Ability to describe the DSGW's features.
Ability to access the DSGW.
|
Factoid:
Actually, two gateway instances
are installed along with the Directory Server: the default gateway and
Directory Express. |
Try
This:
Open a second Navigator window
and enter the administrative URL for your DSGW. Click the
Netscape
Directory Server Gateway link under the Services for Administrators
heading.
Leave this DSGW open for the next section where you will add some users. |
The DSGW is one of the best
tools for verifying successful installation and trouble-shooting simple
problems with the Directory Server.
|
Chapter
1 of Directory Server Gateway Customization Guide.
|
|
Directory Server Gateway (DSGW)
Background
The Directory Server gateway is an LDAP
client which lets you access the Directory Server with any browser
that supports JavaScript.
Specifically, the DSGW lets you:
Search the directory using one of two types of searches. Smart
search provides an intelligent searching mechanism that attempts
to perform the correct search based on the type of data included in the
search.
Perform advanced searches for values contained in specific entry
attributes, such as a telephone number or e-mail address.
Create new entries in the directory. Typically, this feature
is reserved only for users who have authenticated properly to the Directory
Server, and who have been granted write permissions by the directory administrator.
Modify existing entries. Modification lets you change existing
values to entry attributes, delete the entire entry, rename the entry,
or change the password for the entry. Typically this feature is reserved
only for users who have authenticated properly to the gateway.
Authenticate to the Directory Server. Authentication is necessary
only if your directory manager has set the Directory Server access control
in such a way as to require authentication. Although the exact authentication
requirements will differ from site to site, typically you will need to
authenticate only if you are adding, modifying, or deleting an entry in
the directory.
In release 4.0 of the Netscape Directory Server, many gateway instances
can be defined on one HTTP
server, providing access to any number of directory servers. A gateway
instance consists of:
A .conf file (nshome/serverId/dsgw/context)defining
the context for gateway instance. For instance, nshome/serverId/dsgw/context/dsgw.conf
defines the dsgw gateway instance.
An HTML directory (nshome/serverId/dsgw/html)for
object class templates and other files containing gateway directives used
to communicate with the LDAP
server.
A configuration directory (nshome/serverId/dsgw/config)for
directory search, directory authentication, language files, and gateway
scripts.
Installation
The DSGW is automatically installed as part of the standard
Directory Server installation process. In previous versions
of the Directory Server you had to do this manually. Two gateway
instances are installed during directory server installation: the default
gateway and Directory Express.
The default gateway provides a standard search form, an advanced search
form, a directory server authentication form, and a form for adding and
modifying entries.
Directory Express is a basic directory lookup tool that can be used out
of the box.
Both gateways are configured to use the suffix set when the Directory server
was configured, and non-SSL (Secure
Socket Layer) communications.
DSGW Files
The DSGW software is located in your nshome
directory; the default location is:
nshome/serverId/dsgw
The configuration file for the default gateway is at:
nshome/serverId/dsgw/context/dsgw.conf
Accessing The Directory Server Gateway
All you have to do to access the DSGW is enter the administrative
URL of the Directory Server in the location window of your web browser.
To get to a gateway, enter the following URL:
http://adminhost:adminport
An example would be:
http://mars.mcom.com:17261
This is really easy if you remembered to write down the administrative
port number during installation process. If you don't know
the administrative port number, you have the following choices:
-
Examine the install.inf file in the nshome/serverId/setup
directory (if it was saved during installation). Look for the port=
statement.
-
Uninstall then reinstall the Directory Server and record the port number.
When you successfully enter the administrative URL you should see a web
page that looks like this:
If you click on the link for Netscape Directory Server Gateway
you'll go to a page with the main DSGW interface. This page
gives you 4 easy-to-use options:
-
Standard Search. Examines what you type and automatically selects
one or more methods for searching the directory.
-
Advanced Search. Lets you specify exactly what you are looking
for, what attribute you wish to search for, and what type of matching you
wish to allow.
-
New Entry. Allows you to create new entries in the directory.
Depending on how the system administrator has set up your directory you
may need to be granted special permission to add new entries.
-
Authenticate. You'll need to authenticate yourself before you can
modify or add entries to the directory. If your system administrator
requires it, you may also need to authenticate before searching the directory.
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