/usr/man/cat.3/ldap.3.Z(/usr/man/cat.3/ldap.3.Z)
LDAP(3) OpenLDAP 2.1.12 LDAP(3)
NAME
ldap - OpenLDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol API
LIBRARY
OpenLDAP LDAP (libldap, -lldap)
SYNOPSIS
#include <ldap.h>
DESCRIPTION
The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol provides access to
X.500 directory services. The services may be stand-alone
or part of a distributed directory service. This API
supports LDAP over TCP (RFC2251), LDAP over SSL, and LDAP
over IPC (UNIX domain sockets). This API supports SASL
(RFC2829) and Start TLS (RFC2830). This API is based upon
IETF C LDAP API draft specification, a work in progress.
The OpenLDAP Software package includes a stand-alone server
in slapd(8), various LDAP clients, and an LDAP client
library used to provide programmatic access to the LDAP
protocol. This man page gives an overview of the LDAP
library routines.
Both synchronous and asynchronous APIs are provided. Also
included are various routines to parse the results returned
from these routines. These routines are found in the -lldap
library.
The basic interaction is as follows. A session handle is
created using ldap_init(3) or ldap_initialize(3). (The
ldap_initialize(3) routine is preferred, but is not part of
the draft specification.) The underlying session is
established upon first use which is commonly an LDAP bind
operation. The LDAP bind operation is performed by calling
ldap_sasl_bind(3) or one of its friends. Next, other
operations are performed by calling one of the synchronous
or asynchronous routines (e.g., ldap_search_ext_s(3) or
ldap_search_ext(3) followed by ldap_result(3)). Results
returned from these routines are interpreted by calling the
LDAP parsing routines such as ldap_parse_result(3). The
LDAP association and underlying connection is terminated by
calling ldap_unbind_ext(3). Errors can be interpreted by
calling ldap_err2string(3).
SEARCH FILTERS
Search filters to be passed to the ldap search routines are
to be constructed by hand and should conform to RFC 2254.
DISPLAYING RESULTS
Results obtained from the ldap search routines can be output
by hand, by calling ldap_first_entry(3) and
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ldap_next_entry(3) to step through the entries returned,
ldap_first_attribute(3) and ldap_next_attribute(3) to step
through an entry's attributes, and ldap_get_values(3) to
retrieve a given attribute's values. Attribute values may
or may not be displayable.
CONTROLS
This library supports both LDAP Version 2 and Version 3,
with the Version 2 protocol selected by default. LDAP
Version 3 operations can be extended through the use of
controls. Controls can be sent to a server or returned to
the client with any LDAP message. Extended versions of the
standard routines are available for use with controls. These
routines are generally named by adding _ext to the regular
routine's name.
UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATORS (URLS)
The ldap_url(3) routines can be used to test a URL to see if
it is an LDAP URL, to parse LDAP URLs into their component
pieces, and to initiate searches directly using an LDAP URL.
CACHING
The ldap_cache(3) routines implement a local client caching
scheme, providing a substantial performance increase for
repeated queries. Caching is experiemental.
UTILITY ROUTINES
Also provided are various utility routines. The
ldap_sort(3) routines are used to sort the entries and
values returned via the ldap search routines.
BER LIBRARY
Also included in the distribution is a set of lightweight
Basic Encoding Rules routines. These routines are used by
the LDAP library routines to encode and decode LDAP protocol
elements using the (slightly simplified) Basic Encoding
Rules defined by LDAP. They are not normally used directly
by an LDAP application program except in the handling of
controls and extended operations. The routines provide a
printf and scanf-like interface, as well as lower-level
access. These routines are discussed in lber-decode(3),
lber-encode(3), lber-memory(3), and lber-types(3).
