Messaging and Directory Server software used around the world in the Government, Military, Aviation and Commercial sectors.

Solutions

M-Vault

 

More information? If you want to read more about M-Vault, click here. M-Vault is available for evaluation, to find out more and apply for an evaluation license, click here.

An LDAP Directory is a critical infrastructure component for email service providers, to support client authentication and authorization, as well as application and email configuration. Our whitepaper LDAP for ISPs gives more information.

Directory Based Configuration

Isode's messaging products make extensive use of directory based configuration. Use of directory for configuration enables client/server management of data in a single location and good horizontal scaling of the applications.

User Authentication and Application Setup

A service provider has to manage data needed by the services and applications provided to the customer. Examples of this are:

• Account name.
• Information on services subscribed to by customer.
• Authentication information.
• Electronic contact information.
• Service specific parameters (e.g., quota for a Web service).

In a live deployment the amount of data needed to be stored per customer might amount to 50 or 100 attributes with a high volume of lookups. An LDAP directory is optimized for this type of operation. A typical application will use stored account data in two ways:

1. User Authentication: An LDAP Directory can be used to authenticate the user. Central authentication is important, as it allows a customer to have a single password and to change it in one place for all applications.

2. Obtaining application configuration information: Applications can use the connection to the directory in order to obtain per application configuration information. For example a mail system running on multiple servers can use the LDAP directory to verify, route and deliver email.

Isode terms its model for managing data on a set of users and their accounts 'One Directory Entry - One Person - One Account'. You can read more on this concept on our Directory Solutions page.

High Availability Deployments

Isode's M-Vault is a high performance LDAP/X.500 server, scaling to millions of entries. Horizontal scaling and resilience is supported by M-Vault's data replication using X.500 DISP (Directory Information Shadowing Protocol), which is the only non-proprietary mechanism for directory replication. For more information on how M-Vault supports a high availability deployment of messaging servers, click here. A good example of an ISP deployment of Isode's M-Vault LDAP directory solution is set out in the Novis Telecom case study.

Evaluation

M-Vault is available for evaluation, to find out more and apply for an evaluation license, click here.