Understanding LDAP (part 2) - You Have Mail (
Page 8 of 9 )
So that takes care of creating
and initializing the LDAP directory - you can use the techniques discussed on
the previous page to add entries for other members of your organization,
providing as much (or as little) detail as you desire for each entry. Once
you're done, all you need to do is hook your LDAP-aware clients up to the
server, so that you can begin using the directory in your daily
activities.
Now, there are a large number of LDAP-aware clients available
today - Microsoft and Netscape both support LDAP in their address book
applications, as do other email clients like Qualcomm's Eudora Pro. Configuring
an LDAP-aware client is pretty simple - all you need to do is provide the name
of the LDAP server, together with the base DN to begin searching from, and the
client will (usually) do the rest.
In order to demonstrate, I'll quickly
hook Eudora up to the LDAP directory created over the previous pages. Pop open
your Eudora mail client, and use the Tools -> Directory Services menu to
bring up the Directory Services control panel.
Select "LDAP" from the Protocols box, and use the "New
Database..." command to configure a new LDAP directory service. In the form that
pops up, enter the IP address or name of the host running OpenLDAP,
and use the "Search Options" tab to specify the base
from which to begin searching:
Save it, and
you're done!
Now, in order to query the LDAP directory, simply select the
server from the list at the bottom right of the control panel,
and enter your query in the search box. The results, if
any, will appear in the results window:
You
can now use this information for your own purposes - in this case, you would
probably send the matching user(s) an email messge, or store the contact
information in your address book. Other LDAP clients may allow you to do other,
more complex things with the returned information - process it for display on a
Web page, add it to a database, or scan it for pattern matches.
