Which protocol is used for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an IP network?

• A. LDAP
• B. SNMP
• C. FTP
• D. SMTP

Answer: (A)

Accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an IP network is what LDAP is designed for. LDAP, or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, provides a client–server approach to querying and updating a directory that can be spread across multiple servers. It runs over TCP/IP and is built to be simple and efficient, supporting operations such as bind (authenticate), search (locate entries), and modify (update data). Directories store structured information about users, groups, and permissions in a hierarchical form, and LDAP enables fast access and updates to that data across the network. Standard LDAP uses port 389, while the secure version, LDAPS, uses port 636. The other protocols don’t fit this role: SNMP is for managing and monitoring devices, FTP is for transferring files, and SMTP is for email transmission.