Mastering OpenLDAP: Configuring, Securing and Integrating Directory Services [Paperback]

Matt Butcher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2007

This book is the ideal introduction to using OpenLDAP for Application Developers and will also benefit System Administrators running OpenLDAP. It prepares the reader to build a directory using OpenLDAP, and then employ this directory in the context of the network, taking a practical approach that emphasizes how to get things done. On occasion, it delves into theoretical aspects of LDAP, but only where understanding the theory helps to answer practical questions. The reader requires no knowledge of OpenLDAP, but even readers already familiar with the technology will find new things and techniques. The target audience will require basic Linux system administration knowledge, but no prior knowledge of LDAP or OpenLDAP is assumed. If you are web savvy and are interested in using OpenLDAP for web applications and services like client interaction then this is the book for you.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Matt Butcher is the principal consultant for Aleph-Null, Inc. (http://aleph-null.tv), where he specializes in content management systems, Linux system integration, and Open Source technologies. He has been an active participant in Open Source technologies for over a decade. Along with Learning Drupal 6, Matt has also written Mastering OpenLDAP, Managing and Customizing OpenCms 6, and Building Websites with OpenCms, all of which are published by Packt. When not pushing bits, Matt likes to explore Colorado with his wife and three daughters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 484 pages
• Publisher: Packt Publishing; 1st Ed. edition (August 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847191029
• ISBN-13: 978-1847191021
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matt Butcher is a software developer and author. He has authored several books as well as dozens of articles on technology and philosophy. Matt is a Senior Developer for ConsumerSearch.Com, a New York Times Company. He is also a frequent contributor to numerous Open Source software packages, including QueryPath, Drupal, and Fortissimo. Matt blogs regularly at technosophos.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential read for sysadmins and developers, December 29, 2007

By 

Phil Lembo (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering OpenLDAP: Configuring, Securing and Integrating Directory Services (Paperback)

This is an extraordinarily well written book. In the preface the author promises to prepare system administrators or software developers for building a directory using OpenLDAP using a practical approach, discussing theory where that helps answer practical questions.

Along with some of the best illustrations of the theory and practice of LDAP directory management, this book contains a wealth of detailed information on the servers, clients and utilities that make up the OpenLDAP suite of software. The examples provided of different configurations are not only detailed, they also methodically build upon each other in a way that really illuminates various concepts far better than I think has been done before.

The appendices in this volume are also worthy of mention: "Building OpenLDAP from Source", "LDAP URLs", and "Useful LDAP Commands" -- the last deftly handling one of my favorite pastimes, "Rebuilding a Database (BDB, HDB)".

This book would be an excellent textbook for use by students learning Internet technologies. It would also make a terrific technical manual for system administrators or developers involved in deploying or maintaining systems and applications that use directory services. Finally, it's the one essential book that all directory administrators should have on their own personal bookshelf.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good but Flawed, August 4, 2009

By 

J. Jayaram - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mastering OpenLDAP: Configuring, Securing and Integrating Directory Services (Paperback)

This is an excellent book if you are interested in learning the theory behind OpenLDAP. However if you are looking for a more practical guide I would suggest looking elsewhere. Aside from the differences in Linux distributions, I have found several frustrating omissions and errors that have cost me hours of research online. For example, chapter three beautifully details how to create an LDIF file, however then fails to explain where to place that file on the file system or how to load the contents of that file into the database. These questions are answered, but a dozen pages later as part of a discussion on a different topic. This made it impossible to find that info when I needed it. In Chapter four, options that should go in ldap.conf are listed as going into slapd.conf. Also the file names cacert.pem and newcert.pem are used interchangeably with no explanation, which can be confusing. Chapter four also fails to mention the openssl-perl module must be installed for the authors directions to even work in the first place. I have not gotten much farther into the text then chapter four and perhaps I'm too much of a Linux novice, but I have been disappointed by this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great OpenLDAP Book, December 24, 2008

By 

Joseph Topjian (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mastering OpenLDAP: Configuring, Securing and Integrating Directory Services (Paperback)

Mastering OpenLDAP covers all technical aspects of OpenLDAP: from installation to running multiple directories in an enterprise. I thought the best part of the book was the detailed coverage given to Overlays and the Schema. After reading about these topics, you'll be able to enable several advanced OpenLDAP configurations such as Password Policies and Referential Integrity.

If you're new to OpenLDAP and need a solid technical book, I recommend Mastering OpenLDAP. Or even if you're familiar with the basics of OpenLDAP and need to learn about advanced topics such as overlays, editing the schema, and configuring replications, this is still a very valuable book.