Re: Future of ldapmodule

[Michael <mic...@in...>]

David Leonard wrote:
> 
> On Tue, 14 Mar 2000, Sascha Gresk raved thusly:
> 
> > This is just a beginning, but now I can start to use python and LDAP .
> > [..]
> > LDAP/lber.i
> > LDAP/ldap.i
> > [..]
> 
> Sasha,
> 
> this looks like a great start!  much smaller and understandable.
> [..]
> while it this is possible and probably a good design, keeping it
> independent, there is still i believe some uncertainty about what the
> 'top level' python LDAP client API should look like.
> [..]
> i reckon the API should follow what CORBA are doing.

I do not exactly know what Corba is doing. But I think the low-level
LDAP C module should not abstract to such a high level (like e.g.
JNDI).

> Alternatively, the
> python dbm module interface could be used

I don't think this is a good idea. If someone has the need for such
a interface he should write a wrapper class.

> fo...@so... and mi...@ms... have some good
> ideas in this area, but have been quiet of late.

I was very busy the last time...

> and also
> our minds need to be made up on what the LDAP api should really look 
> like..

I would suggest that ldapmodule stays as close to the C API as
possible with having exception for error handling just as it is
right now. Higher level abstractions (all kind of schema handling)
can be build into a separate Python class library (e.g. fog's
modules).

Note that there's a new upcoming C-API standard which will replace
RFC1823. There was a posting on ld...@um... or one of the
OpenLDAP lists about this a couple of days ago with hints how to use
autoconfigure to determine the C-API capabilities.

For me as a LDAP client programmer there are two main issues which
can only be solved within the C module:

- LDAPv3
  (I have to at least be able to tell the server that my program
  is a LDAPv3 client.)
- SSL

Both features can be achieved by sitting on top of the Netscape
library found on http://www.mozilla.org/. I think we should reach
the same level like PerlLDAP (also found on Mozilla).

Ciao, Michael.