(2) Using ldapi: - particularly with SASL EXTERNAL, which is almost essential if you want to do a file-free bootstrap.
I don't get where you're getting this idea from. I've never been required to use ldapi for setting up cn=config. The requirement of using ldapi for cn=config management is something Debian/Ubuntu is doing. Which is why, again, I say this specifically is not something to be documented by the OpenLDAP project as a cn=config requirement.
--Quanah -- Quanah Gibson-Mount Sr. Member of Technical Staff Zimbra, Inc A Division of VMware, Inc. -------------------- Zimbra :: the leader in open source messaging and collaboration