What is the difference between LDAP and Active Directory?-In HCL

Active Directory is a directory service that encompasses a wide variety of networking services and information about a network infrastructure. Created by Microsoft and originated in 1999 this technology was designed to centrally manage and secure an entire network infrastructure by delegating authority. Here is a list of features and services Active Directory provides: Centralized administration of a network infrastructure Network scalability by providing the ability to add or remove one or more domains. Flexible searching of all network objects and asset store within a global catalog (database). Remote administration of servers and workstations within a domain. User and Group polices for delegating permissions and authority. An IP-based naming system know as Domain Name Service (DNS) to map an Active Directory object (such as a computer, server, printer, etc.) to a static or dynamic IP address on the domain. Assigning the next available IP address from an pool of IP addresses to a network device using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Integrates with the Exchange email server to assign mailboxes and address books to domain specified user accounts. Management of file sharing, printers, user profiles, network information, permissions, firewall services, security and group policy. Using Microsoft's definition, LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocols) is an industry standard directory access protocol, making Active Directory widely accessible to management and query applications. Active Directory supports LDAPv3 and LDAPv2. In more simpler terms LDAP is an application protocol that pulls (queries) or modifies specified information from the Active Directory's global catalog. For example, an application such as Systems Management Services (SMS) will use LDAP to query records within the global catalog directory of Active Directory to discover all computers in a domain. Short answer:  AD is a directory services database, and LDAP is one of the protocols you can use to talk to it. More: .LDAP is a protocol for retrieving information from a directory service like Active Directory 2.LDAP is much older than Active Directory and a huge part of Active directory comes from LDAP 3.Active Directory is from Microsoft while LDAP is the result of an industry effort 4.Active Directory is usually seldom found outside the Windows operating system 5.Active Directory provides additional services aside from LDAP like functionality Read more: Difference Between LDAP and Acitve Directory | Difference Between | LDAP vs Acitve Directory http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-ldap-and-acitve-directory/#ixzz2ee1msjmk