Sample Mappings

The certmap.conf file should have at least one entry. The following examples illustrate the different ways you can use the certmap.conf file.

Example #1

This example represents a certmap.conf file with only one “default” mapping:

certmap default defaultdefault:DNComps ou, o, cdefault:FilterComps e, uiddefault:verifycert on

Using this example, the server starts its search at the LDAP branch point containing the entry ou=<orgunit>, o=<org>, c=<country> where the text within <> is replaced with the values from the subject’s DN in the client certificate.

The server then uses the values for email address and userid from the certificate to search for a match in the LDAP directory. When it finds an entry, the server verifies the certificate by comparing the one the client sent to the one stored in the directory.

Example #2

The following example file has two mappings: one for default and another for the US Postal Service (USPS):

certmap default defaultdefault:DNCompsdefault:FilterComps e, uid

certmap usps ou=United States Postal Service, o=usps, c=USusps:DNComps ou,o,cusps:FilterComps eusps:verifycert on

When the server gets a certificate from someone other than the USPS , it uses the default mapping, which starts at the top of the LDAP tree and searches for an entry matching the client’s userid and email address. If the certificate is from the USPS, the server starts its search at the LDAP branch containing the organizational unit and searches for matching email addresses. Note that if the certificate is from the USPS, the server verifies the certificate; other certificates are not verified.

The issuer DN (that is, the CA’s information) in the certificate must be identical to the issuer DN listed in the first line of the mapping. In the previous example, a certificate from an issuer DN that is o=United States Postal Service,c=US will not match because there is not a space between the o and the c attributes.

Example #3

The following example uses the CmapLdapAttr property to scan the LDAP database for the certSubjectDN attribute whose value exactly matches the entire subject DN taken from the client certificate.

certmap myco ou=My Company Inc, o=myco, c=USmyco:CmapLdapAttr certSubjectDNmyco:DNComps o, c myco:FilterComps mail, uid myco:verifycert on

If the client certificate subject is:

uid=Walt Whitman, o=LeavesOfGrass Inc, c=US

the server first searches for entries that contain the following information:

certSubjectDN=uid=Walt Whitman, o=LeavesOfGrass Inc, c=US

If one or more matching entries are found, the server proceeds to verify the entries. If no matching entries are found, the server will use DNComps and FilterComps to search for matching entries. In this example, the server would search for uid=Walt Whitman in all entries under o=LeavesOfGrass Inc, c=US.

This example assumes the LDAP directory contains entries with the certSubjectDN attribute.