Definition: Backend
A Directory Server backend provides a repository for storing data and a set of logic for interacting with that data. A backend will typically contain some kind of database and may maintain a set of indexes that allows the backend to quickly locate entries for various operations. All backends will have the following qualities:
- A backend ID, which uniquely identifies that backend among all other backends in the server.
- A set of one or more base DNs that indicate the data that the backend holds.
- A writability mode, which indicates whether the backend will accept write operations.
The logic provided by the backend includes:
- A method for determining whether a given entry exists, based on its DN
- A method for retrieving an entry, based on its DN
- A method of adding a new entry to the database (as part of processing an LDAP add operation).
- A method for removing an existing entry from the database (as part of processing an LDAP delete operation).
- A method for replacing an entry in the database (as part of processing an LDAP modify operation).
- A method for renaming an entry in the database (as part of processing an LDAP modify DN operation).
- A method for processing an LDAP search operation.
- A method for exporting the contents of the database in LDIF form.
- A method for importing data in LDIF form into the database.
- A method for performing a backup of the data.
- A method for performing a restore of a previous backup.
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