Newbie question

["Subba Rao" <sailorn@attglobal.net>]

Hello again,

I have installed the OpenLDAP with the goal of using LDAP for authentication
for remote VPN users. After this is successful, I wanted to use it to create
a map of our network devices/systems (with MAC addresses).

Since I am a newbie to LDAP, I started reading up a little about LDAP. Couple
of good introduction to the field (for the uninitiated) are at
	http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2001/08/16/ldap.html
	http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/July2000/article159.shtml

>From the first link, it is obvious that the LDAP info is stored in a backend RDBMS.
If so, what is the LDIF file for?

I started out to learn LDAP for setting up authentication but now it looks like
I am trying to learn RDBMS. Before I go on different tangents, what are the
components required to setup authentication for remote VPN users?

Is there any programming involved to use LDAP for authentication? If yes, in what
languages?

Based on the capabilities of LDAP from the second link, LDAP can manage virtual
domains and mail for several users without creating *nix accounts. Where is this
mail stored, for the user to retrieve at a later time? Is it in the backend RDBMS?

Thank you for your patience.


Best regards. 

Subba Rao
sailorn@attglobal.net
2002-06-11