Hai LQ friends
I install RHEL-5 in my mechine. I am intested to practice openldap or directory services. Which one is better to gain knowledge? what is the difference between them? both are on RHEL.

If you want a career using Red Hat I would use Red Hat Directory Server

http://www.redhat.com/directory_server/

FYI, Red Hat Directory Server is Red Hat's implementation of openldap.

After many years experiencing eDirectory from Novell, I can tell you with full confidence, do not think of anything else.
It is trouble free LDAP enterprise tool. It works on Windows, Linux, NetWare, Unix. It has more than what I can tell you in this forum.
Good luck

i have a question for people who are using commercial editions of openldap. do they offer policy management, remote software installation using MSI for Windows PC? how about software patch managements?

thanks

I think it might be difficult to find an openldap implementation that can handle MSI patching. Remember that microsofts active directory has a lot more functionality that just finding users in a repository. Deploying software is one of them

You got to keep in mind...

OpenLDAP != Active Directory

Many people have the misconception that OpenLDAP is a "drop in" replacement for Active Directory...

OpenLDAP is NOT a replacement for AD...you can achieve similar functionality (integration of kerberos and/or samba).

But you won't have all functionality of MSAD (software deployment, group policy, etc.)

-C

I think I know what LDAP is. So, there is no way to migrate off Microsoft's AD. Even the commercial implementations can't be a replacement. I already implemented OpenLDAP in the test environments for few clients. They hate it. It will never sell to IT managers at this current state. People are going to compare directly with features in the Active Directory. If the commercial implementations are missing all the features, it will be treated as home servers. How are you going to push various patches within few hours? How are you going to install new applications on few thousand Windows desktops? It will never be the replacement. Most Windows shops don't have admins going around each desktops installing software. If Win desktop is here to stay, I guess AD is here to stay too. That means even using Linux as an authentication server is out of the question. If people stick with the AD, no Linux DNS. If companies are refusing to move away from Win Desktops, Exchange and Outlook are here to stay. If MS licenses are based around per client seats. What would be the point of having Linux as file and authentication servers? They already paid for the licenses. So, Linux for enterprise can go beyond development, SQL, and web servers? This is a huge part if they want Linux to be Enterprise ready. At the current state, it will not go beyond servers for developers.