Re: Server data Question

[Hallvard B Furuseth <hallvard@aun.uninett.no>]

> The function ldbm_back_add() always expects an entry object to exist
> which matches the parent RDN of the person object entry being added.

yes, that's how X.500/LDAP is supposed to work.  (Well, it should be
parent "DN".)

> Some commercial servers use the mail attribute in the
> entry DN. I doubt that they have an entry for each email
> address.

They must.  A DN in the directory _is_ the name of an entry.

> How can I make the DN whatever I want with out also having
> to also have an object entry with a DN that matches the
> parent RDN of every new person entry.

Well, you can use an alias pointing at the "mail DN".  But I suspect
you wouldn't want what you say if you knew what you were asking about.
Why do you want your name in the DN instead of just in the entry, when
you already have your fairly human-readable e-mail address in your DN?
That already identifies you uniquely, so I don't see that an
additional component buys you anything except extra work.

> Example of an LDIF entry retrieved from a popular commercial
> LDAP server.
> 
> dn: cn="JR Heisey",mail=jr.heisey@mediagate.com,c=US,o=me
>  diagate.com
> (...)

Just remove the cn=JR Heisey component from that entry's DN.
And swap US and mediagate, assuming Mediagate is in US:

    dn: mail=jr.heisey@mediagate.com,o=Mediagate,c=US

Or you may wish to follow the "domain component" scheme:

    dn:  uid=jr.heisey@mediagate.com,dc=mediagate,dc=com

or if you dislike the "uid=" for e-mail as much as some others of us:

    dn: mail=jr.heisey@mediagate.com,dc=mediagate,dc=com

> How can I avoid also having to create object entries with
> DNs of:
> 
> mail=jr.heisey@mediagate.com,c=US,o=mediagate.com
> c=US,o=mediagate.com
> o=mediagate.com

Create them.

-- 
Hallvard B Furuseth