7
Managing Directory Entries

This chapter explains how to view, add, modify, and delete entries.

This chapter contains these topics:

• Managing Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager

• Managing Entries by Using Command-Line Tools

• Managing Entries by Using Bulk Tools

• Managing Knowledge References and Referrals

  See Also: Chapter 2, "Concepts and Architecture" for an overview of directory entries, directory information trees, distinguished names, and relative distinguished names

Managing Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager

This section contains these topics:

• Searching for Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager

• Viewing Attributes for a Specific Entry by Using Oracle Directory Manager

• Adding Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager

• Modifying Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager

• Managing Entries with Attribute Options by Using Oracle Directory Manager

Searching for Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager

You can display all entries by using the navigator pane, or search for one or more specific entries by using the Oracle Directory Manager search feature.

To display an entry, in the navigator pane, expand Oracle Internet Directory Servers > directory server instance > Entry Management to display its subtree.

The root of the tree is listed first, then the second level, and so forth, moving from left to right. The subtree lists the RDN of each entry in hierarchical order. To see the lower level entries within any subtree, click the plus sign (+) to the left of the parent entry.

To search for a directory entry:

1. In the navigator pane, expand Oracle Internet Directory Servers > directory server instance, and select Entry Management. The Search fields appear in the right pane.

2. In the Root of the Search field, enter the DN of the root of your search.

   For example, suppose you want to search for an employee who works in the Manufacturing division in the IMC organization in the Americas. The DN of the root of your search would be:

   ou=Manufacturing,ou=Americas,o=IMC,c=US
   

   You would therefore type that DN in the Root of the Search text box.

   You can also select the root of your search by browsing the directory information tree (DIT). To do this:

   1. Click Browse to the right of the Root of the Search field. The Select Distinguished Name (DN) Path: Tree View dialog box appears.

   2. Click the plus sign (+) next to tree view to display its entries.

   3. Continue navigating to the entry that represents the level you want for the root of your search.

   4. Select that entry, then click OK. The DN for the root of your search appears in the Root of the Search text box in the right pane.

3. In the Max Results (entries) box, type the maximum number of entries you want your search to retrieve. The default is 200. The directory server retrieves the value you set, up to 1000.

4. In the Max Search Time (seconds) box, type the maximum number of seconds for the duration of your search. The value you enter here must be at least that of the default, namely, 25. The directory server searches for the amount of time you specify, up to one hour.

5. In the Search Depth list, select the level in the DIT to which you want to search.

   The options are:

   • Base: Retrieves a particular directory entry. Along with this search depth, you use the Search criteria bar to select the attribute objectClass and the filter Present.

   • One Level: Limits your search to all entries beginning one level down from the root of your search

   • Subtree: Searches entries within the entire subtree, including the root of your search

6. In the Search Criteria box, use the lists and text fields on the search criteria bar to focus your search.
   1. From the list at the left end of the search criteria bar, select an attribute of the entry for which you want to search. Because not all attributes are used in every entry, be sure that the attribute you specify actually corresponds to one in the entry for which you are looking. Otherwise, the search will fail.

   2. From the list in the middle of the search criteria bar, select a filter. Options are:

      Filter	Description
      Begins With	Searches by using only the first few characters of the attribute's value. For example, cn Begins With Fran retrieves all entries in which the first few letters of the cn attribute are Fran. These would include Frank, Fran, Frances, Franklin, etc.
      Ends With	Searches for an entry by using only the last few characters of the specified attribute's value. For example, cn Ends With son retrieves Baldisson, Jacobson, Johnson, etc.
      Contains	Searches for an entry in which the attribute you specified includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the value you enter. For example, cn Contains Wins retrieves all entries in which the cn attribute contains the letters wins. These would include Winslow, Czerwinski, Winship, etc.
      Exact Match	Searches for an entry whose specified attribute is the same as the value you enter. For example, cn Exactly Matches Franklin Baldwins retrieves all entries in which the cn attribute has the value Franklin Baldwins.
      Greater or Equal	Searches for an entry in which the specified attribute is numerically or alphabetically greater than or equal to the value you enter. For example, cn Greater or Equal Frank retrieves all entries with cn attributes that range from the first Frank to the end of the alphabet.
      Less or Equal	Searches for entries in which the specified attribute is numerically or alphabetically less than or equal to the value you enter. For example, cn Less or Equal Frank retrieves all cn attributes from the first Frank to the beginning of the alphabet.
      Present	Determines if an entry with the specified attribute is present at that level of the tree. You do not need to enter a value to use this relationship. The phrase cn Present retrieves all entries with the cn attribute at that level of the tree.

