Re: newbie question: generic schema for LDAP servers?

[Jon Roberts <jon@mentata.com>]

Dave Snoopy wrote:
> Here's a newbie question for you out there. Is there
> some kind of generic schema or layout for LDAP servers
> regarding users?

There are a few. Schema files can be found under:

[OpenLDAP Home]/etc/openldap/schema

> For example, I use the following query to list all
> users in my Windows 2000 domain:
>
> (&(objectClass=user)(objectCategory=person))

More like (objectClass=person), (objectClass=inetorgperson), or such. 
There are actually a number of classes that can serve as accounts, 
depending on what you use your directory for.

> But would this same query also work against an
> OpenLDAP server, or some other LDAP server? 

Unlikely, although you could make a custom schema to define these 
classes. Microsoft always has to do things their own way.

> Or is the
> user schema totally up to the LDAP administrator to
> design/choose? 

Use the defaults, design your own, or a bit of both.... the choice is yours.

> If the latter, are there common schemas
> which LDAP admins often choose from?

Check core.schema, cosine.schema, or inetorgperson.schema for starters.

For a design example, see:

http://www.mentata.com/ldaphttp/examples/congress/sdd/3.htm#1

Jon Roberts
www.mentata.com