Netscape NETSCAPE DIRECTORY SERVER 6.1 - ADMINISTRATOR, Administrator'S Manual

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Defining Directories Using LDIF
508 Netscape Directory Server Administrator’s Guide • August 2002
To create a directory using LDIF, follow these steps:
1.
Create an ASCII file containing the entries you want to add in LDIF format.
Make sure each entry is separated from the next by an empty line. You should
use just one line, and the first line of the file must not be blank or else the
ldapmodify
utility will exit. For more information, see “Specifying Directory
Entries Using LDIF,” on page 503.
2.
Begin each file with the topmost, or root, entry in the database.
The root entry must represent the suffix or sub-suffx contained by the
database. For example, if your database has the suffix
dc=example,dc=com
, the
first entry in your directory must be
dn: dc=example,dc=com
For information on suffixes, see the "Suffix" parameter described in the
Netscape Directory Server Configuration, Command, and File Reference.
3.
Make sure that an entry representing a branch point in the LDIF file is placed
before the entries that you want to create under that branch.
For example, if you want to place an entry in a people and a group subtree,
create the branch point for those subtrees before creating entries within those
subtrees.
4.
Create the directory from the LDIF file using one of the following methods:
❍
Directory Server Console
Use this method if you have a small database to import (less than 1000
entries). See “Performing an Import From the Console,” on page 144.
❍
ldif2db
command-line utility
Use this method if you have a large database to import (more than 1,000
entries). See “Importing Using the ldif2db Command-Line Script,” on
page 147.
❍
ldapmodify
command-line utility with the
-a
parameter
Use this method if you currently have a directory database, but you are
adding a new subtree to the database. Unlike the other methods for
creating the directory from an LDIF file, Directory Server must be running
before you can add a subtree using
ldapmodify
. See “Adding and
Modifying Entries Using ldapmodify,” on page 57.