web2ldap - Features
Author: michael@stroeder.com
Description: web2ldap: List of currently available features
Keywords: LDAP, WWW, SSL gateway, Python, single sign-on, Security, Directory, PKI, LDIF, DSML

# web2ldap - Features List of currently available features | Information News Features Demo Roadmap | Support Download Feedback Related | Documentation Installing Configuration Security Changes Files

Running Mode
  - Runs either stand-alone (as forking or single-process web server), as stateless CGI-BIN script under the control of a web server or as persistent handler under the control of Apache module mod_python.
  - Highly configurable on a per-host basis.
User Interface
  - Comfortable web interface for unexperienced users.
  - Efficient browsing in directory trees which paged displaying of search results.
  - Attributes containing DNs, URLs or mail addresses are shown as links. DNs can be followed within web2ldap by simply pressing a button.
  - Trys to be friendly to all browsers by producing simple, but well-formed HTML (almost conform to XHTML).
    Tested with:
    - Netscape Communicator
    - Microsoft Internet Explorer
    - Opera
    - W3C's reference browser Amaya
    - lynx
    - StarOffice
    - w3m
  - Three different search forms:
    Basic
      Static search form based on customizable HTML template.
    Advanced
      Built search filter by select lists.
    Expert
      Direct use of LDAP filter expressions.
  - User-friendly handling of LDAPv3 referrals with reconnecting to referred host.
Many Output Formats
  - HTML templates can be used for displaying LDAP entries.
  - HTML header can be configured to include colors, background pictures or logos.
  - ID params in main HTML tags for using Cascaded Style Sheets (CSS).
  - Printer-friendly HTML output of search results based on a configurable HTML template string.
  - Support for vCards - users of common browsers can easily add entries to their local address books.
  - Bulk downloading of directory data as LDIF.
  - Aware of UTF-8 character encoding for retrieving/storing non US-ASCII characters.
  - Bulk downloading of directory data as DSML (XML namespace for directory data).
Advanced LDAP features
  Root DSE
    - Uses namingContexts attribute from RootDSE to determine appropriate search root automatically.
    - Search continuations are displayed.
  LDAPv3 Referrals
    - Displays new login mask to repeat current action after chasing a referral.
    - Search continuations are displayed.
  Write Access
    - Support for adding, modifying, deleting entries, deleting sub trees and modifying the RDN of entries.
    - Schema-aware to provide schema-matching input forms for add/modify.
    - Automatic search for missing parent entries if adding of an entry fails (for reducing the same old boring questions on the mailing lists ;-).
Advanced HTTP options
  - Downloading of binary attributes with appropriate mapping to MIME types. MIME mapping can be configured browser-dependent.
  - Use gzip-encoding for saving network bandwidth if client has sent `Accept-Encoding: gzip` in the HTTP header.
  - Uses the right character set for output according to the HTTP header `Accept-Charset` sent by the HTTP client.
Security
  - Smart login with automatic completion of bind DN.
  - Client-hashed passwords (see RFC2307: {crypt}, {md5}, {sha}, {smd5}, {ssha} schemes) for setting the userPassword attribute on Umich-derived LDAP servers (like OpenLDAP, Netscape/IPlanet server etc.).
  - Native SSL support also in stand-alone mode (still somewhat experimental).
  - Nice displaying of X.509 certificates and CRLs stored in the directory including all X.509v3 extensions with links to e.g. CRL distribution points, policy documents etc.

See the roadmap for features which will be added in the future.

Feature requests can be made through the feedback form.

Page last modified: Tuesday, 21-Nov-2000 18:35:40 CET, © by Michael Ströder <michael@stroeder.com>