   3. In the text box at the right end of the search criteria bar, type the value for the attribute you just selected. For example, if the attribute you selected was cn, you could type the particular common name you want to find.

7. To further refine your search, use the buttons in the Search Criteria box to enhance the search criteria bar.

   Button	Description
   New	Creates a new search criteria bar in the Search Criteria field. This button is enabled only when the Search Criteria field is empty.
   And	Creates another search criteria bar in the Search Criteria field. Matches all entries with one specified attribute with those that also have another specified attribute. For example, cn=Baldwins And title=Laborer retrieves all Baldwins who are also laborers.
   Or	Creates another search criteria bar in the Search Criteria field. Matches all entries with either one specified attribute or another. For example, title=Laborer Or title=Foreman retrieves all employees who are either laborers or foremen.
   Not	Negates the criterion in the selected search criteria bar and retrieves all entries that do not have the specified criterion. For example, cn=Frank And Not title=Laborer retrieves all persons named Frank who are not laborers.
   Delete	Deletes a selected search criteria bar
   Advanced	Adds a search criteria bar when including attribute options in the search. Use this syntax: attribute;attribute_option filter attribute_option_value For example, cn;lang_sp=J* retrieves all attribute option values for cn;lang_sp= that begin with the letter J. Note: Before an attribute option can be used in searches, the parent attribute of that attribute option must be indexed. For example, in the case of the attribute option carLicense;lang_sp, the carLicense attribute must be indexed before the carLicense;lang_sp attribute option can be used in searches. See Also: "Indexing an Attribute by Using Oracle Directory Manager" "Indexing an Attribute by Using Command-Line Tools"

8. Click Search. The results of your search appear in the Distinguished Name box.

   See Also: "Configuring Searches" for instructions on setting the number of entries to display in searches, and to set the time limit for searches

Viewing Attributes for a Specific Entry by Using Oracle Directory Manager

Once you have displayed the results of your search, click the entry whose attributes you want to view. An Entry dialog box displays the attributes for that entry.

Some attributes can also be DNs. For example, one attribute for a given employee might be that employee's manager who, in turn, has a DN. In this case, when you display the Entry dialog box for the employee, you would see a Browse button next to the Manager text box. To find information about that manager, click Browse to display the Directory: Entry Management dialog box, then follow the steps mentioned in "Searching for Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager".

See Also: "Viewing All Directory Attributes by Using Oracle Directory Manager" for instructions about how to view all attributes in the directory

Adding Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager

This section tells you how to add entries for individuals and groups.

Note: When you add or modify an entry, the Oracle directory server does not verify the syntax of the attribute values in the entry.

Adding a New Entry by Using Oracle Directory Manager

To add or delete entries with Oracle Directory Manager, you must have write access to the parent entry and you must know the DN for the new entry.

To add a new entry:

1. Expand Oracle Internet Directory Servers > directory_server_instance, then select Entry Management.

2. On the toolbar, click Create. The New Entry dialog box appears.

3. In the Distinguished Name field, type the full DN. You may also click Browse to locate and select the DN of the parent for the entry you want to add. The entry you select appears in the Distinguished Name field. To the left of that parent DN, type the RDN for your new entry, followed by a comma.

4. To specify the object classes for the new entry, next to the Object Classes box, click Add. The Super Class Selector dialog box appears.

