Replication Authentication

Before a master can update a consumer, the consumer authenticates the master by using a special entry called the Replication Manager entry. The master uses the Replication Manager entry to bind to the consumer.

The Replication Manager entry has a special user profile that bypasses all access control rules defined on the consumer server. The special user profile is only valid in the context of replication.

The Replication Manager entry has the following characteristics.

• On a consumer server, the Replication Manager is the user who is allowed to perform updates. The entry for Replication Manager must be present for all replicas.

• The bind DN of the Replication Manager entry is set in the replication agreement. The bind DN must be configured for hubs, or masters to point to an existing Replication Manager entry.

• For initialization and security reasons, the Replication Manager entry cannot be part of the replicated data.

The Replication Manager entry is created by default when you configure replication through the browser-based interfaceDirectory Service Control Center. You can also create your own Replication Manager entry. For information about how to create a Replication Manager entry, see Using a Non-Default Replication Manager in Sun Directory Server Enterprise Edition 7.0 Administration Guide.

Authentication can be performed in the following ways for SSL with replication.

• For SSL server authentication, you must have a Replication Manager entry, and its associated password, in the server you are authenticating to.

• For SSL client authentication, you must have an entry that contains a certificate in the server you are authenticating to. This entry may or may not be mapped to the Replication Manager entry.