Using the Management Agent for LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF)

Use the management agent for LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) to synchronize data in LDIF format.

Connected data source support

LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF)

Management agent type

This is a file-based management agent.

Schema

The schema is generated based on the discovery of the data in the template input file. When you refresh the schema for this management agent, Management Agent Designer starts, reads the template input file, and then updates the management agent schema. Then, you can update the management agent configuration based on the new schema.

Remarks

• LDIF data consists of one or more entries separated by a blank line. Each entry consists of an optional entry ID, a required distinguished name, one or more object classes, and attribute definitions for each object class definition. Binary data must be base64 encoded. The following is an example of an LDIF file with two entries, with the second entry containing a base-64-encoded value:

  dn: cn=Barry Johnson, ou=Product Development, dc=airius, dc=com
  objectclass: top objectclass: person objectclass: organizationalPerson
  cn: Barry Johnson
  sn: Johnson
  telephonenumber: +1 408 555 0212
  dn: cn=Brian Johnson, ou=Accounting, dc=airius, dc=com
  objectclass: top objectclass: person objectclass: organizationalPerson
  cn: Brian Johnson
  sn: Johnson
  telephonenumber: +1 408 555 0212
  description:: V2hhdCBhIGNhcmVmdWwgcmVhZGVyIHlvdSBhcmUhICBUaGlzIHZhbHVl IGlzIGJhc2UtNjQtZW5jb2RlZCBiZWNhdXNlIGl0IGhhcyBhIGNvbnRyb2wgY2hhcmFjdGVyIGluIGl0IChhIENSKS4NICBCeSB0aGUgd2F5LCB5b3Ugc2hvdWxkIHJlYWxseSBnZXQg b3V0IG1vcmUu 
  

  Updates in an LDIF file are specified using changetype. You can only have one changetype for each distinguished name entry. Changetype can have five values:

  • Add adds a new value to an attribute that does not currently have a value.

  • Delete deletes all values of an attribute.

  • Modify adds, deletes, or replaces the values of an attribute.

  • Moddn renames an object.

  • Modrdn renames an object.

  The following example modifies an entry, adds an additional value to the postaladdress attribute, completely deletes the description attribute, replaces the telephonenumber attribute with two values, and deletes a specific value from the facsimiletelephonenumber attribute.

  dn: cn=Barry Johnson, ou=Product Development, dc=ABC, dc=com
  changetype: modify
  add: postaladdress
  postaladdress: 123 Anystreet $ Redmond, WA $ 98000
  -
  delete: description
  -
  replace: telephonenumber
  telephonenumber: 425 555 0197
  telephonenumber: 425 555 0198
  -
  delete: facsimiletelephonenumber
  facsimiletelephonenumber: 425 555 0199
  

  Complete documentation on LDIF can be found in RFC 2849.

  When you create a management agent for LDIF, the sample file should contain all object classes that you plan to use. If, during an import from a data file, FIM encounters an object class that has not been defined, or mapped, it will only traverse the object class hierarchy to the level that was defined in the sample file.

  For example, you map the object classes in the following table from the sample file during the creation of the management agent.

  Object class in sample file	Mapped to object type in management agent
  top, OrganizationalUnit	OrganizationalUnit
  top, person	person
  top, person, organizationalPerson	organizationalPerson

  After the management agent is created, if you import a data file that contains an object class that is not defined, or mapped, in the management agent, FIM matches that object against the object class with the longest continuous prefix in the object class hierarchy.

  For example, given the mappings defined above, FIM maps defined and undefined object classes as shown in the following table.

  Object class	Object type
  top, organizationalUnit	organizationalUnit
  top, organizationalUnit, container	organizationalUnit
  top, person	person
  top, person, inetOrgPerson	person
  top, person, organizationalPerson	organizationalPerson
  top, person, organizationalPerson, inetOrgPerson	organizationalPerson

• FIM treats all data as case sensitive.

• File-based management agents do not export characters that are not in the destination code page. FIM fails when it attempts to export objects that contain any character that is not in the target connected data source code page. If you try to avoid this behavior by converting the file to Unicode and then doing a best-fit translation, FIM cannot confirm the export. As a workaround, you can do your own file translation during export attribute flow.

• For file-based management agents, the template input file should contain all the object classes and attributes that will be synchronized, and it should be in a full import format.

• If you use a template input file that is larger than 200 KB, FIM analyzes only the first 100 objects when discovering the schema. As a result, if there are object classes and attributes that you want to synchronize that do not appear in the first 100 objects, manually add those object classes and attributes as connector space object types and attributes. Depending on the size of the file, a delay might occur when FIM reads the entire file.

• This management agent supports password management. For more information, see See Also.

See Also

Concepts

Configuring Management Agents
Create a Management Agent
Select a Template Input File
Configure Attributes
Map Object Types
Define Object Types
Configure Partitions
Configure Connector Filter Rules
Configure Join and Projection Rules
Configure Attribute Flow Rules
Configure Deprovisioning Rules
Configure Password Management and Specify Rules Extensions
Password management