5. In the Super Class Selector dialog box, select an object class, then click Select. As you select from the object class list, mandatory and optional attributes populate the windows in the tab pages in the lower half of the New Entry dialog box. You must enter values into the mandatory attributes fields. You are not required to enter values into the optional attributes fields.

6. When you have selected the object classes and provided values for the appropriate attributes, click OK.

Adding an Entry by Copying an Existing Entry in Oracle Directory Manager

You can use Oracle Directory Manager to create a new entry by copying from an existing entry and changing its DN. When you do this, you should also change the attributes, such as name and address, so that they correspond to the new DN. To add an entry, you must have write access to its parent.

Tip: You can find a template for the new DN by looking up other similar entries in the search pane.

To add an entry by copying an existing entry:

1. In the navigator pane, expand Oracle Internet Directory Servers > directory_server_instance, then select Entry Management. in the right pane, the Search interface appears. Use it to search for an entry that you want to use as a template.

2. From the entries retrieved, double-click one that you want to use as your template. The Entry dialog box for that entry appears.

3. In the Entry dialog box, click Create Like. A New Entry: Create Like dialog box appears.

4. Change critical fields to tailor this entry to the one that you want to create. You must always change the DN and the common name in this operation, or the pane will not save your new entry data. For example, if you create an entry for Henri Latrobe by using the entry for Henri Latour as the template, then you have to change cn=Henri Latour in the DN to cn=Henri Latrobe. You also must change any other attributes that must be unique, such as employee number and telephone number.

5. Click OK to save your changes.

   See Also: The online help for this dialog box for details about adding information into fields

Example: Adding a User Entry by Using Oracle Directory Manager

In this example, we create a user named Anne Smith and assign her a password.

1. Login as the administrator.

2. Expand Oracle Internet Directory Services > directory_server_instance, and select Entry Management.

3. On the toolbar, click the Create button. The New Entry dialog box appears.

4. In the Distinguished Name field, type the full DN. You may also click the Browse button to locate the DN of the parent for this entry, then type the RDN, namely, cn=Anne Smith, followed by a comma, to the left of that parent DN.

5. To the right of the Object Classes box, Click Add. The Super Class Selector dialog box appears.

6. In the Super Class Selector dialog box, select the person object class, then click Select. This returns you to the New Entry dialog box.

7. In the New Entry dialog box, click the Optional Properties tab, and scroll to the userPassword window.

8. Type the password for Anne Smith.

Adding Group Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager

A group entry is one that contains a list of entries, for example, an e-mail list. You associate it with either the groupOfNames or groupOfUniqueNames object class, which has the object class orclPrivilegeGroup as a subclass.

You determine membership in the group by adding DNs to the multivalued attribute member if the entry belongs to the groupOfNames object class, or uniqueMember if the entry belongs to the groupOfUniqueNames object class.

To add a group entry:

1. Expand Oracle Internet Directory Servers > directory_server_instance, then select Entry Management.

2. On the toolbar, click Create. The New Entry dialog box appears.

3. In the Distinguished Name field, type the full DN. You may also use the Browse button to locate the DN of the parent for the entry you want to add, then type the RDN for the new entry, followed by a comma, to the left of that parent DN.

4. To specify the object classes you want to use for the new entry, to the right of the Object Classes box, click Add. The Super Class Selector dialog box appears.

5. In the Super Class Selector dialog box, select the top object class, then click the Select button. The top object class appears in the Object Classes box of the New Entry dialog box.

6. In the same way:
   1. To the right of the Object Classes box, click Add.

   2. From the Super Class Selector dialog box, select the groupOfNames or groupOfUniqueNames object class.

   3. Click Select. The object class you selected appears in the Object Classes window of the New Entry dialog box.

7. Enter the mandatory and optional attributes for your group entry.

   If you selected the groupOfNames object class, a Browse button appears next to some of the fields, for example, the member field on the Mandatory Properties tab page. To enter a mandatory property by browsing:

   1. Click Browse. The Directory: Entry Management dialog box appears.

   2. Use this dialog box to search for a particular entry you want to add to the list.

   3. In the Distinguished Name window of the Directory: Entry Management dialog box, select the entry, then click OK. This returns you to the New Entry dialog box. The entry you just selected is added to the list in the members window.

