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I have been trying to configure OpenLDAP in Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex but the guides I find in the web are confusing for me. I have had no succes.

I think the problem is most guides assume you want to use Samba for access control and use OpenLDAP as the directory for Samba. This is not what I need. I just need a central location to store client, associates, employees, family, etc. contact information and some other objects pertaining to those persons as web-sites with configuration data, their Web Sites/Databases, etc. passwords (for the Web Sites we administer for them), etc.

Do you know of any good, simple, current and clear guide available somewhere in the Web for this?

Thank you in advance.

PS: Kudos for the beta launch of SF! Congratulations to Joel, Jeff, the Team, Moderators, etc. Thank you for your support and hard work on SO and SF.

vmarquez
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3 Answers3

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Been wondering about this - you are right, most of the LDAP guides focus on LDAP being used as a directory for access control.

Is there any significant reason not to store the data in a normal SQL database? you would be able to access it from anywhere meaningful, and the real reason for using a directory over a database is a directory tends to be more write-oriented, lends itself more to a hierarchical structure (non-relational data) and is easier to replicate.

Looking at the data you're wanting to store, it seems that it would be prone to updates fairly often and may be somewhat more relational than directory data (for example, linking multiple contact details to a company or website) - so a normal relational database may be more effective and easier to implement (and documentation and examples for working with it are easily available)

Mark Regensberg
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  • Hi Mark, thank you for your answer. Please see my comment to David Scmitt's. – vmarquez May 03 '09 at 06:20
  • if you need to store specific aspects of the data in a directory (eg. contacts) then consider exporting specific parts to LDAP using LDIF. (SQL -> LDIF shouldn't be that hard). As above, the tool you should be looking at is a SQL database, not LDAP. – Mark Regensberg May 03 '09 at 07:09
  • Thank you Mark. I will try that. I have to think on how to synchronize it both ways. – vmarquez May 03 '09 at 09:16
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Just don't. Any SQL database has better tooling than LDAP and is much easier to customize the schema to your liking.

The only reasons I would accept to using LDAP are Samba and Kerberos.

David Schmitt
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  • While I am already in the very early scope definition form my all-in-one tool for project planning + task management + directory + calendar + kb + information management I was expecting LDAP were the way to go as a contact + related data. SQL is a lot preffered solution for me but, then. Is there a way to integrate contact data stored in SQL with as contacts for eMail clients? Let's say: Outlook, SeaMonkey, some other? – vmarquez May 03 '09 at 06:19
  • Ops! By the way. Thank you for your answer David :S – vmarquez May 03 '09 at 06:19
  • Use back-sql (http://www.openldap.org/faq/data/cache/978.html) to map directly into LDAP or re-create your LDAP tree regularily by exporting the data to LDIF. You might even be able to code triggers to (manually) implement a live replication scheme. It all depends on your performance requirements. – David Schmitt May 03 '09 at 15:23
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About your project, you could use:

Microsoft Softwares: - Server Project linked to Sharepoint and Active Directory.

Linux Tools: - Alfresco softwares list.

Dr I
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