INDEX
ldap_open(3) open a connection to an LDAP server
(deprecated, use ldap_init(3))
ldap_init(3) initialize the LDAP library without
opening a connection to a server
ldap_initialize(3) initialize the LDAP library without
opening a connection to a server
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ldap_result(3) wait for the result from an asynchronous
operation
ldap_abandon(3) abandon (abort) an asynchronous
operation
ldap_add(3) asynchronously add an entry
ldap_add_s(3) synchronously add an entry
ldap_bind(3) asynchronously bind to the directory
ldap_bind_s(3) synchronously bind to the directory
ldap_simple_bind(3) asynchronously bind to the directory
using simple authentication
ldap_simple_bind_s(3)
synchronously bind to the directory
using simple authentication
ldap_unbind(3) synchronously unbind from the LDAP
server and close the connection
ldap_unbind_s(3) equivalent to ldap_unbind(3)
ldap_memfree (3) dispose of memory allocated by LDAP
routines.
ldap_enable_cache(3)
enable LDAP client caching
ldap_disable_cache(3)
disable LDAP client caching
ldap_destroy_cache(3)
disable LDAP client caching and destroy
cache contents
ldap_flush_cache(3) flush LDAP client cache
ldap_uncache_entry(3)
uncache requests pertaining to an entry
ldap_uncache_request(3)
uncache a request
ldap_set_cache_options(3)
set cache options
ldap_compare(3) asynchronously compare to a directory
entry
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ldap_compare_s(3) synchronously compare to a directory
entry
ldap_delete(3) asynchronously delete an entry
ldap_delete_s(3) synchronously delete an entry
ldap_perror(3) print an LDAP error indication to
standard error
ld_errno(3) LDAP error indication
ldap_result2error(3)
extract LDAP error indication from LDAP
result
ldap_errlist(3) list of LDAP errors and their meanings
ldap_err2string(3) convert LDAP error indication to a
string
ldap_first_attribute(3)
return first attribute name in an entry
ldap_next_attribute(3)
return next attribute name in an entry
ldap_first_entry(3) return first entry in a chain of search
results
ldap_next_entry(3) return next entry in a chain of search
results
ldap_count_entries(3)
return number of entries in a search
result
ldap_get_dn(3) extract the DN from an entry
ldap_explode_dn(3) convert a DN into its component parts
ldap_explode_rdn(3) convert an RDN into its component parts
ldap_get_values(3) return an attribute's values
ldap_get_values_len(3)
return an attribute's values with
lengths
ldap_value_free(3) free memory allocated by
ldap_get_values(3)
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ldap_value_free_len(3)
free memory allocated by
ldap_get_values_len(3)
ldap_count_values(3)
return number of values
ldap_count_values_len(3)
return number of values
ldap_modify(3) asynchronously modify an entry
ldap_modify_s(3) synchronously modify an entry
ldap_mods_free(3) free array of pointers to mod structures
used by ldap_modify(3)
ldap_modrdn2(3) asynchronously modify the RDN of an
entry
ldap_modrdn2_s(3) synchronously modify the RDN of an entry
ldap_modrdn(3) deprecated - use ldap_modrdn2(3)
ldap_modrdn_s(3) depreciated - use ldap_modrdn2_s(3)
ldap_msgfree(3) free results allocated by ldap_result(3)
ldap_msgtype(3) return the message type of a message
from ldap_result(3)
ldap_msgid(3) return the message id of a message from
ldap_result(3)
ldap_search(3) asynchronously search the directory
ldap_search_s(3) synchronously search the directory
ldap_search_st(3) synchronously search the directory with
timeout
ldap_is_ldap_url(3) check a URL string to see if it is an
LDAP URL
ldap_url_parse(3) break up an LDAP URL string into its
components
ldap_sort_entries(3)
sort a list of search results
ldap_sort_values(3) sort a list of attribute values
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ldap_sort_strcasecmp(3)
case insensitive string comparison
SEE ALSO
ldap.conf(5), slapd(8), draft-ietf-ldapext-ldap-c-api-
xx.txt <http://www.ietf.org>
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
OpenLDAP is developed and maintained by The OpenLDAP Project
(http://www.openldap.org/). OpenLDAP is derived from
University of Michigan LDAP 3.3 Release.
These API manual pages are based upon descriptions provided
in the IETF C LDAP API Internet Draft, a work in progress,
edited by Mark Smith.
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See also URI::ldap(3): man 3 URI::ldap
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