8. Click OK.

   See Also: "Searching for Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager" for instructions on using the search pane "Access Control Groups" for instructions on setting access control policies for group entries Globalization Support and Chapter 13, "Directory Access Control" for information about access privileges

Modifying Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager

Oracle Directory Manager is governed by standard LDAP conventions, including the following:

• Once you have assigned object classes to an entry and populated its attributes with data, you cannot change those object classes that are used by that entry.

  For example, if you configure an entry to use object classes Person and Organizational Role, you cannot later add another object class to this entry.

• You cannot add mandatory attributes to an object class already in use by some entries. You may add optional attributes to object classes that are already in use by entries. If you add optional attributes to an object class already in use by some entries, no special rules apply--they are added as empty attributes to those entries.

  Note: When you add or modify an entry, the Oracle directory server does not verify the syntax of the attribute values in the entry.

To modify an entry:

1. Perform a search for the entry you want to modify as described in "Searching for Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager".

2. In the Distinguished Name box of the right pane, select the entry you want to modify.

3. Click Edit. The Entry dialog box appears.

4. Select the Properties tab page. If you do not see the attributes you want to add or modify, then, at the top of the tab page, select View Properties: All.

5. In the Properties tab page, modify the values of any editable attributes.

6. Click OK.

Example: Modifying a User Entry by Using Oracle Directory Manager

In this example, we modify the password for the entry we created for Anne Smith in the section "Example: Adding a User Entry by Using Oracle Directory Manager".

1. Perform a search for the Anne Smith entry.

2. In the right pane, in the Distinguished Name box, select the entry for Anne Smith.

3. Click Edit.

4. In the Entry dialog box, scroll to the userPassword window and modify the value.

5. Click OK.

Managing Entries with Attribute Options by Using Oracle Directory Manager

This section tells you how to add, modify, and delete attribute options.

See Also: "Searching for Entries by Using Oracle Directory Manager" for instructions on searching for entries with attribute options

Adding an Attribute Option to an Existing Entry by Using Oracle Directory Manager

Note: In Oracle Internet Directory Release 9.0.2, Oracle Directory Manager does not allow you to add an attribute option to an entry when you create the entry. You can use Oracle Directory Manager to add attribute options only to already existing entries.

To add an attribute option to an existing entry:

1. Expand Oracle Internet Directory Servers > directory server instance > Entry Management, then select the entry to which you want to add an attribute option. The corresponding tab pages appear in the right pane.

2. In the right pane, in the Properties tab page, in the View Properties field, select Advanced. The Properties tab page changes accordingly.

3. In the Attribute field, select the attribute to which you want to add the option, for example, ou.

4. In the Attribute Options field, enter the attribute option, for example, lang-en.

5. In the Attribute Value field, enter the value of the attribute option you just specified, for example, Server Technologies. To add more than one attribute value for the specified attribute option, separate the values by using a semicolon.

6. Click Apply.

Modifying an Attribute Option by Using Oracle Directory Manager

To modify an attribute option:

1. Expand Oracle Internet Directory Servers > directory server instance > Entry Management, then select the entry from which you want to delete an attribute option. The corresponding tab pages appear in the right pane.

2. In the Properties tab page, in the View Properties field, select either Only Non-null Values or All.

3. Scroll to the field containing the attribute option you want to modify.

4. Modify the value in the field.

5. Click Apply.

Deleting an Attribute Option by Using Oracle Directory Manager

To delete an attribute option:

1. Expand Oracle Internet Directory Servers > directory server instance > Entry Management, then select the entry from which you want to delete an attribute option. The corresponding tab pages appear in the right pane.

