Directory Entries in LDIF

This section covers the following topics:

Organization Entries in LDIF
Organizational Unit Entries in LDIF
Organizational Person Entries in LDIF

Organization Entries in LDIF

Directories often have at least one organization entry. Typically the organization entry is the first, or topmost entry in the directory. The organization entry often corresponds to the suffix set for the directory. For example, a directory defined to use a suffix of o=example.com will probably have an organization entry named o=example.com.

The LDIF that defines an organization entry should appear as follows:

dn: distinguished_name
objectClass: top 
objectClass: organization
o: organization_namelist_of_optional_attributes...

The following is an example organization entry in LDIF format:

dn: o=example.com
objectclass: top
objectclass: organization
o: example.com Corporation
description: Fictional company for example purposes
telephonenumber: 555-5555

The organization name in the following example uses a comma:

dn: o=example.com Chile\, S.A.
objectclass: top
objectclass: organization
o: example.com Chile\, S.A.
description: Fictional company for example purposes
telephonenumber: 555-5556

The following table describes each element of the organization entry.

Table 4-2 Organization Entries in LDIF

LDIF Element	Description
`dn:` `distinguished_name`	Required. Specifies the distinguished name for the entry.
`objectClass: top`	Required. Specifies the top object class.
`objectClass: organization`	Specifies the organization object class. This line defines the entry as an organization.
`o:` `organization_name`	Specifies the organization’s name. If the organization name includes a comma, you must escape the comma by a single backslash or the entire organization argument must be enclosed in quotation marks. However, if you are working with a UNIX shell, you must also escape the backslash. Therefore, you must use two back slashes. For example, to set the suffix to `example.com Bolivia, S.A.` you would enter `o: example.com Bolivia\, S.A.`.
`list_of_attributes`	Specifies the list of optional attributes that you want to maintain for the entry.

Organizational Unit Entries in LDIF

In a directory tree, an organizational unit represents a major subdirectory. A directory tree usually contains more than one organizational unit. An LDIF file that defines an organizational unit entry must appear as follows:

dn: distinguished_name
objectClass: top
objectClass: organizationalUnit
ou: organizational_unit_namelist_of_optional_attributes...

The following example shows an organizational unit entry in LDIF format:

dn: ou=people, o=example.com
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou: people
description: Fictional organizational unit for example purposes

The following table defines each element of the organizational unit entry.

Table 4-3 Organizational Unit Entries in LDIF

LDIF Element	Description
`dn:` `distinguished_name`	Required. Specifies the distinguished name for the entry. If there is a comma in the DN, the comma must be escaped with a backslash (\). For example: `dn: ou=people,o=example.com Bolivia\,S.A.`
`objectClass: top`	Required. Specifies the `top` object class.
`objectClass: organizationalUnit`	Specifies the `organizationalUnit` object class. This line defines the entry as an `organizationalUnit.`
`ou:` `organizational_unit_name`	Specifies an attribute containing the name of the organizational unit.
`list_of_attributes`	Specifies the list of optional attributes that maintain for the entry.

Organizational Person Entries in LDIF

The majority of the entries in a directory represent organizational people. In LDIF, the definition of an organizational person is as follows:

dn: distinguished_name
objectClass: top
objectClass: person
objectClass: organizationalPerson
objectClass: inetOrgPerson
cn: common_name 
sn: surname
list_of_optional_attributes

The following example shows an organizational person entry in LDIF format:

dn: uid=bjensen,ou=people,o=example.com
objectclass: top
objectclass: person
objectclass: organizationalPerson
objectclass: inetOrgPerson
cn: Babs Jensen
sn: Jensen
givenname: Babs
uid: bjensen
ou: Marketing
ou: people
description: Fictional person for example purposes
telephonenumber: 555-5557
userpassword: {sha}dkfljlk34r2kljdsfk9

The following table defines each element of the LDIF person entry.

Table 4-4 Organizational Person Entries in LDIF

LDIF Element	Description
`dn:` `distinguished_name`	Required. Specifies the distinguished name for the entry. If there is a comma in the DN, the comma must be escaped with a backslash (\). For example, `dn:uid=bjensen,ou=people,o=example.com Bolivia\,S.A.`
`objectClass: top`	Required. Specifies the `top` object class.
`objectClass: person`	Specifies the `person` object class. This object class specification should be included because many LDAP clients require it during search operations for a person or an organizational person.
`objectClass:` `organizationalPerson`	Specifies the `organizationalPerson` object class. This object class specification should be included because some LDAP clients require it during search operations for an organizational person.
`objectClass: inetOrgPerson`	Specifies the `inetOrgPerson` object class. The `inetOrgPerson` object class is recommended for the creation of an organizational person entry because this object class includes the widest range of attributes. The `uid` attribute is required by this object class, and entries that contain this object class are named based on the value of the `uid` attribute.
`cn:` `common_name`	Required. Specifies the person’s common name which is the full name commonly used by the person. For example, `cn: Bill Anderson`.
`sn:` `surname`	Required. Specifies the person’s surname, or last name. For example, `sn: Anderson`.
`list_of_attributes`	Specifies the list of optional attributes that you maintain for the entry.

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	Oracle Directory Server Enterprise Edition Reference 11 g Release 1 (11.1.1.5.0)