Book excerpt: Focusing on the practical application of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, this tutorial is geared toward IS professionals and software developers who are responsible for getting the maximum potential from their directories by integrating them with existing processes and applications. As the Internet standard for directory services, LDAP is accepted as a critical service and is poised to become an important means of remote information access. Numerous examples demonstrate the best techniques for managing directory data in a network environment. Fundamentals of LDAP design and integration with applications, including messaging, XML, and security services, are provided with examples in Java.