2. In the Properties tab page, in the View Properties field, select either Only Non-null Values or All.

3. Scroll to the field containing the attribute option you want to delete.

4. Delete the value in the field.

5. Click Apply.

Managing Entries by Using Command-Line Tools

This section points you to the command-line tools you can use in managing entries. It also provides several examples of entry management by using command-line tools. It contains these topics:

• Command-Line Tools for Managing Entries

• Example: Adding a User Entry by Using ldapadd

• Example: Adding an Attribute Option by Using ldapmodify

• Example: Modifying a User Entry by Using ldapmodify

• Managing Entries with Attribute Options by Using Command-Line Tools

Command-Line Tools for Managing Entries

The following table lists each of the command-line tools, and tells you where to find syntax and usage notes for each one.

Tool	Task(s)	Syntax and Usage Notes
ldapsearch	Search for directory entries.	"ldapsearch Syntax"
ldapbind	Authenticate a user or client to a directory server. Verify that you can connect a client to a server.	"ldapbind Syntax"
ldapadd	Add entries one at a time. Add new configuration set entries. Configure a server with an input file.	"ldapadd Syntax"
ldapaddmt	Add several entries concurrently by using this multithreaded tool.	"ldapaddmt Syntax"
ldapmodify	Create, update, and delete attribute data for an entry. Modify configuration set entries. Modify DN or RDN of an entry.	"ldapmodify Syntax"
ldapmodifymt	Modify several entries concurrently by using this multithreaded tool.	"ldapmodifymt Syntax"
ldapdelete	Delete entries.	"ldapdelete Syntax"
ldapcompare	Compare attribute values you specify with those in a directory entry.	"ldapcompare Syntax"
ldapmoddn	Modify the DN or RDN of an entry. Rename an entry or a subtree. Move an entry or a subtree under a new parent.	"ldapmoddn Syntax"

Example: Adding a User Entry by Using ldapadd

The following example shows an LDIF file, named entry.ldif, for the user entry for an employee named John:

dn: cn=john, c=us
objectclass: top
objectclass: person
objectclass: organizationalPerson
objectclass: inetOrgPerson
cn: john
cn;lang-fr:Jean
cn;lang-en-us:John
sn: Doe
jpegPhoto: /photo/john.jpg

userpassword: welcome

This file contains the cn, sn, jpegPhoto, and userpassword attributes.

For the cn attribute, it specifies two options: cn;lang-fr, and cn;lang-en-us. These options return the common name in either French or American English.

For the jpegPhoto attribute, it specifies the path and file name of the corresponding JPEG image you want to include as an entry attribute.

Note: When you add or modify an entry, the Oracle directory server does not verify the syntax of the attribute values in the entry.

Example: Modifying a User Entry by Using ldapmodify

The following example changes the password for a user named Audrey from welcome to audreyspassword. As in the example above, the data for this user entry is in the entry.ldif file. This file contains the following:

dn: cn=audrey,c=us
changetype: modify
replace: userpassword
userpassword: audreyspassword

Issue this command to modify the file:

ldapmodify -p 389 -v  -f entry.ldif

where -v specifies verbose mode.

Note: When you add or modify an entry, the Oracle directory server does not verify the syntax of the attribute values in the entry.

Managing Entries with Attribute Options by Using Command-Line Tools

This section provides examples of how to add and delete attribute options, and how to search for entries with attribute options.

Example: Adding an Attribute Option by Using ldapmodify

Suppose that you were adding the Spanish equivalent of an entry for John, and that the data for this user entry is in the entry.ldif file. This file contains the following:

dn: cn=john,c=us
changeType: modify
add: cn;lang-sp
cn;lang-sp: Juan

Issue this command to modify the file:

ldapmodify -p 389 -v  -f entry.ldif

Example: Deleting an Attribute Option by Using ldapmodify

The following example deletes the cn;lang-fr attribute option from the entry for John. As in the previous example, assume that the data for this user entry is in the entry.ldif file. This file contains the following:

dn: cn=john, c=us
changetype: modify
delete: cn;lang-fr
cn;lang-fr: Jean

Issue this command to modify the file:

ldapmodify -p 389 -v  -f entry.ldif

Example: Searching for Entries with Attribute Options by Using ldapsearch

The following example retrieves entries with common name (cn) attributes that have an option specifying a language code attribute option. This particular example retrieves entries in which the common names are in French and begin with the letter R.

