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This was a great book, in its time. However since OpenLDAP 2.4.20 or so the configuration system has changed drastically. The flat text file configuration covered in this book has been depreciated in favor of the OLC which is basically an LDAP directory hierarchy itself just for the configuration data. This new OLC method is significantly different enough that aside from some general information and command reference this book is basically useless with newer versions of OpenLDAP.

If you are new to network information management this this is not the book for you. If, however, you have some type of system administration background utilizing information management system such as Active Directory, NIS, NIS+, or even a baseline knowledge of LDAP then this book will help fill some of the gaps.

LDAP System Administration starts with a brief review of LDAP in its incarnations and takes you quickly into the theory of distributed directory services. This book will work best if you some place where you can experiment with the commands a bit.

The book does a good job of describing LDIF files which are a must for all but the most insignificant updates. Once you have an understanding of the commands, I suggest you get one of the graphical tools discussed in the book. These tools will allow you to import and export LDIF files and, in general, make your life a delight.

If you are building your first distributed directory implementation, get one of the books on Unix system administration or the NIS/NFS system administration book.

Though I bought the paper version of this book, I was happy to see a Kindle version available. I may still yet get the Kindle version but for now, the paper version is meeting my needs.

This excellent book covers implementing and administering LDAP better than any I have seen. It's apparent to me that a great deal of thought has gone into key paragraphs. Despite some comments to the contrary, the organization is methodical and logical. Throughout the book there are references to other sources to further research related topics.

Chapter 1 LDAP is defined and you are pointed to the appropriate RFC's.

Chapter 2 is an overview of the LDAPv3 and explains very well the format of the LDIF directory data/structure files. Incidentally, I found that this book enhanced my understanding of Microsofts Active Directory which encompasses among other things LDAPv3.

Chapter 3 familiarizes you with the slapd.conf file and the example uses an SSHA hashed rootpw (an OpenSSL algorithm) and introduces you to the use of ACL's in this server config file.

Chapter 4 leads you through building a company white pages using the command line (which you certainly should know how to do even if you are a GUI fan); the chapter concludes with a brief list of GUI editors for the faint of heart.

Chapter 5 explains replicating to a backup LDAP server with slurpd, enhanced backups using generated LDIF files and distributing the directory to maximize network traffic efficiency. Additions, deletions and modifications to the database are illustrated. Searching is briefly, but concisely explained.

Chapter 6 begins Part II, application integration. The Pluggable Authentication module pam_ldap and it's configuration file, ldap.conf are discussed and there is a list of ldap.conf parameters with explanations. Replacing NIS with LDAP is covered in this chapter. Chapter 6 ends with a brief overview of security mechanisms in LDAPv3.

Chapter 7 presents LDAP as a directory storing email addresses and other contact information. Configuration examples for connection 4 popular email clients are included. Integration with 3 popular MTA's (postfix, sendmail and Exim) round out the chapter.

Chapter 8 introduces integration of network services other than authentication and email with LDAP. Among other things, DNS, printing and Samba LDAP integration are discussed.

Chapter 9 has a few valuable pointers in interoperability with other platforms, specifically Windows 2000 Active Directory. Digital certificates and Kerberos authentication on the Windows platform as relating to *nix are very briefly discussed.

Chapter 10, Net::LDAP and Perl gives a mainly informational overview of connecting, binding and searching and contains sample scripts using the Net::LDAP module. It also demonstrates adding, updating and deleting entries using Perl scripts instead of the LDIF methods earlier in the book. Note, however that this is not a book about programming; it is a book about LDAP Administration.

Lastly, this book does need an update. Some modules which were separate entities not so long ago are now symbolic links; for example:

/usr/local/sbin/slapacl -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapadd -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapauth -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapcat -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapdn -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapindex -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slappasswd -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slaptest -> slapd
Even the best needs to be updated; and when it is I will be one of the first to purchase it.

LDAP protocol will very likely solve the complex problem of redundant authentication/authorization data spread across heterogenous networks. However, whether your users access resources through passwords or some other mechanism one thing stands out.

If your security database resides in one place, it must be secured and precautions taken that authentication data traversing the network cannot be sniffed or otherwise compromised. In general, most admins accomplish this by encryption using SSH/SSH2 or OpenSSH.

OpenSSH, in turn uses the encryption libraries of OpenSSL so it's a required dependency.

To summarize, IMHO: LDAP is only 1 part of the solution and this book covers it better than any other I have seen. No single reference will cover all the bases and like any well written book this one keeps the focus on the major subject of LDAP, but offers references to other related topics.

Above my workstation is a wooden shelf containing my most important references; this is one of them. I have found the following volumes very helpful and LDAP plays well with these technologies.

"LDAP System Administration" by Gerald Carter.

"SSH The Secure Shell, The Definitive Guide" by Daniel J. Barrett, Richard E. Silverman & Robert G. Byrnes.

"Network Security with OpenSSL" by John Viega, Matt Messier & Pravir Chandra.

"Kerberos: The Definitive Guide" by Jason Garman

These 4 volumes will help you both in securing your network and making it more productive and accessable to authorized users. These volumes complement each other.

If you need guidance for software development, you might try "Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++" by John Viega and Matt Messier

Definitely Five stars - even though it does need updating.

This book fills a knowledge void and can make your life a lot easier. It can save you hours of Google searches, searching forums, pumping your friends for tips, trial and error, and grep'ing log files; this one deserves a slot in your special library.

The author is obviously very knowledgeable on LDAP and walks the reader through the history of LDAP from X.500 to the present time. The author quotes RFCs and IETF drafts when necessary, since some standards were not in place at the time of writing. This book does focus on LDAPv3, but gives advice about migration from LDAPv2, if you are still stuck in the past. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to deploy LDAP. It is also the best Kindle-ready book available on the topic of LDAP. I bought this book because another LDAP book was not available on Kindle. I am pleased with that decision and do recommend this to any Kindle owners. There were a few table formatting issues on some pages, but they were minimal. THUMBS UP!

I am still reading this book and it does have alot of useful information for LDAP. Coming from the Windows world of administration is misleading as to what a directory service actully is. When I started I only envisioned using LDAP for account creation (Active Directory). I had no idea that the protocol was used for a wide array of solutions in complex I.T. configurations. Although the book is good it does not have a simple step by step guide for a beginer just wanting to set up a domain as easy as it is in windows. I Still reccomend the book as a great resource!

I usually love anything from O'Reilly and Associates publishers, but this book I purchased in Nov. 2013 Upon looking at the book the information is a bit outdated. The LDAP concepts are the same but the specific commands have not been updated in the edition I purchased. I had to go on-line to get the newer commands and associated arguments.

Good information.

This book in particular didn't have as much troubleshooting examples as I would like, but is still a great reference source.