Red Hat Directory Server 8.0 Administrator's Guide

LDIF Element Description

objectClass: organizationalPerson Specifies the organizationalPerson object

class. This object class specification should

be included because some LDAP clients

require it during search operations for an

organizational person.

objectClass: inetOrgPerson Specifies the inetOrgPerson object class.

The inetOrgPerson object class is

recommended for the creation of an

organizational person entry because this

object class includes the widest range of

attributes. The uid attribute is required by this

object class, and entries that contain this

object class are named based on the value of

the uid attribute.

cn: common_name Specifies the person's common name, which

is the full name commonly used by the

person. For example, cn: Bill Anderson. At

least one common name is required.

sn: surname Specifies the person's surname, or last name.

For example, sn: Anderson. A surname is

required.

list_of_attributes Specifies the list of optional attributes to

maintain for the entry.

Table A.4. LDIF Elements in Person Entries

5. Defining Directories Using LDIF

The contents of an entire directory can be defined using LDIF. Using LDIF is an efficient method

of directory creation when there are many entries to add to the directory.

To create a directory using LDIF, do the following:

1. Create an ASCII file containing the entries to add in LDIF format.

Make sure each entry is separated from the next by an empty line. Use just one line between

entries, and make sure the first line of the file is not be blank, or else the ldapmodify utility

will exit. For more information, refer to Section 4, “Specifying Directory Entries Using LDIF”.

Begin each file with the topmost, or root, entry in the database.

The root entry must represent the suffix or sub-suffix contained by the database. For

Appendix A. LDAP Data Interchange Format

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