ldapsearch -p 389 -h myhost -b "c=US" -s sub "cn;lang-fr=R*"

Suppose that, in the entry for John, no value is set for the cn;lang-it language code attribute option. In this case, the following example fails:

ldapsearch -p 389 -h myhost -b "c=us" -s sub "cn;lang-it=Giovanni

See Also: "Attribute Options"

Managing Entries by Using Bulk Tools

This section lists and describes some of the more common tasks you perform with bulk tools.

This section contains these topics:

• Importing an LDIF File by Using bulkload

• Converting Directory Data to LDIF

• Modifying a Large Number of Entries

• Deleting a Large Number of Entries

  Note: If you do not use the bulkload utility to populate the directory, then you must run the oidstats.sh tool to avoid significant search performance degradation.

  See Also: "OID Database Statistics Collection Tool Syntax" for a description and syntax for the oidstats.sh tool "Using Bulk Tools" for an overview of these tools

Importing an LDIF File by Using bulkload

To import an LDIF file, you use the bulkload utility. This section discusses the tasks to process an LDIF file through bulkload.

Note: The bulkload utility expects an empty directory and will either fail or overwrite if there are existing entries. Before performing a bulk load, stop the Oracle Internet Directory processes. See Chapter 3, "Preliminary Tasks and Information" for instructions on stopping directory server instances.

Note: To run shell script tools on the Windows operating system, you need one of the following UNIX emulation utilities: Cygwin 1.0. Visit: http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/ MKS Toolkit 5.1 or 6.0. Visit: http://www.datafocus.com/products/

This section contains these topics:

• Task 1: Back Up the Oracle Server

• Task 2: Find Out the Oracle Internet Directory Password

• Task 3: Check Input for Schema and Data Consistency Violations

• Task 4: Generate the Input Files for SQL*Loader

• Task 5: Load the Input Files

• If Bulk Loading Fails

Task 1: Back Up the Oracle Server

Before you import the file, back up the Oracle database server as a safety precaution.

See Also: Oracle9i User-Managed Backup and Recovery Guide in the Oracle Database Documentation Library

Task 2: Find Out the Oracle Internet Directory Password

To use bulkload and the other shell script tools that have commands that end with.sh, you must provide the Oracle Internet Directory password. The default password is ods, although the system administrator can change it by using the OID Database Password Utility.

See Also: "Using the OID Database Password Utility"

Task 3: Check Input for Schema and Data Consistency Violations

On Solaris, the bulkload.sh file usually resides in
$ORACLE_HOME/ldap/bin. On Windows NT, this file usually resides in
ORACLE_HOME\ldap\bin.

Check the input file by typing:

bulkload.sh -connect net_service_name -check path_to_ldif-filename

All schema violations are reported in
$ORACLE_HOME/ldap/log/schemacheck.log

If any violations are detected in the input file, use an ASCII text file editor to fix or remove them. If there are any duplicate entries, their DNs are logged in $ORACLE_HOME/ldap/log/duplicate.log.

Task 4: Generate the Input Files for SQL*Loader

After you have fixed any errors in the input file, rerun bulkload with the -generate option as shown in the following example. During this step, LDIF data is converted to SQL*Loader specific format.

bulkload.sh -connect net_service_name -generate ldif-filename

All loading errors are reported in
$ORACLE_HOME/ldap/log

When this command completes successfully, it generates *.dat files in the $ORACLE_HOME/ldap/load directory to be used by SQL*Loader in -load mode. Do not modify these files.

Task 5: Load the Input Files

After you have generated the input files, rerun bulkload with the -load option. During this step, the *.dat files, which are in Oracle SQL*Loader specific format, are loaded into the database and the attribute indexes are created. The syntax is:

bulkload.sh -connect net_service_name -load

If Bulk Loading Fails

All loading errors are reported in the $ORACLE_HOME/ldap/log/directory with the file extension .bad.

