Exposing file metadata as LDAP attributes

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface device to receive a data request indicating a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) attribute and an LDAP attribute subtype, wherein the data request is a request for adding a data item to an LDAP repository as a value of the attribute, the LDAP attribute having one or more attribute values associated with at least one data type,
• each attribute value specifying data associated with at least one of a plurality of data types, the attribute subtype corresponding to a content property of the specified data, the associated data type having a distinct format for storing metadata within the specified data, wherein the identification of the distinct format of the metadata corresponding to the data type comprises:
• invoking a plugin associated with the data type, the plugin being one of a plurality of plugins associated with different data types;
• a processor, coupled to the network interface device via a bus, to determine metadata corresponding to the data type of the attribute values in response to receiving the data request indicating the LDAP attribute, identify a content property corresponding to the attribute subtype indicated in the data request using metadata pertaining to each attribute value, and return a value of the content property for each attribute value;
• and identifying properties within metadata associated with the data item, each identified property of the identified properties representing an attribute subtype of the attribute, and adding index entries for the attribute subtypes.

An article of manufacture, comprising:

• a non-transitory machine-accessible storage medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:
• receiving, at a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory server, a data request indicating an LDAP attribute and an LDAP attribute subtype, wherein the data request is a request for adding a data item to an LDAP repository as a value of the attribute, the LDAP attribute having one or more attribute values, each attribute value specifying data associated with at least one of a plurality of data types, the attribute subtype corresponding to a content property of the specified data, the associated data type having a distinct format for storing metadata within the specified data, wherein the identification of the distinct format of the metadata corresponding to the data type comprises:
• invoking a plugin associated with the data type, the plugin being one of a plurality of plugins associated with different data types;
• in response to receiving the data request indicating the LDAP attribute, identifying, using the LDAP directory server, the distinct format of metadata corresponding to the data type of each attribute value;
• identifying a content property corresponding to the attribute subtype indicated in the data request using metadata pertaining to each attribute value;
• returning a value of the content property for each attribute value;
• and
• identifying properties within metadata associated with the data item, each identified property of the identified properties representing an attribute subtype of the attribute, and adding index entries for the attribute subtypes.