1. A computer-readable memory storing a plurality of instructions for causing a processor to perform operations, the plurality of instructions comprising: instructions that cause the processor to receive, along with a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) search operation, a particular LDAP request control that identifies an attribute of entries in an LDAP directory; instructions that cause the processor, in response to receiving the particular LDAP request control along with the LDAP search operation, to modify execution of the LDAP search operation to follow references, specified as values of the attribute, between entries in the LDAP directory; instructions that cause the processor to retrieve, from the LDAP directory, search results that include one or more LDAP directory entries that the processor selected for inclusion in the search results as a consequence of following the references during the execution; and instructions that cause the processor to return the search results as a response to the LDAP search operation.