If bulk loading fails, the database could be left in an inconsistent state. It may be necessary to restore the database to its state prior to the bulk loading operation.

Converting Directory Data to LDIF

Converting directory data to LDIF by using LDIF Writer makes the data available for loading into a new node in a replicated directory or into another node for backup storage.

See Also: "ldifwrite Syntax"

Modifying a Large Number of Entries

The bulkmodify utility enables you to modify a large number of existing entries efficiently.

See Also: "bulkmodify Syntax"

Deleting a Large Number of Entries

The bulkdelete utility enables you to delete an entire subtree efficiently.

See Also: "bulkdelete Syntax"

Managing Knowledge References and Referrals

A knowledge reference, also called a referral, is represented in the directory as a particular type of entry. When you create a knowledge reference entry, you associate it with the referral object class the and extensibleObject object class. Typically, you create knowledge reference entries at the place in the DIT where you want to establish the partition.

A knowledge reference provides users with a referral containing an LDAP URL. You enter these URLs as values for the ref attribute. There can be multiple ref attributes specified for any knowledge reference entry. Similarly, there can be multiple knowledge reference entries in the DIT.

See Also: "Partitioning" for an overview of knowledge references and a description of smart knowledge references and default knowledge references

This section contains these topics:

• Configuring Smart Referrals

• Configuring Default Referrals

Configuring Smart Referrals

A search result can contain regular entries along with knowledge references. When a user performs a search operation, Oracle Internet Directory looks for the knowledge reference entry within the specified scope of the search. If it finds the knowledge reference, then Oracle Internet Directory returns a referral to the client.

If a user performs an add, delete, or modify operation on an entry located below the knowledge reference entry, then Oracle Internet Directory returns the referral.

For example, suppose you want to partition the DIT based on the geographical location of the directory servers. In this example, assume that:

• The c=us naming context is held locally on Server A and Server B in the United States.

• The c=uk naming context is held locally on Server C and Server D in the United Kingdom.

In this case, you would configure knowledge references between these two naming contexts as follows:

1. On Server A in the United States, configure a knowledge reference for the c=uk object on Server C and Server D:

   dn: c=uk
   c: uk
   ref: ldap://host C:389/c=uk
   ref: ldap://host D:686/c=uk
   objectclass: top
   objectclass: referral
   objectClass: extensibleObject
   

2. Configure a similar knowledge reference on Server C in the United Kingdom for the c=us object on Server A and Server B:

   dn: c=us
   c: us
   ref: ldap://host A:4000/c=us
   ref: ldap://host B:5000/c=us
   objectclass: top
   objectclass: referral
   objectClass: extensibleObject
   

Results:

• A client querying Server A with base o=foo,c=uk receives a referral.

• A client querying Server C with base o=foo,c=us receives a referral.

• An add operation of o=foo,c=uk on either Server A or Server B fails. Instead, Oracle Internet Directory returns a referral.

Configuring Default Referrals

Oracle Internet Directory uses the namingcontext attribute in the DSE to determine all the naming contexts held locally by the server. Be sure that the namingContext attribute correctly reflects the naming context information.

You specify default referrals by entering a value for the ref attribute in the DSE entry. If the ref attribute is not in the DSE entry, then no default referral is returned.

When configuring a default referral, do not specify the DN in the LDAP URL.

For example, suppose that the DSE entry on Server A contains the following namingContext value:

namingcontext: c=us

Further, suppose that the default referral is:

Ref: ldap://host PQR:389

Now, suppose that a user enters an operation on Server A that has a base DN in the naming context c=canada, for example:

ou=marketing,o=foo,c=canada

This user would receive a referral to the host PQR. This is because Server A does not hold the c=canada base DN, and the namingcontext attribute in its DSE does not hold the value c=canada.

See Also: "About Knowledge References and Referrals" for a conceptual discussion of knowledge references