LDAP directory services versus the Sybase interfaces file

The LDAP driver implements directory services for use with an LDAP server. LDAP directories are an infrastructure that provide:

Table 1-1 highlights the differences between the Sybase interfaces file and an LDAP server.

Table 1-1: interfaces file versus LDAP directory services

interfaces file

Directory services

Platform-specific

Platform-independent

Specific to each Sybase installation

Centralized and hierarchical

Contains separate master and query entries

One entry for each server that is accessed by both clients and servers

Cannot store metadata about the server

Stores metadata about the server


Performance

Performance when using an LDAP server may be slower than when using an interfaces file because the LDAP server requires time to make a network connection and retrieve data. Since this connection is made when Adaptive Server is started, changes in performance will be seen at login time, if at all. During normal system load, the delay should not be noticeable. During high system load with many connections, especially repeated connections with short duration, the overall performance difference of using an LDAP server versus the traditional interfaces file might be noticeable.