DIXIE
DIXIE is an obsolete
protocol for accessing
X.500 directory services. DIXIE was intended to provide a lightweightmeans for clients to access X.500 directory services. DIXIE allowed
TCP/IP clients to connect a DIXIE-to-DAP gateway which would provide access to the X.500 Directory Service. This design allows the client to access the directory without requiring it to support the cumbersome
Open Systems Interconnection protocol stack.
DIXIE was created in 1990 at the
University of Michigan by
Tim Howes,
Mark Smith, and
Bryan Beecher. DIXIE was formally specified in RFC 1279, published in 1991. The university offered a completed
UNIX implementation of the protocol, including a DIXIE server, an application development library, and DIXIE clients. A DIXIE client for
Apple Macintosh was also provided.
These efforts lead to the development of the
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. LDAP replaced DIXIE.
When created, the acronym DIXIE did not stand for anything, however later it become known to stand for
Directory
Interface to
X.500
Implemented
Efficiently.
