Editing Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (section)

==Variations==
Much of the server operation is left to the implementor or administrator to decide. Accordingly, servers may be set up to support a wide variety of scenarios.

For example, data storage in the server is not specified - the server may use flat files, databases, or just be a gateway to some other server. Access control is not standardized, though there are commonly used models. Users' passwords may be stored in their entries or elsewhere. The server may refuse to perform operations when it wishes, and impose various limits.

Most parts of LDAP are extensible. Examples: One can define new operations. ''Controls'' may modify requests and responses, e.g. to request sorted search results. New search scopes and Bind methods can be defined. Attributes can have ''options'' that may modify their semantics.