Re: sample ldifs & sample slapd.conf

[Jon Roberts <jon@mentata.com>]

Russell Hires wrote:
> I came across this URL which has an excellent ldif file, and doesn't use the 
> (really bad) example of dc=example,dc=com...(And not to proselytize, either, 
> BTW)
> http://www.mentata.com/ldaphttp/examples/gospel/ldif.txt
> http://www.mentata.com/ldaphttp/examples/gospel/
> In fact, thanks to this, I understand that your DN doesn't have to be 
> anything resembling a URL or even a domain name. It can be anything you want! 
> I had the hardest time understanding that the rootdn is a separate entity 
> (idea, even) from a URL/domain name, because of the examples in all of the 
> docs. 

I'm glad you liked it. I already advertised this example on this list; 
if anybody has any more questions about anything they find on my site, 
you can contact me directly at jon@mentata.com.

I wouldn't harsh the OpenLDAP docs. They are very good, if a bit 
succinct. They are trying to promote a legacy of best practices, and 
never tell you these things *must* be this way. This is called guidance, 
and it's good for both parties. You could rewrite the core.schema and 
OpenLDAP may still run just fine, but that doesn't mean you should do 
it. The rootdn thing, however, is just a convention. I credit OpenLDAP 
with maintaining their allegiance to the specifications in the 
implementation, not enforcing their own practices. The software world 
would be a better place if others took that lead.

[Extremely OT]: Incidentally, this (gospel) example is *not* about 
proselytization. Using the bible (read: literature) is in the tradition 
of Project Gutenburg, not of the Spanish Inquisition. As I'll explain on 
the site in the coming weeks, this is actually meant as a protest to the 
war in Iraq. If that sounds ironic, then maybe you need to read these 
stories for yourself. "Christian Conservative" leaders are the scribes 
and pharisees of today; heterological on both counts.

Jon Roberts
www.mentata.com