X.500 Security Feature

X.500

X.500 is the directory access protocol (DAP) by ITU-T (X.500) and ISO (ISO/IEC 9594), and it is a standard way to develop an electronic directory for people so it can be one of the part of a worldwide directory available to everyone who can access the internet.

X.500 protocols

There are four protocols in the X.500. They are Directory Access Protocol (DAP), Directory System Protocol (DSP), Directory Information Shadowing Protocol (DISP) and Directory Operational Bindings Protocol (DOP).

• Directory Access protocol (DAP) is the client queries and receives responses from one or more servers which is in the server directory service with DAP managing the communication of the client to the server and vice-versa.  
• Directory System Protocol (DSP) is to controls the communication of two or more directory system agents, and also a directory user agent and a directory system agent.
• Directory Information Shadowing Protocol (DISP) can used to manage the information of the directory system agent.
• Directory Operational Bindings Protocol (DOP) is used to communicate between two directory system agents.

X.500 key features

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• Decentralized maintenance which can update its local part of the directory and also maintenance. 
• Powerful Searching Capabilities which can provide the powerful searching facilities. 
• Single Global Namespace which is like DNS, it can provide a single homogeneous namespace to users. 
• Structured Information Framework which allowing local extensions to get the information framework of the directory. 
• Standard-Based Directory Services which is used to build a standard-based directory that requires for directory information.