SWBT)" wrote:
> >
> > We routinely "stuff" XML files into an attribute declared as "binary" in our
> > OpenLDAP Directory implementation.
> 
> That's not quite what I was thinking.  :)
> 
> I've had time to read a bit more, and am learning.
> 
> Basically; what we needed to do here was use ldap from the
> start - we are creating a directory off of an Informix database,
> but the initial desired format was XML.  So I have a bunch of
> XML files - 1 per entry in the directory.
> I want to take these XML files and do *whatever* to them,
> and make the information available in an ldap server (slapd?).
> Showing that I can run ldapsearch and "see" the data will be
> enough to me to know I'm on the right track.
> 
> The correct way to do the above of course is to have the
> database populate the directory directly - without going
> through XML.  If LDAP proves useful to us here, we may
> do just that.  Of course, there is always the time factor. :)

Interpretting your question as: 'How do I get my XML files
into the directory?'

The server can only import files in an LDIF format. The LDIF
format is specified in an RFC written by Gordon Good. You'll
need to convert each of your XML files into LDIF entries...
then probably create one big LDIF file that you can import
into the directory server.

So, how do you convert the XML into LDIF... The DSML group
is going to define how this mapping will be performed for
common DTDs.

The answer for you right now is that you need to map your
XML DTD onto the Directory Schema, which might involve
you extending the directory schema...

If you're new to directories I'd suggest you read the
[Howes,Smith,Good] book on deploying LDAP servers...

John