FW: question

["Fox, Kevin M" <kmfox bhi010 bhi-erc com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Oliver Maruhn [SMTP:om@linuxhq.com]
> Sent:	Wednesday, November 11, 1998 10:16 AM
> To:	Fox, Kevin M
> Subject:	Re: question
> 
> "Fox, Kevin M" <kmfox@bhi010.bhi-erc.com> writes:
> 
> > Well, I do have a webserver I keep up and running for the Kennewick
> > School District. They have a large network based on Netware. NDS is
> > great. Novell released a NLM that turns NDS into LDAP. I figure if we
> > can write a library that linux programs use to look up they're settings,
> > and have the library dynamically load modules for different ways of
> > accessing those settings we could then make a module to store the
> > settings in LDAP and have a Linux box have its settings stored right
> > next to the settings for a Novell server or a NT server. I have found
> > out that Microsuk, is using LDAP for there server in Active Directory. I
>                                                        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>                                                Say, what exactly is
> this, something like Novel's NDS?
> 
> > think the library will use a flat file for config. Example
> > 
> > Program httpd:
> > httpd tells the library to open "httpd"
> > 
> > the library's config file "/etc/whatever.conf" will contain a line
> > telling it what directory to store 
> > the config files in... like "directory=/etc".
> > the library opens "/etc/httpd.conf".
> > the library looks through it for any special library commands.
> > maybe a header of some kind telling it what module to use and what
> > settings to use.
> > for the LDAP module maybe what container and who to bind as.
> > then the library hands back all the config information to the program.
> > 
> > This might even save programmers some time because they don't have to
> > write any config file reading functions. They just use the ones from the
> > library.
> > 
> > I think this library will work something like PAM. PAM allows you to
> > authenticate off of other sources using different modules. RedHat 4.2
> > and above use PAM, I am not sure about other distribs. 
> > 
> > If you want to see PAM the webpage is
> > "http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/libs/pam/index.html"
> > 
> > Well since PAM is plugable Authentication Modules maybe we should call
> > it something like PCM, Plugable Configuration Modules.
> > 
> > Dont know.....
> > Just some ideas.
> 
> Yes, indeed a very interesting idea. But something like this is a
> large project. Other programmers will only accept this library if it
> has a good api and if they have advantages when they use it. Perhaps
> you should send your ideas to the gnome mailing list. It would be
> interesting to hear what the other guys say.
> 
> Sorry, the person I wanted to ask about this is super busy. So I can
> currently not do very much for you.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Oliver
> 
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