Applied Theory: Installing the Netscape Directory Server

Netscape's Directory Server product allows you to import the namespace of a fictitious company, called Airius, as a sample directory. Complete the following exercise to obtain and install the Netscape Directory Server product so that we can explore directory manipulation with a common directory structure.

Example 11.1 Installing Netscape Directory Server 4.11

Warning

Before beginning this exercise, be sure that a valid DNS domain has been entered in the TCP/IP protocol properties page of your NT Server .

To begin, obtain the D411DIU.EXE file from http://www.iplanet.com/downloads/testdrive/index.html.
After the D411DIU.EXE file has been transferred, run the D411DIU.EXE image on a Windows NT Server 4.0 machine to unpack the distribution and begin the server installation process.
After passing the introductory dialog boxes in the installation wizard, you will be presented with an option to install Netscape Servers or the Netscape Console product. Select the Netscape Servers option for installation on a server.
Next, you will be presented with three options to select the installation type. Choose Custom.
Install the server images and libraries in any directory.
Install all options except the Netscape Directory Server 4.1 Synch Service. This configuration should not require any modification to the default selections.
Configure the Directory Server instance to be the configuration directory server (default).
Choose the Store Data in this Directory Server option button (default).
Use the defaults for the Directory Server 4.1 Server Settings dialog box. By default, the Server Identifier should hold the NetBIOS name of the server and the server port should be set to port 389 (the LDAP default TCP port). Also by default, the suffix should hold the value of the current DNS domain (previously configured from Control Panel, Network, Protocols tab, TCP/IP Protocol, Properties, DNS tab) prefixed by o= .

Tip

If the fields in the dialog box are blank, terminate the installation process and make sure that the DNS domain has been set in the TCP/IP Protocol properties dialog box. The server installation will fail if this step has not yet been taken.
Enter a password for the administrative console credential.

Note

The Administration Domain should match the Windows NT DNS domain configuration .
Enter a password for the Directory Manager credential. This credential is vital to your ability to programmatically manage the directory, so be sure to either use a credential you will remember or store a written copy of the information in a secure location.

Note

Do not configure the server to be a supplier or consumer for replication (default) .
Next, you will be presented with the option to install the sample organizational structure. By default, this is checked and should remain as such because we wish to use a common directory for the code samples in this section. You should also populate the database by selecting the Populate with Sample Database option. By default, this option is not selected, so be sure to verify this setting before continuing.
Skip past the Disable Schema Checking dialog box.
If this server has multiple IP addresses assigned to it, enter the IP address you wish to use for the administration server. In most cases, the default should be acceptable.
Next, enter the password for the administration server user . This account is used to log in to the Netscape Console, which is a Java-based utility for managing your directory server.

Note

A random port number is assigned to the administration server instance. You can modify it to use any TCP port. However, in most cases it is best to choose a standard TCP port to be used for all LDAP servers across the enterprise .
After clicking Next for the administration port dialog box, a summary screen is presented. Verify all settings and click Next to begin the installation process.
When the file copy process is completed, you will be presented with the option to restart your computer. If all other applications have been closed or left in a safe state, click Finish to exit the wizard and reboot the server.

Upon return of a ready state for the server, the installation of Netscape Directory Server 4.11 and the Airius sample namespace will be complete.

With the installation of a non-production LDAP directory server completed, you can now explore the programmatic management of an LDAP directory using ADSI.

Note

All code segments in this chapter will use the Airius sample database for query and manipulation. With a common directory established, you can test the code provided in each example code segment without modification .

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