Getting started with ApacheDS – LDAP Server and Directory Studio

Inspired by the work and some excellent blog articles by my colleague Maarten Smeets – and while writing about the LDAP Adapter in SOA Suite 12c for the Oracle SOA Suite 12c Handbook) I decided to give ApacheDS (LDAP Directory) a spin. This article lists the very basic steps for getting started with both the server side LDAP directory (on Linux) and the visual LDAP browser & editor on top that directory. A specific step I describe is the creation of a custom partition in the directory – in this case for Saibot Airport, the fictitious airport from the case on which the book is based.

Install ApacheDS LDAP server on Linux

Download ApacheDS for Linux (http://directory.apache.org/apacheds/downloads.html)

Run installer

Provide input to installer:

Run server

ApacheDS Directory Studio

Download the installer, in this case for my Windows host on which the Linux VM is running (http://directory.apache.org/studio/downloads.html):

Run installer and accept all defaults:

After successful installation, run Apache Directory Studio:

create a new connection – to the LDAP server we have just installed (ApacheDS on Linux)

Provide hostname (soa2admin2 for me – corresponding to IP 10.10.10.21) and (default) port 10389.

Set Bind DN or User to the value uid=admin,ou=system and Bind password to secret.

Press Check Authentication if you want to make sure (and I know I do):

Press Finish.

The LDAP directory browser is presented with the current contents of the (default, vanilla, out of the box) ApacheDS structure:

Note that a connection to the LDAP server is created as well.

Add a custom Partition

ApacheDS makes use of partitions: Each partition contains a complete entry tree, also referred to as a DIT. Multiple partitions may exist and the entry trees they contain are disconnected from each other, meaning that changes to entries in partition A would never affect entries in partition B. The entries in a particular partition are stored below some naming context called the partition suffix.  The ApacheDS default configuration contains a a data partition with the suffix “dc=example,dc=com”. It’s possible to add custom partition implementations (also see https://directory.apache.org/apacheds/basic-ug/1.4.3-adding-partition.html).

Right click on the LDAP connection, to open the configuration:

Open the Partitions tab:

And click on the Add button. Add a new partition – ID=saibot, Suffix= o:saibot.airport.

Press the Save icon (or File | Save) to save the changed configuration – to the server side config file.

Restart the LDAP server to process the changed configuration:

Now the tree is refreshed with the new partition:

In this partition, we can now create users, organization units and the likes.